Banana-Chocolate Chip Muffins

These are my family's favorite muffins, hands down. They keep well, just as delicious for breakfast if you make them the night before. (That's my kind of muffin!) And they also freeze beautifully. Moist, sweet, and studded with bits of chocolate, what's not to like?

Banana-Chocolate Chip Muffins (makes 1 dozen)

• 3 bananas, mashed (about 1 1/3 cups)
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup oil

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 cup miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips

In a mixing bowl, quickly stir wet ingredients into the flour mixture just till moistened. Spoon batter into lined or greased muffin pan.

Bake 18-20 minutes at 375 F. (For mini-muffins, bake 10-15 minutes at 350 F.)

Cool on a wire rack. Store cooled muffins in an air-tight container.

Pumpkin Oatmeal Muffins

I am out of sandwich bread for school lunches, so I boiled some eggs and mixed up a batch of these hearty muffins. The original recipe came from the Taste of Home website, but I've adapted them to better suit my culinary style. 

Usually I like the convenience of paper cup liners, but the pumpkin gives these muffins a special texture that works better with greased muffin cups, so I used my canola oil spray this time.

This recipe makes about two dozen cupcake-sized muffins.

Pumpkin Oatmeal Muffins

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 cups quick oats
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. ginger
• 1/2 tsp. cloves
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda

• 2 eggs
• 1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin
• 2/3 cup buttermilk (or 1/2 cup milk)
• 1/2 cup canola oil

•  1/2 cup raisins, optional

Bake at 375° for 18-20 minutes.

Oatmeal Butterscotch Muffins

Because muffins are magical anytime!

For breakfast--with eggs or just coffee, for school lunches with cheese and a piece of fruit, for snacks with a glass of milk.

These are not overly sweet, so the butterscotch is the highlight.


Oatmeal Butterscotch Muffins

• 2 cups oats 
• 1 1/3 cups buttermilk
• 1/3 cup brown sugar (packed)
• 1/2 cup canola oil (or 1 stick butter, melted)
• 2 eggs, slightly beaten
• 1 cup flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 3/4 cup butterscotch chips

Combine oats, buttermilk and brown sugar in a bowl or large measuring cup. Set aside and let stand for 15 minutes (longer for old-fashioned oatmeal). 

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 F and prepare muffin tin. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl.

Add eggs and oil to oat mixture. Combine with flour mixture and stir quickly just till moistened. Lastly, stir in butterscotch chips. 

Fill muffin cups. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched. Cool on wire rack.

Makes about 16 muffins, or 1 dozen regular-size plus 1 dozen mini-muffins.