When you enjoy the delicious taste of Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins, you don’t need to feel guilty about the chocolate, because you’re eating fruit and oats too!
In our home, we love muffins. But, there’s a great muffin divide that breaks up the synergy in the house. You see, Dear Reader, while John.e and I love to eat muffins loaded with fruit, McKenna does not. She likes just plain chocolate chip muffins.
Every once in a while, I’ll make a batch for her, but I always use my banana muffin base and I always add rolled oats. That way, even though she’s eating chocolate, she’s still getting the added benefit of eating something that’s good for her.
You can add nuts too, if you like. But, like I said, these muffins were for McKenna and nothing beats chocolate chip for her!
MILK, SEMI-SWEET, OR DARK CHOCOLATE?
Any of the three will do perfectly fine! I tend to always use semi-sweet chocolate when baking. And, I save the milk chocolate for truffles or drizzle or snacking! I very rarely use dark chocolate, because I’m not a fan of it. Even though McKenna and John.e prefer it, I still don’t use it much at all.
As you can see from the photographs, I used mini chocolate chips. You can use regular chocolate chips. I only used the mini because it’s what I had on hand at the time.
It’s worth noting that you can use white chocolate in these muffins if you prefer. I know some people prefer white chocolate, so it’s up to you.
PAPER MUFFIN LINERS NOT NEEDED
Whenever I bake muffins, I tend to not use one of those paper liners. Yet, when I bake cupcakes, I usually do use them. Some people argue that muffins and cupcakes are the same thing, so why use paper liners on some and not the other?
I know the lines between what makes a cupcake a cupcake and a muffin a muffin can sometimes be blurred. Here’s how I keep the two separated in my head.
First, does the finish product require frosting? If yes, it’s a cupcake. Second, does the finish product have any candy or sprinkles? If yes, it’s a cupcake. And, lastly, does the finished product have a paper liner? If yes, it’s a cupcake.
Now, like I said, those lines can be blurred. That’s just how I like to differentiate them. It makes it easier for me when I’m determining if a new recipe should be called a cupcake or a muffin. Do you agree with me? Or do you have a different way of thinking?
Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 whole ripe bananas, mashed
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup butter, room temperature
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons sanding sugar, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare a muffin tin by spraying the holes liberally with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
- Add the butter and sugar to a large mixing bowl and using a hand mixer, blend together the butter and sugar.
- Once blended, add the egg, vanilla, and bananas; mix together well.
- Add the flour, rolled oats, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt to the bowl and incorporate into the wet ingredients.
- Gently fold in the chocolate chips.
- Scoop equal amounts of the batter into muffin tin holes. Do not fill more than 3/4 full.
- Top the batter with a sprinkling of sanding sugar, if using. You may also top the batter with a few extra chocolate chips. These two are completely optional.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes.
- Allow muffins to cool for 5 minutes before removing from muffin tin and placing on a cooling rack to complete the cooling process.
Notes
Nutrition
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