Double Chocolate Banana Muffins with Tahini {GF, DF, Paleo}

Extra rich yet super healthy double chocolate banana muffins made with tahini for a nutty flavor and moist, cake-like texture.   They’re gluten free, grain free, dairy free and Paleo and even kid friendly!   Have one for breakfast, an afternoon snack, or anytime you need a chocolate fix.

Can you really every have enough chocolate?!  Obviously I’m always saying that about many of my favorites – namely things like sausage, bacon, kale (so much kale love), Japanese sweet potatoes, and fried eggs, and coconut oil.   Throw in bananas and I will happily live on all of the above and nothing else.  Plus ground beef.  If I left out ground beef I’d be kicking myself for the rest of my life.

These double chocolate banana muffins, surprisingly, weren’t totally inspired by chocolate, though, or even the existence of a batch of uneaten, dangerously-ripe bananas.   Nope!  They were actually inspired by two things – 1.) Seed & Mill Tahini that was given to me by a friend, and had been sadly sitting unopened in the pantry for a month or so, and, 2.) the super cute lotus baking cups I decided to buy on Amazon and NEEDED to use ASAP.

So, between those two items plus the bananas sitting in the corner and a raging chocolate craving, these muffins were born!

I believe I’ve used tahini in just 3 recipes total on the site – salted chocolate tahini fudge, double chocolate tahini cookies and now these muffins.  The chocolate theme is STRONG for me when it comes to tahini, as you can see.  I honestly haven’t experimented with it as much as I’d like – especially with savory sauces – but I wind up being swayed by the idea of making something we can all enjoy (kids included), and then again, I seem to now have this chocolate-tahini association that I can’t break.

I will say one thing – it can be tough to find a tahini that doesn’t leave an odd bitter aftertaste, requiring a lot of sugar to cover it up.  The Seed & Mill is probably the best one I’ve tried, one that you can actually eat from the jar without noticing the bitterness.  Success!

More about these muffins!  The tahini gives them a sort of nutty flavor and also a texture that’s rich and almost cake-like.  They’re moist, yet not too moist (the way some banana muffins can be!) and I included flaxseed for a healthy boost of omega-3s and antioxidants.

One note on the chocolate chips:  I personally don’t mind using the Enjoy Life Dark Chocolate Morsels (which are dairy and soy free) even though they aren’t strictly Paleo due to the inclusion of cane sugar.

You might have already found that most dark chocolate bars, even those that are dairy and soy free, almost always contain cane sugar which many of you are avoiding.  If this is the case, you can either make chocolate chunks yourself (this recipe from Bakerita is awesome!) or you can purchase Paleo friendly maple-sweetened dark chocolate.   And, all of that said, you can also simply omit the chocolate chunks/chips and these chocolate banana muffins will still make you very, very happy!   It’s all good!

Are you guys ready to bake?!  Let’s go!  Let me know what you think 🙂

Double Chocolate Banana Muffins with Tahini {GF, DF, Paleo}

5 from 3 votes

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Double Chocolate Banana Muffins with Tahini {GF, DF, Paleo}

Extra rich yet super healthy double chocolate banana muffins made with tahini for a nutty flavor and moist, cake-like texture. They're gluten free, grain free, dairy free and Paleo and even kid friendly! Have one for breakfast, an afternoon snack, or anytime you need a chocolate fix.

Course Snack/Breakfast/Treat

Cuisine Paleo

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 10 -12 muffins

Calories 241 kcal

Author Michele

Ingredients

• 3 eggs
• 2 med very overripe bananas mashed well
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 1/3 cup tahini I used Seed & Mill
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup blanched almond flour
• 1/3 cup flaxseed meal
• 6 tbsp raw cacao powder or unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/8 tsp sea salt
• 1/3 cup chopped dark chocolate or dairy free/soy free chocolate chips*

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line a 12 cup muffin pan with liners, or grease with coconut oil (make sure you use a reliable non-stick pan if you're going liner-free)
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the mashed bananas with the eggs, tahini, maple syrup and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine the almond flour, flaxseed, cacao or cocoa powder, baking soda and salt until well blended.
3. Gently stir the dry ingredients into the wet, until JUST moistened - do not use a mixer for this step or your muffins won't properly rise. Lastly, fold in the chopped chocolate or chocolate chips.
4. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups/liners until about 3/4 of the way full. I have made between 10-12 muffins with this recipe depending on how big I make the muffins.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 18-22 minutes, or until muffins are set and a toothpick inserted near the center of one comes out batter-free (melted chocolate is okay)
6. Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 2-5 minutes, then remove to finish cooling on wire racks. Store leftovers loosely covered at room temperature for the first day, and then in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. You can also freeze them, tightly wrapped in plastic for longer. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

*You can also make your own chocolate chunks using this recipe from Bakerita.

Nutrition Facts

Double Chocolate Banana Muffins with Tahini {GF, DF, Paleo}

Amount Per Serving

Calories 241 Calories from Fat 135

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 15g 23%

Saturated Fat 3g 15%

Cholesterol 49mg 16%

Sodium 186mg 8%

Potassium 288mg 8%

Total Carbohydrates 21g 7%

Dietary Fiber 4g 16%

Sugars 10g

Protein 7g 14%

Vitamin A 1.8%

Vitamin C 2.9%

Calcium 8.8%

Iron 10.6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

What I Used to Make My Double Chocolate Banana Muffins with Tahini:

Want more Paleo muffins recipes?  Try one of these!

Paleo Almond Butter Banana Muffins with Flaxseed

Paleo Cinnamon Raisin Sweet Potato Muffins

Simple Paleo Blueberry Muffins

Paleo Lemon Blueberry Muffins {Nut Free}

Tell Me!

Do you go sweet or savory with tahini?

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