Chocolate Banana Crunch Muffins

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These light and fluffy chocolate banana muffins with a chocolaty, crunchy cereal topping, served up with a tall glass of milk and fresh fruit, is a delightful afternoon snack or late night treat!

There are so many things that can trigger memories. Smells, experiences, music and of course foods and flavors. Some of these comfort foods take us back to family vacations to the beach or camping trips, a first apartment in college and of course our childhood.

One food that will always be a comfort food for me, spanning decades of early mornings and late nights, is cereal. I think I get my love of cereal from my Dad. You see, he is a total cereal connoisseur, and I can vividly remember him filling the pantry with an assortment of cereal. For us, cereal wasn’t just a morning breakfast option. We ate cereal as an afternoon snack, sometimes for dinner and even enjoyed a bowl of chocolate or marshmallow studded cereal for a midnight snack.

Of course, as a young college student, my love of cereal grew. It was easy, affordable and the options were infinite. Quickly downing a bowl of cereal before running out the door to catch the bus or eating a big bowl as I pulled all-nighters writing a 10 page term paper or studying for finals was critical.

You can only image my excitement when I met Eric and he totally understood the whole cereal thing. However, he’s not a cereal in the morning guy. He likes to have cereal on hand for an afternoon snack or a late night treat. That’s why, recently when I was making an evening trip to Walmart, he asked me to pick up some cereal. As I was wondering down the cereal aisle, I couldn’t help but be in awe. There were so. Many. Options. One thing that caught my eye was the new Post Kung Fu Panda Po Power Crunch cereal (available at Walmart). I am a total sucker for anything inspired by books or movies (as evident by my “Dinner ‘n a Movie” and “Read It, Eat It” series here on Kitchen Concoctions) and could not resist a chocolate cereal inspired by an adorable movie. I threw a box in my cart and grabbed a big bag of Berry Colossal Crunch cereal for Eric, since it is one of his cereal “comfort food” favorites.

Since we like to enjoy cereal not just for breakfast, but other times of day as well; of course it comes as no surprise that I also like to bake and cook with cereal! I use crushed cereal to make my crispy oven baked chicken strips, to add a little crunch to cookies and make cereal treats in some form or fashion about once a month. Inspired by that Kung Fu Panda Po Power Crunch cereal, I whipped up a batch of chocolate banana muffins and used this chocolate cereal to create a crunchy topping. I am always trying to think up new recipes to use over ripe bananas and this banana muffin recipe was a fantastic, new twist! These muffins were sweet and fluffy and the cereal crunch on the top was simply magical. Just like cereal, we have enjoyed these muffins not just for breakfast with some fresh fruit and protein packed Greek yogurt on the weekends, but as a mid afternoon snack or late night treat!

Chocolate Banana Crunch Muffins
by Heather H. of Kitchen Concoctions: www.kitchen-concoctions.com
Printable Version
Prep Time: 20-25 minutes Bake Time: 18-20 minutes Yields: 10-12 muffins

Chocolate banana muffins topped with a crunchy chocolate cereal streusel.

Ingredients:
Chocolate crunch streusel:
1 cup Kung Fu Panda Po Power Crunch cereal
1/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed

Chocolate banana muffins:
2/3 cup Kung Fu Panda Po Power Crunch cereal
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
¼ cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 large egg
2 large ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin tin with paper liners and set aside.

To make the streusel topping: Place Kung Fu Panda Po Power Crunch cereal (removing marshmallow pieces, if desired) in a food processor and pulse 3-4 times until cereal in partially crushed but large pieces of cereal remain. Alternatively, cereal can be placed in a large zip top baggie and crushed by pounding with a rolling pin or meat mallet. In a medium bowl, stir together the crushed cereal, flour and brown sugar. Add cubed butter to the bowl. Using your fingers, press the butter into the flour/cereal mixture, pressing until the butter is broken up and the mixture is coarse and crumbly. Set aside.

To make the muffin batter: Place Kung Fu Panda Po Power Crunch cereal (removing marshmallow pieces, if desired) in a food processor and pulse 3-4 times until cereal in partially crushed but large pieces of cereal remain. Alternatively, cereal can be place in a large zip top baggie and crushed by pounding with a rolling pin or meat mallet. Set aside

In a small bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa powder, ground cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, using a hand-held mixer or stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream the butter until fluffy. Add sugar and beat until smooth and creamy. Beat in the egg, mixing until well combined. Add the mashed bananas and vanilla and beat until combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Add in the dry ingredients and beat on low just until combined. Fold in crushed cereal.

Using an ice cream or cookie scoop, scoop batter into the prepared muffin tins. Evenly top each muffin with a generous amount the cereal streusel topping.

Bake in preheated 350 degree F oven for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow muffins to cool in the muffin tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Do you love cereal? What is your favorite cereal and when do you like to enjoy a bowl? Please share in the comments below!

Post has a wide variety of cereals sure to please every family member’s taste buds! Stock up on your favorite Post cereals, great for breakfast together as a family or a midnight snack, and earn $0.50 when you buy any Post product at Walmart with Ibotta. For more information about all Post cereals, including other great recipes and fun family friendly activities, click here!