Peanut Butter, Banana and Chocolate Chip Cupcakes
Peanut Butter, Banana and Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting are sinfully delicious and just happen to be gluten free. These cupcakes combine all of my favorites. Bananas, chocolate and peanut butter all in one amazing bite. I have a feeling that Elvis and I would have been culinary best friends:-)
The cupcakes are soft and moist from the bananas. The bananas also help to off set the richness of the peanut butter. Although the chocolate may not be the star in this dessert, you know it is there and it can do no wrong. If you are hesitant to make these awesome little cakes, remind yourself that they are giving you a serving of fruit too! Thank you bananas;-)
Substitutions
If you’d like to make this egg free, you may substitute one Vegan Egg. You can make this dairy free by substituting the butter, milk and chocolate chips for your favorite dairy free alternatives. Some of my favorites are Earth Balance Buttery Sticks, Ripple, So Delicious, and Enjoy Life Morsels. For more suggestions on substitutions for food allergies, check my Substitutions section.
Time to Make the Batter
This is a very easy batter to combine. The sugar and wet ingredients go in one bowl, the dry ingredients go in the other. Mix them together, add the chocolate chips and pour the batter into the muffin liners. There aren’t any tricks to this one!
Not Your Typical Frosting
This Peanut Butter Frosting doesn’t look like regular frosting and it doesn’t taste like it either. It is simply amazing and makes these cupcakes extra special. Making the frosting is easy, just heat up the peanut butter, combine the ingredients and add milk (or dairy free alternative) until it reaches the consistency you like. You can make it as thick or thin as you’d like.
Go Bananas!
Check out my Banana Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting, Tropical Rum Ice Cream (Dairy Free) and Make Ahead Banana Bread Oatmeal for other banana based deliciousness. Another great recipe that is dairy free, egg free and gluten free are my Banana Pancakes. Here’s your guilt free way to start the day!
Peanut Butter, Banana and Chocolate Chip Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups Gluten Free Flour Blend with xanthan gum (I use Bob’s Red Mill 1 for 1 baking flour)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp Salt
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 1 ½ cups mashed over-ripe bananas (approximately 3-4 bananas)
- ¼ cup dairy free vanilla creamer (I use So Delicious Dairy Free)
- ¾ cup peanut butter
- ½ cup melted butter or canola oil (or other dairy free alternative)
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 egg (Sub 2 Vegan Eggs if needed)
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (dairy free chips will work)
Topping
- ⅓ cup mini chips for garnish (dairy free chips will work)
- ½ cup peanut butter
- ¼ cup butter or dairy free alternative
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2-3 Tbsp milk or dairy free vanilla creamer (I use So Delicious Dairy Free)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon together.
- In a large bowl, blend on a low speed, all wet ingredients plus the sugar. Slowly add the dry ingredients mixing by hand until combined well. Add the chocolate chips last.
- Fill cupcake liners 2/3 of the way or less if you do not want them to rise above the liner. I over fill mine and they rise above the liner, the drawback is that I usually only get 18-19 cupcakes out of the batter. You will get 20-24 if you fill them 2/3 full.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes. Check them every 90 seconds or so after 20 minutes until they are just barely set. When using gluten-free flour, do not overbake! Take them out just before you think they are done, otherwise, they will be dry & crumbly.
- Let them cool, then spread frosting on top and sprinkle with mini chocolate chips or drizzle with melted chocolate chips.
For the Frosting:
- Microwave peanut butter & butter in a glass bowl for 30-60 seconds (until melted & runny). Stir in powdered sugar & vanilla. Slowly add the half & half until the mixture reaches the consistency you like. If you make this in advance and it becomes too stiff to spread, just pop it in the microwave again for a few seconds and it will loosen up.
