Has anyone ever seen “The Rye” episode on Seinfeld, the one that centers around a loaf of marble rye bread? Believe it or not, watching that episode years ago introduced me to that two-toned loaf. I was quite mesmerized by the possibility of creating swirly designs inside a loaf of bread. I should probably mention that I was quite young when I first saw that Seinfeld episode. At that point in my life, I was easily fascinated by little things, including plasma globes and color-changing mugs (which I still love).
After all these years, I haven’t learned how to make marble rye yet, but I can make delicious marble muffins! I think I’ll be fine for now.
These muffins look a bit complicated, but the trick is all in the layering. Just prep one banana batter, one chocolate batter, layer, swirl, bake, and lo and behold: soft, moist, delicious, yummy, chocolatey muffins. (Coincidentally, at the International Food Bloggers Conference, we were told to stray away from using these adjectives such as yummy and soft because they’re not descriptive enough. Well, I’m doing it anyway. If you’re not sold, just look at the photos. Tell me you don’t want one of them.)
Banana Marble Muffins
Ingredients
- natural cooking spray
- 2 medium ripe bananas, mashed
- 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons, 110ml canola oil
- 1/2 cup (115g) unsweetened applesauce
- 2 large eggs
- 2/3 cup (125g) coconut sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cup (115g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (180 degrees C). Grease a 12-muffin pan with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, mix the mashed bananas, oil, applesauce, eggs, sugar, and vanilla together.
- In another bowl, mix together the all-purpose flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Mix the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients.
- In a microwave-safe bowl, heat the chocolate chips for a minute and check them. Continue microwaving the chips in 20-second increments until all the chips have a glossy sheen. Stir the chocolate together until you get a thick chocolate sauce. Mix this melted chocolate with 1 cup of the muffin batter.
- Pour a layer of the banana batter into all of the tins, then top it with a chocolate layer. Continue alternating layers until all the muffin tins are full with the batter. I made the top layer half-banana and half-chocolate. Run a toothpick on top to create a swirl pattern.
- Bake the muffins for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Store any leftovers in room temperature in an airtight container.
Joanne says
Most of my Seinfeld watching happened when I was young also and it is really funny to watch it again now as an adult and see all the innuendos that I missed back then! Today might be a rye episode and banana marble muffin kind of afternoon.
Lisa says
That’s soo true! I don’t think I fully appreciated the line “master of his domain” until college.
Liz @ Floating Kitchen says
Love that Seinfeld episode. Well, I love them all actually. I’m a addict and can watch then all dozens of times! These marble muffins are little works of art. Love that we get to play with our food :-). XO
Lisa says
I watch reruns of Seinfeld episodes every night (even though I should really be going to bed)! I used to have viewing parties with my friends in college.
GiselleR @ Diary of an ExSloth says
Haven’t seen that Seinfeld episode but I almost wanna go look at it cuz if it sparked the idea for these muffins it must be good.
Also, you’re right the pics speak for themselves…who cares what words you use to describe them haha
Pinning!
Lisa says
Hah! A picture is worth a thousand words, right? Thanks, Giselle!
Whitney @ Sweet Cayenne says
So excited about these muffins – I make a marbled chocolate banana bread but a muffin is a fabulous idea! Pinned! Lovely photos, by the way!
Lisa says
Thanks, Whitney! I’ve seen so many recipes with the bread version that I thought it would be fun to make them as muffins!
Kelly // The Pretty Bee: Cooking & Creating says
These are so pretty! I love the marbled look, and I bet they are super delicious, too!
Lisa says
Thanks, Kelly! I made them when a friend was visiting, and he totally ate 4 of them. I was so pleased!
Arman @ thebigmansworld says
That marble…..it’s so pretty. Unlike Elaine’s dancing…or the non fat yogurt.
(I hope you get what I’m on about ;))
Lisa says
Heck yes, I know what you’re talking about! On a random note, I heard Julia Louis-Dreyfus talk about that episode in an interview, and she said that she had to force herself to dance atrociously for that scene. Also, I can’t believe that show is on in Australia!
ami@naivecookcooks says
These look so moist and delicious!!
Lisa says
Thanks, Ami!!
Thalia @ butter and brioche says
I have never made marbled muffins before! These look and sound incredibly delicious.. craving a bite of one right now!
Lisa says
Thanks, Thalia!
athletic avocado says
mmm you can never go wrong with chocolate and bananas! The world’s best combo! 🙂
Lisa says
Right? LOVE those two things together. Peanut butter and bananas come as a close second.
Alyssa says
Chocolate and bananas—one of my favorite combos! And I love how healthy you made them. I just wanted to let you know that I have a food photo submission site at Simply Creative Recipes and I am linking to this post if you don’t mind. You are welcome to submit your recipes if you’d like!
Lisa says
Not at all, Alyssa! Thanks for linking my recipe there!
cindy says
lisa!
i was wondering whether i could use whole wheat flour instead of all purpose flour? if i could, what difference would it make on the muffin?
and also could i sub the coconut sugar with brown sugar? i’ve been doing that for other recipes, but i’m not sure whether using the specified ingredients would make them taste better?
haha thanks!
Lisa says
Hi, Cindy! Yes, you can use whole wheat flour instead! The texture of it will just be a little grittier. And yes! You can definitely sub the coconut sugar with brown sugar. The brown sugar will give it a bit more of that molasses taste. I’ve been baking a lot with coconut sugar because their sweetness is a bit lighter. Let me know how these go for you!
Susan says
Your muffin photos looked so beautiful and I just had to make them tonite!!! They were easy to make and sooo moist and delicious! Hubby and son inhaled them so fast in seconds… I will be making these again for my nieces and nephews soon! Thanks for a yummy recipe and they rose just like your pictures.
Lisa says
Susan, thank you very much for letting me know how they turned out! I’m so glad that you and your family enjoyed them!!
Dee says
Hi, these look amazing! Are they soft and bouncy or more on the dense side? Also, my question is what can I use instead of the apple sauce? Milk, plain yoghurt? Or no? Thanks in advance!
Min says
Hi! What can I use instead of applesauce?
Lisa Lin says
Hi, Min! You can use yogurt instead.