Hello, oatmeal devotees! I’m Claudia from The Breakfast Drama Queen and I’m delighted to share a recipe with you. No, it’s not oatmeal – bear with me here, people – but it does contain oats. And peanut butter!
So, why am I here? Well, imagine this: The Oatmeal Artist contacts you with an exciting idea. She’ll take one of your recipes and turn it into oatmeal. Then you’ll take one her oatmeal recipes, and turn it into a different breakfast food. Was I about to say no to that?
I’ve actually been here before; I was Lauren’s Oatmeal Enthusiast for January 2014. Since that post – which I refuse to believe was 13 months ago – I’ve finished my economics degree, started a law degree, taken thousands of food photos (literally thousands), and spent many hours working on my little blog.
Like you, I’ll always have a soft spot for oatmeal. Not surprisingly, oats find their way into nearly all of my recipes – from pancakes to pastry to today’s recipe, a small batch of muffins.
These muffins are based on Lauren’s Fudgy Banana and Peanut Butter Oatmeal. But let me tell you, deciding which oatmeal to use as inspiration was no easy task! Lauren has so many flavor combinations that would work perfectly in muffins (or pancakes, or waffles..,). Ultimately, I just couldn’t go past this fudgy oatmeal. Peanut butter, chocolate, bananas – count me in.
Borrowing an idea from the new steel-cut version of that recipe, I largely reserved the peanut butter for a topping. Who ever said muffins should have toppings? I don’t see why cupcakes get all the fun.
Feel free to use PB2 for the topping (that’s what I did). However you’ll need a grand total of 2 tablespoons of the real stuff – or another nut butter – for these muffins. There’s no butter or oil in this recipe, so that little bit of (healthy) fat makes a big difference.
Oh, and I nearly forgot to mention: these are vegan muffins! As Lauren and her oatmeal are both vegan, it seemed fitting that these muffins should be too. And since they taste just like their non-vegan counterparts, why not?
Have an oatastic week! (Sorry, couldn’t resist that one).
What you'll need:
- 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 large, very ripe banana
- ½ cup pumpkin puree
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup spelt flour
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- ¼ cup rolled oats
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup chocolate chips
- Peanut butter, or PB2
How to make it:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease 7 holes in a muffin pan with cooking oil spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flaxseed meal and water. Let sit for 5 minutes. Add the banana, and mash very well (you’ll have about ½ cup mashed banana).
- Mix in the pumpkin puree, maple syrup, peanut butter and vanilla extract.
- Add the spelt flour, cocoa powder, rolled oats, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Transfer the mixture to the prepared muffin pan, filling each hole a little over ¾ of the way up.
- Bake for 18 - 22 minutes, or until the tops spring back when touched and a skewer inserted comes out clean. Cool in the tin for 5 - 10 minutes before transferring to a cooking rack.
- Top the muffins with as much peanut butter (or PB2 mixture) as you’d like. If possible, avoid adding the topping until you’re about to eat them (especially if using PB2). Enjoy!
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