I think nothing makes a home more welcoming than the scent of freshly baked muffins. Easily made these individual quick breads are generally consumed in one sitting and are the perfect after-school, post-hockey, weekend snack.
When I bake these banana muffins, I always find that about halfway through the cooking process, as the aroma begins to pass gently through the house, my family members gather in the kitchen silently hoping that whatever is in the oven tastes halfway as good as it smells. In this case they are in luck.
These muffins are derived from another recipe I stumbled upon, which was fine on it's own, but being the experimenter that I am I just knew they could be better. Enter the oats and the chocolate. I knew that I would have to eliminate the nuts in the original recipe as I no longer include them in my baked goods. With nut allergies increasingly on the rise, I avoid them in muffins, cookies and cakes as my children are fond of sharing their after-school sweets with friends (we've been known to do many a taste test on the playground). In my mind, chocolate is always a good substitute for anything, and when combined with bananas and oats, the taste is classic and delicious.
Using only a few mixing bowls and a wooden spoon, this is a wonderful recipe for a child to make at home. They will enjoy mashing the bananas (I like to use a fork for this), and once the other ingredients are incorporated they can fold in the chocolate chips, which is always the highlight for any child (and you can be sure they'll sneak a few into their little mouths). To make filling the muffin cups a breeze, I suggest giving your little ones an ice cream scoop. It will keep the size of the muffins consistent and will reduce the mess on the tins.
I hope you welcome these into your homes this weekend...they are the perfect activity for what is expected to be a very rainy P.A. Day Friday!
Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins, adapted from this recipe
3 or 4 very ripe medium sized bananas, mashed with a fork
1/3 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup organic cane sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tbsp. strong coffee
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt (or kosher salt)
3/4 cups of flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup chocolate chips
~ Preheat the oven to 350°F. With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl.
~ Mix in the sugar, egg, espresso and vanilla.
~ Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in.
~ Add the flours and oats and mix until it is just incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips.
~ Pour mixture into a prepared muffin tin. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Check for doneness with a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin. If it comes out clean, it's done. Cool on a rack. Makes 12 muffins.
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