Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large mixing bowl, add peeled ripe bananas and mash them well using a fork or electric beater. The consistency should be like a puree with a few small chunks.
Stir in maple syrup, vanilla extract and eggs. Beat until smooth.
Add almond flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt, and mix until fully incorporated.
Gently fold in the chocolate chips.
If adding chopped walnuts, fold them in.
Line a muffin tray with cupcake liners. Using an ice cream scoop, fill the muffin tray evenly. Place the tray in the middle rack and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. If not, pop them back in for another 1-2 minutes.
Remove the tray and cool for 10 minutes. After that, transfer the muffins to a wire rack for cooling. For best taste and texture, cool completely before eating.
Almond Flour Banana Bread
Follow steps 1-5. Pour batter in a greased 4 x 8 inch loaf pan (1 pound pan) and bake for 30-35 minutes. Check by inserting a toothpick into the center. If it comes out clean, it's done! If not, put it back for another 3-5 minutes depending on how wet the toothpick was.
Notes
Use super ripe, brown speckled bananas. Riper bananas means tastier banana muffins with less sugar.
You can use almond meal instead of almond flour. The batter will have the brown specs from the skin of the almonds and the bread will be slightly more dense.
For slightly less sweeter muffins, reduce the maple syrup to 2 or 3 tablespoons.
Add different kinds of mix-ins to enhance the flavor. Feel free to add ½ cup chopped pecans instead of walnuts, white chocolate chips, cinnamon chips, peanut butter chips or blueberries.
For best results cool completely before enjoying. They might be crumbly and a bit greasy if you don't wait for them to cool.
Store in an airtight container on the kitchen counter for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to 1 week. To freeze, seal tight in a plastic storage bag, label, date and freeze for up to 6 months.
Note: The nutrition facts below are my estimates. If you are following any diet plan, I recommend cross-checking with your preferred nutrition calculator.