My Little Helper-
My youngest has reached the age that he loves helping in the kitchen. These Peanut Butter, Banana, and Oat Muffins are the perfect recipe for him to assist with. Lately, whenever I head into the kitchen he is right behind me, pushing a dining room chair along with him to stand on. He never asks, he just starts to grab a chair if he sees me in the kitchen doing anything that remotely resembles meal preparation. I certainly don’t mind though. He is learning valuable skills and I hope as he gets older that he really enjoys cooking.
Since he has been helping me in the kitchen more frequently, I have found that he is much more open to trying new foods than he has been in the past. Thank goodness! I’m sure those of you that have young children have found that to be your experience as well. At this point, any way that I can get him to try new things or eat more vegetables is a win in my book.
This is an easy recipe that is great for beginners, and one that is definitely appropriate for bringing the kids into the kitchen to help. There is no special equipment required, and they are a fast and healthy make ahead breakfast option!
We don’t do a lot of breakfast cereal in our house, so I am always baking muffins or making something like Roasted Vegetable Breakfast Hash. These muffins make a great grab and go breakfast for those hectic mornings when you are feeling a little rushed. They have fruit, protein, and oats. It’s pretty much a complete package. I’ve found that my kids will actually eat these in preference of other breakfast options. I think for them it almost feels like eating dessert in the morning. I would much rather they eat these than some of the sugary cereals out there!
Useful Recipe Tips for Peanut Butter, Banana, and Oat Muffins
Jarred creamy Peanut Butter is best for this recipe. Chunky peanut butter or the grind your own natural peanut butter from the grocery store will make the muffins too chewy and dense.
Dark Brown Sugar could be substituted for the Light Brown, but it will be a bit more of an intense flavor.
The bananas don’t need to be over ripe. I have made these with newly ripened as well as very ripe bananas, and they turn out fine either way!
These will become almost rubbery if they overbake, so keep a watchful eye starting at the 15 minute mark and check every couple of minutes. You can use a toothpick, skewer, or cake tester to check for doneness. They were perfect out of my oven right around 18 to 19 minutes.
The recipe can be doubled, just be sure you have a second 12 cup muffin pan and enough paper liners. If doubling, be sure to rotate your muffin pans between rack halfway through baking.
There are different types of oats out there, and they are not interchangeable in this recipe. Be sure to use rolled oats, as they are a quicker cooking variety and the most appropriate type for baked goods. Don’t substitute steel cut oats, because they require a longer cooking time and they will not be fully cooked in the amount of time the muffins take to bake. Also, don’t use instant oatmeal. It’s not a good variety for baking due to how quickly it cooks.
Serving Suggestions and Helpful Hints
These are yummy warmed in the microwave for a few seconds with a pat of butter. You could also eat them with a little extra peanut butter on top. They keep for a day or two out on the kitchen counter lightly covered with a cloth napkin or dish towel. They also keep in the fridge in a large freezer bag for up to five days.
I really hope you and your family enjoy these Peanut Butter, Banana, and Oat Muffins! If you made these I’d love to hear from you. Happy Baking!
Peanut Butter, Banana, and Oat Muffins
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups All Purpose Flour
- 1/2 cup Rolled Oats, plus more for sprinkling on top
- 1/3 cup Granulated Sugar
- 1/3 cup Light Brown Sugar, packed
- 2 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp Salt
Wet Ingredients
- 2 Medium Bananas, Mashed (about 2/3-3/4 cup yield)
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) Unsalted Butter, melted
- 1/3 cup Creamy Peanut Butter
- 1/3 cup 2% Milk
- 3 large Eggs
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- Heat oven to 375 degrees and place paper liners in a 12 cup muffin pan.
- In a large bowl combine all dry ingredients (all purpose flour, the oats minus the extra for the muffin tops, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, baking powder, and salt) and stir well to combine and set aside.
- In a small microwave safe bowl, melt the unsalted butter in the microwave.
- In a large bowl, mash the banana well using a potato masher and add the remaining wet ingredients (creamy peanut butter, 2% milk, eggs, and vanilla extract) and add the unsalted butter. Stir the wet ingredients until well incorporated.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients. Using a wooden spoon or rubber scraper, stir well until all the dry ingredients are absorbed, being careful not to overmix.
- Using a 1/4 cup measure, spoon 1/4 cup of batter into each paper liner. There will be a little batter left at the end. Use a small spoon to evenly distribute the left over batter among the muffin cups. The batter will come right to the top of the paper liner.
- Sprinkle extra oats on the tops of the muffins. Place in the oven on the center rack and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick or cake tester placed in the center of a couple of the muffins comes out clean. Start checking for doneness at the 15 minute mark, then check again after that every two minutes until done. Be careful not to overbake, or they will become chewy. In my oven, the muffins were done at the 18 to 19 minute mark, so these may not need a full 20 minutes to bake. Let cool and enjoy!
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 187Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 48mgSodium: 239mgCarbohydrates: 30gFiber: 2gSugar: 14gProtein: 5g
All information presented and written within this site are intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist or registered dietitian and any nutritional information should only be used as a general guideline. Statements within this site have not been evaluated or approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is provided for recipes contained on this site. This information comes from online calculators. Although The Copper Table attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
Yummy!
I saw these on Instagram and had to get the recipe!! I love banana anything so I can’t wait to make these. Thanks for all of the great tips as well!!
You are most welcome! I hope you enjoy this recipe!
I love these. I’ve never added peanut butter or oats to my banana muffins, so I’ll have to try these out! I’m sure my kids will love them 🙂
I really do love this flavor combination, it reminds me a bit of a peanut butter and banana sandwich. I hope you and your kids love them!
These sound perfect for breakfast, thank you. Also, the story of your son grabbing a chair to help bake is so cute!
You are welcome! My little guy really loves helping, and I hope he develops a love of cooking!
These muffins look so delicious! I always have bananas in my freezer, and I think this would be a great way to use some of them.
Thank you Cindy! These are a great way to use them. I hope you love this recipe!
You can never go wrong with banana, oats and peanut butter, I never tried making them into muffins just cookies. I will try soon 🙂
Oh cookies would be great too! I can’t remember the last time had cookies with banana in them!