Peanut Butter Banana Mini Muffins

 

I recently figured out that the secret to getting my oldest to eat baked goods of any kind is to simply add chocolate chips. This recipe was created for him, where three of his favorite foods (banana, peanut butter and chocolate) become one scrumptious snack muffin. I love that you dump all the ingredients into a food processor, turn it on, and let it do it’s thing.

These little gems have the perfect texture - moist and a little dense. I’m not a fan of a super “light and fluffy” muffin. If you are, you may not like these how these turn out. Ingredients like oats, Greek yogurt, peanut butter, flax, and banana lend fiber, protein and healthy fats. They’re that perfect balance of “what I want him to eat” and “what he wants to eat”. And, the use of oats as “flour” also means they’re gluten free! You can make them egg free as well by eliminating the “1 egg” and using 2 Tablespoons of ground flax seed and 5 Tablespoons water instead of (1 Tbsp. and 3 Tbsp. respectively).

I serve these with yogurt or eggs for breakfast or by themselves as a stand alone snack. They can even pass for sweet treat in leu of a cookie or piece of candy. If making these for babies under one year old, process the oats in the beginning to a more fine consistency, and eliminate the maple syrup, salt and chocolate (they will still have a good amount of sweetness if you use ripe, very spotted bananas). For toddlers, you can play around with the amount of maple syrup by dropping it down to 2 Tablespoons for more of a “hint” of sweetness.

Hope you enjoy these as much as we do!

Yield: 24
Peanut Butter Banana Mini Muffins

Peanut Butter Banana Mini Muffins

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 12 MinTotal time: 22 Min

Ingredients

  • 2 cups rolled oats
  • 2 large ripe bananas, mashed
  • 1 egg
  • 1 Tablespoon ground flax seed
  • 3 Tablespoons water
  • 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
  • 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/4 cup natural peanut butter
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • Optional: 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips or chopped walnuts
  • Optional: 2 Tablespoons mini chocolate chips for sprinkling on top

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 and spray a 24 mini muffin tin with non stick cooking spray
  2. Mix the ground flax seed and water in a small bowl and let it sit for about 5 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, place the oats in a food processor or blender and pulse them about 5-10 times until their a very coarse flour. (This makes for a softer muffin)
  4. Add all the ingredients, including the flax and water mixture, to the food processor and let it run for 45-60 seconds. Stop to scrape the sides of the processor as needed.
  5. Optional: Stir in the chocolate chips or walnuts pieces
  6. Pour the batter into the muffin tin. (See notes)
  7. Optional: Sprinkle the remaining 2 Tablespoons of chocolate chips on top of the muffins
  8. Bake for 10-12 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the muffins comes out clean.
  9. Remove them from the muffin tin and allow them to cool a cooling rack.
  10. Store in an airtight container for 2-3 days for freezer in a zip lock bag.

Notes

I fill my muffin tins up to the top so they are a large mini muffin that overflows the top of the pan, making a true "muffin top" appearance. If you choose to fill up the tins half way or 3/4 of the way the recipe will yield more muffins. You can also make 12 large muffins. They will take about 15-17 minutes to bake.



 
Baked Goods, BreakfastElizabeth Elam