Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

One of the most delicious things in the world (to me) is a piece of toast with peanut butter topped with sliced banana!  Yummy!!  However, with the exception of my daughter who also enjoys this delicious food no one in else in my house would touch it, not even try it!  I felt like the boys in my family were missing out so I found a recipe that would incorporate these two things with the added bonus of chocolate chips (something my husband says there is never enough of)!  I found the most incredible muffin recipe (I have been using this recipe for so long that I'm not even sure where the original came from, so I can't give credit where it is due).  These muffins are a staple in our house - loved by ALL!

Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins


Ingredients
2 cups of flour 
1 1/2 cups of quick cooking oats
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp baking powder
2 cups of milk
1 1/2 cups peanut butter
1 1/2 cups of mashed bananas
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract


Directions
1.  Preheat oven to 375C
2. Combine flour, oats, brown sugar and baking powder.
3. Whisk together milk, peanut butter, bananas, eggs, oil and extract.  
4.  Pour the wet into the dry - stir until moistened.  
5.  Filled lined muffin tins and bake for 16- 18 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. 


Makes 24 muffins (cause you can't just have 12).  These freeze well.  


Notes:  
Don't expect these to be super sweet or anything like store bought muffins, which in my opinion are more like cake!  
I have substituted honey for the sugar with excellent results!  

Whole Wheat Oven Baked Pancake

I love breakfast! I really enjoy pancakes but I find them a little tedious when making them the traditional way on a griddle or frying pan. So on this beautiful, yet cold Saturday morning I decided to try an oven pancake. This particular oven pancake was quite different than the ones of my childhood but just as delicious! This isn't your traditional pancake not only in regards to the method of cooking but in it's texture and taste, think of it more as a pudding rather than pancake and enjoy!


Whole Wheat Oven Baked Pancake

Ingredients:
3 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp ground flax seed
1/4 cup butter
1 mashed banana
1 cup milk
3 eggs
1 cup whole wheat flour
Directions: Preheat oven to 425. Melt butter in a greased 9" pan (I used a round glass one, maybe it is 9") in the oven. Combine the sugar, cinnamon and flax. In a blender or using a mixer, whip eggs, banana, and milk. Add flour and beat until well combined. Pour batter into pan with the butter (I gave it a little stir, more like a swirl to just to sort of mix the butter in with the batter). Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mix (no mixing here this makes delicious topping). Bake for 20-25 minutes. The original recipe says to bake until puffy and golden, however because I used brown sugar so it doesn't really ever turn golden. I did a toothpick test (stink a toothpick or knife into the middle of the pancake, if it comes out clean it is done, if not continue baking) at 22 minutes.

Please try this recipe out and let me know your thoughts!