I had fully anticipated posting this recipe and calling it the best muffin ever... in the entire world. That is until I asked my husband what he thought of them. My husband (who will devour a peanut butter and banana sandwich happily) who replied "um... they were ok..." And he was met with a stunned silence.
"OK?! Just OK?! I thought they were AMAZING!!" I half shouted, slightly offended.
"I just wasn't a fan of the peanut butter I guess..." he replied honestly. It took me some time to remind myself that you win some, you lose some. But usually the ones I "lose" are recipes that we mutually agree were just not that good. So before you run out and whip up a batch of these puppies you need to first be a self described fan of peanut butter and banana. And even then you need to know that they *apparently* don't stand up to the toughest of PB&B critics. But hey, whatever... more for me...
I will admit that they were best right out of the oven. I waited a full 2 minutes, wafting the air around the muffins, trying to cool them just enough to devour one. They're still good the next day but be warned that they take on the consistency of banana bread that has rested overnight, that slightly moist stickiness. Didn't stop me from devouring another one (or three.) But then to rid myself of the temptation I tossed the rest into a ziplock bag and put them in the freezer for later consumption.
I got the original recipe here at Annie's Eats (I only wish I could blog like her!) but made a couple alterations to my own taste.
Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Muffins
(yield about 16 muffins)
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour (or white whole wheat)
1 cup old fashioned oats (OK to substitute with quick oats or use a combination)
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 heaping tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup mashed ripe banana (about 3 medium)
6 tbsp. creamy peanut butter
1 cup low fat buttermilk
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray or line with paper liners. In a medium mixing bowl combine flours, oats, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir with a whisk to blend. In another bowl mix applesauce, brown sugar, eggs, banana, peanut butter and buttermilk. Whisk together until smooth. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Divide the batter between the prepared muffin cups (I baked a dozen first, then used the same pan to bake 4 more.) Bake 20-23 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pans 5 minutes then remove to a wire rack to cool completely (or however long you can wait until you have to devour one!)
