Deliciously moist muffins bursting of aromatic banana flavor with just the right amount of sweet chocolate chips.
Do you like going to coffee shops as much as my husband and I do?
There were times on our travels when we went out of necessity just to get our daily caffeine fix. Times when the free instant coffee from the hotel lobby just wouldn’t do.
However, nowadays we have invested in a small travel kettle and a manual drip coffee maker. Do you know what I mean? It is hard to explain – it looks like this.
Still, we love our occasional coffee outings and some places see us returning more often than others. Like the place where we had this Banana Chocolate Chip Muffin.
This is the entrance to Akha Ama Cafe in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Doesn’t it look all quaint and cozy hidden behind the greenery? If you follow me on Instagram you have probably seen a number of pictures from this place already.
It is one of those coffee shops that has it all: fantastic brews, an ethical business mission, great service, a warm atmosphere that invites to stay longer, free WiFi and very reasonable prices on top of this all.
The Akha are a hill tribe living in the mountains around Chiang Mai. This coffee shop buys their fair-trade coffee beans from one Akha village that grows, processes and roasts their own beans. This way they eliminated the middle-man and more revenues remain to support the village.
Aside from their inspiring mission I think the interior needs special mention as well. All the wooden furniture has many colorful, comfy cushions, there are lots of artistic wooden elements on the walls and look at that table – the one I took the pictures of the muffin on.
The dark, solid wood must have been refurbished, I don’t believe all the characterful distress marks come from coffee cups. I am in love with this table. I wonder if they’d allow me to take all my food pictures on it?
I don’t want to leave you without a recipe, in case you find yourself craving some classic Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins. Recently I joined Tasty Kitchen (I don’t know what took me so long). Wendy’s recipe (which you’ll find below) received great reviews on there.
Deliciously moist muffins bursting of aromatic banana flavor with just the right amount of sweetness from the chocolate chips.
Ingredients
- 2 sticks (1 cup) butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 3-5 very ripe bananas (as many as you have to use up)
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1 tsp cinnamon (optional)
- 1 cup chocolate chips
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350F. In a small bowl mash the bananas with a fork. Set aside.
- Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and optional cinnamon in a bowl. Stir until nicely blended.
- Cream softened butter with your electric mixer. Add sugar, eggs and mashed bananas and mix until combined.
- Add flour mixture in three additions alternating with the milk and beat until combined. Lastly, stir in chocolate chips by hand.
- Scoop batter into lined or greased pan and bake for about 25 minutes until golden brown.
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