Banana Oat Breakfast Muffins
Author: 
Serves: 15-16 regular sized muffins
 
vegan, gluten-free, refined sugar free
Ingredients
  • 3¾ cups gluten-free rolled oats, plus extra for sprinkling on top
  • 1 tsp. psyllium husk powder
  • 2 tsp. baking powder
  • ½ tsp. baking soda
  • ¼ tsp. fine grain sea salt
  • 1 cup dairy free milk (I like almond milk, but you can use what you like, or sub in regular cow's milk if you aren't vegan)
  • 1 TBSP finely ground chia seeds (or 2 TBSP ground flax seeds)*
  • 4 large, very ripe bananas, mashed (about 2 cups)
  • ½ cup pure maple syrup (preferably grade B, but grade A will work, too)
  • 3 TBSP coconut oil, melted
  • 1 TBSP apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 cup walnuts or pecans, roughly chopped -- optional (or you can use other add-ins, like chocolate chips, crushed banana chips, coconut flakes, or dried fruit)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., and lightly grease a non-stick muffin tin (using coconut oil, or non-stick baking spray). Set aside.
  2. In a bowl or measuring cup, stir together the dairy-free milk and ground chia seeds. (I like to grind my chia seeds myself, using a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder, or you can buy them already ground.) Let sit for at least 5-10 minutes while you prepare the rest of your ingredients.
  3. In your blender or food processor, add 3 cups of the oats. Process until the oats are finely ground into an almost flour-like consistency. Add the remaining ¾ cup oats, psyillium husk powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and pulse a couple of times to combine.
  4. In a large bowl, mash together the bananas, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, coconut oil, and vanilla extract. Add the chia/milk mixture and mix well, making sure there are no clumps of chia seeds.. Add the dry ingredients from the food processor, and any nuts or other add ins you choose, and mix until everything is evenly combined.
  5. Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin tin, filling each one to just below the rim of the pan. Sprinkle the tops of each muffin with a few extra oats, and bake on the center rack for 20-23 minutes. If your oven heats unevenly, be sure to rotate the pan once during baking.
  6. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes before removing the muffins from the pan. They should come out easily. Re-grease the muffin tin, and repeat with the remaining batter. Once completely cooled, muffins can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week, or frozen for up to a couple of months. (I like to pull one out of the freezer and microwave it for about thirty seconds or so. Alternatively, you could thaw frozen muffins in the refrigerator overnight, and reheat them in an oven or toaster oven.)
Notes
Oats are naturally gluten-free, however, most of the oats available in stores are processed in facilities that also handle wheat. If you're avoiding gluten for dietary reasons, these will probably be fine. However, if you or someone you're making these muffins for has a severe gluten intolerance or allergy, be sure the oats you are using are certified gluten-free.

Just like with banana bread, the bananas you use for these muffins should be super ripe and brown-speckled. I like to save over-ripe bananas in a zip-top baggie in the freezer (just peel them, then freeze), this way I always have them on hand. Frozen bananas will be very dark and slimy once thawed (appetizing, I know), but don't worry, they're perfect for baking. (Bonus tip: if you don't have any overripe bananas, you can take underripe bananas and bake them on a baking sheet (peel on) at 350 degrees F. for 5-6 minutes, or until the skin has turned black. Scoop out the insides, and you're good to go!)

*I recently made a batch of these and totally forgot to grind the chia seeds... and they turned out perfectly anyway. Feel free to skip the grinding and use whole chia seeds instead. (If you'd like to use flax seeds, I still recommend grinding them since they're larger and more noticeable in flavor and texture.)
Recipe by Will Cook For Friends at https://www.willcookforfriends.com/2015/02/banana-oat-breakfast-muffins-5-tips-productive.html