Mini Banana Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

I recently realized that I hadn’t posted a dessert recipe in an awfully long time, and it just so happened that a wonderful colleague was celebrating her birthday last week, creating the perfect opportunity to bake something sweet (with the help of my sister Genevieve)!

Gen and I wanted to make cupcakes because they seemed most appropriate for a birthday, but because everything is cuter in mini form, we decided to make mini cupcakes! We chose a fail-proof Martha Stewart recipe for banana cupcakes, which seemed like a crowd-pleasing flavour, but threw in some mini chocolate chips for the chocolate lovers (which Gen and I are not). And because in our view, cream cheese frostings are the only way to go, we made two kinds of cream cheese frostings: peanut butter and chocolate. 

The cupcakes were so easy to make and they were the perfect two-bite treat to bring to a crowd, all of whom loved them! The cupcakes themselves had a strong banana flavour with just the right hint of chocolate from the mini chocolate chips, but the frosting was definitely the best part! Both frostings were so good that Gen and I couldn’t decide which one we liked better, although the chocolate ones did seem to disappear faster than the peanut butter (much to my dismay, as I was the one in charge of the peanut butter frosting – ha!)

These are the perfect little treat to celebrate a birthday, or just to have around to brighten up any other day. I’m loving making mini things lately and can’t wait to find another use for my mini muffin pan, so if you have any ideas, send them my way!

Mini Banana Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

Makes 3 dozen mini cupcakes

Banana Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

Adapted from C&C Cakery, who adapted from Martha Stewart

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3-4 large bananas)
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

6 tablespoons mini semisweet chocolate chips

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Chocolate cream cheese frosting & Peanut butter cream cheese frosting (recipes below)

About 18 banana chips and a handful of mini chocolate chips for topping

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Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, two sugars, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon).

In a medium bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients (melted butter, mashed bananas, eggs, vanilla).

Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until almost incorporated. Add chocolate chips and stir until just incorporated. Do not overmix. Spoon mixture into a mini muffin pan that has been lined with mini muffin liners. Fill each cup almost to the top of the liner. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the cupcakes are golden and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool before frosting.

Frost half the cupcakes with the peanut butter cream cheese frosting, and half with the chocolate cream cheese frosting. Top with banana chips or mini chocolate chips if desired.

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

Adapted from Cupcake Project

4 oz (half a block) cream cheese, softened (we used reduced fat)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1 to 1 ½ cups icing sugar

3 tablespoons cocoa powder

Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add icing sugar (start with less and add more if needed, depending how sweet you want it) and cocoa powder and beat until smooth.

Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

4 oz (half a block) cream cheese, softened (we used reduced fat)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1/4 cup smooth peanut butter

1/2 to 3/4 cup icing sugar

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon milk (optional)

Beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth. Mix in the peanut butter, followed by the icing sugar (start with less and add more if needed) and vanilla, and beat until smooth. Add milk if you need to thin out the frosting a little.