Banana Peanut Butter Oatmeal Muffins

January 20, 2011

Whenever our kitchen is stocked with something fun to eat for breakfast, I’m motivated to hop out of bed just a little faster. I made these Banana Peanut Butter Oatmeal Muffins the other night and could hardly wait til the morning to indulge.

The blog I found this recipe from claimed that they didn’t think the muffins had enough peanut butter flavor. You’d think that would deter me from trying them, but I shamefully admit to being a sucker for pretty pictures and these looked darn tasty.

The good news is that I entirely disagree with the blogger- I thought these had a wonderfully peanut buttery flavor that was enhanced by the nuttiness of the oats. As an added bonus, buttermilk and banana make these protein-filled muffins extra moist - like, stick-to-your-fingers moist. They are a wonderful breakfast muffin and actually keep you full til lunch unlike most sweet breakfast muffins.

I tasted these on their own and also tried topping them with a few different chocolate spreads. Overall, I prefer them on their own. The chocolate only seemed to take away from the delicate flavor balance.

So obviously, these passed my taste test with flying colors, but of the two of us I am the one who’s easy to please. When Taste Tester took a bite, he immediately gave me a suspicious look.

That’s never good.

I always end up a little fearful when I see that look because just when I thought I’d gotten off easy with a week’s worth of breakfasts scratched off the list, I suddenly fear that he won’t eat them. I waited anxiously for the full critique as he inquired, “is there yogurt in this?”. For should he ever taste a hint of any tangy substance, he might just melt.

HA. Do I sound bitter?

I was a little, but not because his preference might prove inconvenient. It was more because I have taste bud-envy that his super-taster taste buds can detect hidden ingredients that my average joe taste buds cannot. Bah! Puzzled, I thought on it for a second and remembered that there was in fact buttermilk in the batter. (Though it’s sour, buttermilk is an approved ingredient by his standards since it is a major factor in one of his favorite foods: pancakes.) I was shocked as the buttermilk is definitely not a prominent flavor in these (hidden beneath other strong and obvious flavors like peanut butter, bananas and oats) and yet he could instantly pick it out. Perhaps it was because we used real, thick, high quality buttermilk?

Satisfied that I wasn’t trying to pull a fast one on him, he happily gobbled the rest of the muffin. Crisis averted. Well, aside from the whole taste bud-envy part. I’d go hide under my bed in taste bud-feuled shame but instead I’ll just console my sorrows with one of these delicious muffins. You should too! Unless you’re also a super taster, in which case:

NO MUFFIN FOR YOU!

Kidding, we can still be friends! Get the recipe from Tracey’s Culinary Adventures.