Never too early for chocolate
There's something subversive and somewhat decadent about sneaking chocolate into breakfast. Not like hot chocolate or chocolate milk. Something where chocolate doesn't really belong at all, like bagels or pancakes. Unfortunately, the rumor is that Bruegger's no longer makes the yummy chocolate chip bagels, and pancakes, even the ordinary kind, is more mess and effort than I can dredge up on workday morning. But, I can eat banana-chocolate chip muffins, made the Sunday before, right out of the fridge. A chocolate muffin is practically a cupcake and therefore more of a dessert, but a banana-chocolate chip muffin has fruit in it, so you can justify the breakfast status.

BANANA-CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINS

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line twelve muffin cups with foil muffin liners (and don't believe those foil liners that claim you just have plop them onto a baking sheet -- they hold up fine, but the bottoms get overbaked). Mix 1.5 cups all purpose flour, half a cup of sugar, 1.5 teaspoons baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt in large bowl. Mix about a cup of mashed bananas (I used three, so I think it ended up being more), 1 egg, 1 stick of melted butter and 1/4 cup of milk in a medium bowl. Stir banana mixture into dry ingredients just until blended (do not overmix). Stir in 3/4 cup of chocolate chips.

Divide batter among muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full. Bake muffins until tops are pale golden and a toothpick inserted into center comes out with some melted chocolate attached but no crumbs, about 32 minutes.