Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan 160°C). Line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases or silicone liners. The kitchen should start feeling warm as the oven reaches temperature.

Mash the bananas in a large mixing bowl until smooth with only a few small lumps remaining — you'll see the colour shift from pale yellow to a creamy beige, and the smell will be intensely sweet and fruity.

Add the eggs, Greek yoghurt, honey and vanilla extract to the mashed banana. Whisk together until the mixture looks glossy and uniform, with a thick, pourable consistency similar to smoothie batter.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, protein powder, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon and salt. Sifting removes any clumps from the protein powder — you should see a fine, even powder with no white specks remaining.

Fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture using a spatula. Stir gently until just combined — the batter should look thick and slightly lumpy, with no streaks of flour visible. Overmixing will make the muffins tough, so stop as soon as everything comes together.

Fold in the chocolate chips or nuts if using. You'll hear the gentle scrape of the spatula against the bowl as the add-ins distribute evenly throughout the batter.

Divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cases. Each case should be about three-quarters full — the batter should look domed and slightly mounded in the centre. The surface will appear bumpy from the banana pieces.

Bake for 16–18 minutes until the tops spring back when lightly pressed and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. You'll smell the banana and cinnamon filling your kitchen, and the tops will be a deep golden brown with small cracks forming naturally.

Cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. The muffins will feel tender and fragile when hot but will firm up as they cool. You'll see steam rising as you move them — this is when the texture sets perfectly.