Peanut Butter Banana Oat Muffins

[juushika]

I've been eating a lot of peanut butter and banana lately. It's something I just discovered—I'm sure I had it as a kid, but not so that I remember—and when I discover something I like I rarely do it by halves. I do peanut butter and banana sandwiches on English muffins, or whip together peanut butter and bananas into a spread (it has a sweeter, stronger banana flavor and a fluffy texture). And the internet tells me that peanut butter can substitute fat in almost all baking as long as you're careful not to overmix the flour, so I've also been in search of a peanut butter banana bread.

These oat muffins are the best so far. I don't do flavors by halves, so I added extra peanut butter and banana; some of the banana should be chunked, not mushed, so there are bits of baked banana in the muffin. The oats are chewy, the bread is moist, the flavor is a little salty and a little sweet. I halved this recipe, but that means pouring out some egg—so deal with proportions as you like.

(No pictures, sorry, the lighting was just too low today for it, and anyway I'm in a hurry—heading to Corvallis this evening, and there are things to do before then!)

Peanut Butter Banana Oat Muffins
Adapted from Honey and Jam

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 heaping cup rolled oats
1/2 scant cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
3/4 cup milk (or soy milk)
1/3 to 2/3 cup peanut butter (chunky preferred)
4 ripe bananas, partially mashed

Combine flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, soda, and salt in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, beat the egg lightly. Stir in the milk and peanut butter. Add the banana and combine—there should be some reasonably sized chunks of banana in the mix. Stir the flour mixture into the banana mixture until just combined. Grease or line a 12-cup muffin tin, and divide the batter among them. Bake at 400 degrees F for 18 to 20 minutes. For best results, let cool and then wrap and store in fridge at least until cold or overnight. Makes 12 generous muffins.

The more peanut butter, the stronger the peanut butter flavor. Chunky peanut butter well compliments the chewy texture of the oats, but consider leaning towards 2/3 cups peanut butter if you use it—to account for the mass that won't act as a replacement fat. Bananas should be ripe, but don't need to be overripe; overripe bananas will yield fewer chunks and need less sugar.