High Protein Banana Muffins

Having a grandson gives you all kinds of reasons to make muffins. Of course, these Banana Chocolate Chip Breakfast Muffins are technically for Miles and his mom and dad. But let's be clear about how this works: Gia sees a recipe that sounds like something Miles might like, and suddenly I'm in the kitchen experimenting. These little muffins started with a pumpkin breakfast muffin recipe that caught my attention. It was made with cottage cheese, eggs, granola, and pumpkin—simple ingredients blended together into a surprisingly protein-packed breakfast. I immediately started wondering what would happen if I traded the pumpkin for ripe bananas. Bananas and chocolate chips? That sounded much more like a Miles muffin to me. 

These aren't traditional banana bread muffins. There's no flour, no oil, and very little added sugar. Instead, ripe bananas and cottage cheese make up the creamy base, eggs help everything set, and granola gives the muffins some substance and texture. And before anyone worries about the cottage cheese—you blend it! Once everything is whirled together in the blender, the cottage cheese disappears into the batter. You aren't going to bite into a muffin and find cottage cheese curds hiding inside. What you get instead is a soft, moist breakfast muffin with some extra protein tucked right into it. I love recipes that manage to sneak something nutritious into something that still feels like a treat. Especially when chocolate chips are involved. 

This is a recipe for the bananas nobody wanted three days ago. You know the ones. They're sitting on the counter getting softer and browner while everyone carefully chooses a prettier banana from the bunch. Those are the bananas we want. The riper the banana, the sweeter and more flavorful these muffins will be. Using really ripe bananas also means we don't need much additional sweetener. Between the natural sweetness of the fruit and the chocolate-chip granola, I don't think these need much maple syrup in the batter. Save the maple syrup for the best part—a little drizzle over a warm muffin at breakfast. 

Because there's no flour in this recipe, don't expect the texture of a bakery-style banana muffin. These are softer and more tender—somewhere between banana bread, baked oatmeal, and a little breakfast custard. If your batter seems very thick in the blender, add additional milk one tablespoon at a time. Bananas vary tremendously in size and moisture, so you may need a little more liquid. Just don't automatically pour in more milk; we want muffins, not banana soup! You can also play with the toppings. Chopped walnuts or pecans would be wonderful for the grown-ups. A little extra granola sprinkled over the top before baking would add crunch. And, of course, I don't think Miles is going to object if a few extra chocolate chips happen to find their way onto his. Store leftover muffins covered in the refrigerator because of the eggs and cottage cheese. Warm one briefly in the microwave the next morning, add that little drizzle of maple syrup, and breakfast is ready. 

One of the unexpected pleasures of being Gia is finding myself thinking about food through Miles' eyes. Would he like this? Would he help me make it? Would chocolate chips improve my chances? The answer to that last question is almost always yes. But I also like knowing that I'm sending something home that Ashley and Eric can grab on a busy morning. They're getting banana, eggs, cottage cheese, and granola in something that still feels like a sweet little breakfast treat. That's a pretty good combination. And someday, when Miles is much bigger, I hope there are foods that immediately make him think of being at Gia's house. Maybe these muffins will be one of them. For now, I'll just keep making them—and I'll make enough for his mom and dad, too. 

Probably.

Other banana recipes to try: