Isn’t everything, though? Making a pie? Throw some chocolate chips on top. Hiking solo with hopes on scoring a major movie deal where you are played by James Franco? Better put some chocolate chips in your trail mix, if you want to survive long enough to cut off your own arm. Basically, chocolate chips rule.

So when pulling together some banana bread muffins to take with us on our big President’s Day snow tubing (which I’ve never heard of, and cannot figure out how there is snow in Southern California, but I’m so totally game. Still, I HAVE NO IDEA HOW SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA WORKS.) trip, I thought I’d add them into an otherwise pretty basic recipe. Guess who is about to get applause in the car on the way to Mt. Baldy? Me. Or at least I’d better, or I’m turning this car around and no one will be allowed to see snow EVER AGAIN.

Gluten-Free Banana Bread With Chocolate Chips

adapted from Simply Recipes

Prep time: 7 minutes Cook time: 30 minutes

4 ripe bananas, smashed

1/3 cup melted butter

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon baking soda

Pinch of salt

1 1/2 cups of all-purpose gluten-free flour

1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum

3/4 cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F .

2. Mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour and xanthan gum and mix. Add the chocolate chips last, mix.

3. Pour into greased muffin pan and bake for 30 minutes.

Makes: 12 muffins