• Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C) for conventional oven, 330 F (165 C) for convection oven
• Grease the well of your muffin pan. Mine has a non-stick coating and usually my bake goods release well with this muffin pan. You know your pan better. I don't recommend using muffin liners for this mochi muffin. It's going to stick to the liners badly

Prepare the batter:

• If using, thinly slice banana to get 8 or12 slices (depending on how many muffins you plan to make) for decorating the top of muffin
• Combine all the dry ingredients and set aside. In another mixing bowl, whisk all the wet ingredients together until well-combined. Some lumps from the bits and pieces of bananas are fine
  
• Add the dry ingredients into the wet and stir to combine. Since there is no gluten in this recipe, we don't have to worry about overmixing.
  
• Make sure the wet and dry are combined and you don't see any pockets of flour
  
• To make 12 small muffins: Scoop the batter into the muffin pan, about 3/4 full. Sprinkle with some chocolate chips on top. Top with one slice of banana for each muffin if using
  
• To make 8 large muffins: Just distribute the batter evenly among 8 wells. It's going to be all the way to the top
  
• Add one slice of banana on top (I didn't for the large version). Sprinkle with some chocolate chips on top
  

Bake:

• Put the muffin pan in the middle rack and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes for small muffins and 1 hour 30 minutes for large muffins. These muffins require longer than usual time for baking to create that crusty exterior. Tent loosely with aluminum foil (shiny side up) after 40 minutes of baking to prevent the muffins from browning too much. The muffins will rise to the top but will shrink back down a bit as they cool down
  

Cool down:

• Set the muffin pan on top of a cooling rack and let the muffins cool down completely in the pan. DO NOT attempt to remove them when they are still warm. They maintain their height better this way
  

To serve:

• They are best served on the same day as they are still crusty on the outside and chewy inside. The outside will get soft the next day but it can be reheated again to give you that crusty exterior while the inside remain chewy like mochi

Leftovers:

• Leftovers can be kept in air-tight container for about 3 days. The crust will soften the next day, and this is normal
• The muffins also freeze very well. Once they have cooled down completely, individually wrap it with a cling wrap and transfer them to a freezer bag, push all the air out and seal the bag. They can be kept frozen for 1 month. Simply thaw overnight in the fridge or at room temperature before reheating as instructed below

How to reheat:

• For that crusty outside, do not reheat in the microwave. You can reheat in a toaster oven or oven at 350 F (180 C) for 5 minutes. If you are using air fryer, reheat at 320 F (160 C) for 5 minutes. Let them cool down a bit and the outside will be crusty again and serve immediately