Chocolate Chip Distribution

Our answer

Several of Nigella's baking recipes include chocolate chips or chopped nuts. For the Gluten-Free Banana Bread the recipe specifies roughly chopped nuts and dark chocolate. In this particular case the chocolate and nuts are more evenly distrubuted by virtue of the fact that as the mixture is gluten-free it doesn't rise as much as a regular recipe (though the bread still has a light texture), which means that the nuts and chocolate tend to stay in situ more easily. Thicker cake and muffin batters, such as banana-based recipes, also tend to hold chocolate chips and nuts in place better than more liquid batters.

For muffins and other baked goods, such as the Banana Butterscotch Muffins, try to use the smaller (mini) type of chocolate chip, as these will not sink as easily as larger chips. Sometimes it helps to first toss the chocolate chips or chopped nuts with a little flour from the recipe, as this can help to prevent them from sinking so much. You can also reserve a few and sprinkle them on top before baking, to make sure that some are close to the surface.