Tuesday, September 02, 2014

Peanut Butter, Banana and Chocolate Chip Oatmeal "Muffins"

Hello. Remember me?

I have been on a hiatus (of sorts) from blogging any new recipes for a couple of months while we're remodeling a house that we just took possession of in July. (Are we close to completion? Thank you for asking. But, nope. Not even close. We're getting there, though.) We've been up to our eyeballs in cabinet staining, drywall work, mudding and such ... all those super-de-duper fun things that come along with most remodeling adventures.


I have barely been cooking or baking from-scratch recently. (I know - gasp.) Our new house is just a few miles from where we currently live and we're not moving in until most of the renovations are done. So, we've been at the new house working during our "free" time which has meant that my hubby and kids have been mostly living on take-out, pizza, granola bars and string cheese. (I wish I were kidding.)

This past weekend, however, I couldn't take it anymore. I was dying to get into the kitchen - even if it meant giving up a couple hours of working at the new place. So, I made a big pot of my Cheesy Potato Soup and kept it warm in my slow cooker to transport over to the new house. (Nothing says gourmet, by the way, like soup served in Styrofoam cups and eaten with plastic spoons.)


And, these scrumptious "muffins" were made ... and quickly devoured.

These are not quite actually muffins in the true sense of the word - they are chewier and a bit denser than traditional banana muffins. (Having no flour in the mix makes them a little different than muffins, as well.) Regardless, they are darn yummy and are great on the go! They actually remind me of Quaker Oatmeal To Go Breakfast Bars - if you've ever had those.

Who doesn't love the combination of chocolate, peanut butter and banana? They're made with stuff most of us usually have on hand and they're ready to pop in the oven in just a matter of minutes. They'll carry you through the morning and are, also, great for after school snacking.


Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups uncooked oats (I prefer old-fashioned)
1/4 cup (lightly packed) brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly-grated nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup milk
1 large egg, slightly beaten
1 ripe banana, mashed
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the oats, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in a medium mixing bowl. Add in the vanilla, milk and beaten egg.

In a small bowl, combine together the mashed banana, peanut butter and honey until mostly smooth. Add banana mixture into the oatmeal mixture. Stir until combined.

Line the wells of a muffin tin with papers. Fill each paper just over three-fourths of the way full. Bake for 15 - 17 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for about five minutes while still in the muffin tin.

Remove from muffin tin and store in an airtight container once fully cooled. Can be served warm or at room temperature.


7 comments :

  1. I was so excited to see your email, Angela! Welcome back. Glad to hear your renovations are going well. What a blessing to be renovating as a familly! Looking forward to more posts from you! :o)

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    1. Thanks so much ... I appreciate your sweet words! I probably won't be posting nearly as often as before, however, as we continue on our remodel journey and stay busy with the kids' activities for right now. But, I was missing blogging and thought I'd share this great recipe. Thanks for posting! :)

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  2. Hi again, Angela! I was so happy to read your email and am very happy the reno is moving forward for you! Those muffins look so awesome, and perfect for a pick me up, just what I've been looking for for my hubby and I to take to work with us. I can't wait to try them. Hope things keep moving right along for you, especially now that the school year, with all it's activities, has started. Keeping you and yours in my thoughts and prayers! :-) (Can you believe the leaves are already changing here in MI????)

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    1. Hello, Angela! So great to hear from you! Yes, the leaves changing already is crazy here in MI ... I just was pointing that out to my kids yesterday morning as we were taking our photos outside on our first day of school. Usually everything is still so bright green at this point ... but our trees have been changing for a couple of weeks now.

      Thanks for checking in ... I so appreciate your encouragement and support! :)

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    2. I've been noticing the leaf changes for weeks now. They have been predicting an unusually cold winter for us, because there is still ice floats on our lakes. So, I'm building up our wood pile and getting ready for another harsh winter in MI. I'm praying you have everything you need to withstand a MI winter! :-) And lots of cold food recipes! :-D

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    3. I have heard that this winter is supposed to be another rough one. :( We have used a wood stove for almost six years at the home we'll be moving out of ... so I know the "fun" of stockpiling wood for the winter. We won't have to do that at the new house, so I'm thankful for that. However, there really isn't anything better on a cold winter's night that snuggling up by the crackling fire. So, I am sure to miss that. We'll have to wait and see how well the heating is at the new place ... it's a new furnace so that should do well. Now let's just see how much it costs to heat it ... we're going from a small house that was heated by wood stove to a house three or four times as big paying for propane. Yikes!

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    4. We're on propane, too, and it can get expensive! We own a fireplace company and my husband installed a wood burning stove about 4 years ago now, best thing we ever did! It saves us so much on propane. Hope your enjoying your new house! :-)

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