Thursday, March 19, 2009

Flourless Sugar-Free Oatmeal-Banana-Chocolate Chip Muffins


(click on photo for a larger view)

Warm, right out of the oven, this little muffin made my day today.

Made flourless using trusty old oat bran cereal (which is loaded with lots of good-for-you fiber), this muffin recipe is loaded with mashed banana, oats for texture and sugar-free chocolate chips that I made myself. I also used my favorite sugar substitute to make them diabetic-friendly. They're sweet but not too sweet, with a banana fragrance and flavor that mixes perfectly with those melty bits of chocolate. It's indulgent enough for a dessert but healthy enough for breakfast. Now that's my kind of muffin.


Flourless, Sugar-Free Oatmeal-Banana-Chocolate Chip Muffins
Makes 18 average-sized muffins
Adapted from this original recipe at Half Baked

1-1/4 cup regular-cooking oatemal
1/2 cup low fat sour cream
1/2 cup low fat milk (2%)
1/2 cup white sugar (I used sugar substitute)
1/3 cup canola oil
2 bananas, mashed
1 large egg
1-1/2 cup dry oat bran cereal (found near instant oatmeal and grits in the hot cereal aisle)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup sugar-free chocolate chips (I make these myself by melting unsweetened chocolate and stirring in sugar replacer, spreading on a baking sheet and breaking apart when set; you could also chop up commercially-purchased sugar-free chocolate mini-bars)

Combine in a large bowl the oats, sour cream and milk. Set aside.

In another bowl, whisk together the sugar (or substitute), oil, bananas and egg.

In a third bowl, combine oat bran cereal, salt, baking powder and soda. Dump into the oats mixture. Add the banana mixture to that oats mixture as well. Stir to combine.

Preheat oven to 400*F. While you're waiting for the oven to come to temperature, line ungreased muffin tins with unbleached muffin cups (if desired) and fill 2/3 full with batter.

Bake 8-12 minutes, or until golden brown and springy to the touch.



Absolutely delicious. When you make these, be sure to wrap them up individually and put them into the freezer--otherwise you'll be tempted to snarf them all!

10 comments:

grace said...

raisin bran muffins are an old favorite of mine, so i'm familiar with the wonderful texture created upon using cereal in a muffin. cereal, banana, and chocolate, though? i haven't yet experienced the sensation. :)

Amanda said...

Oh, Grace, you are so right about those yummy raisin bran muffins--wow, I haven't had those since I was a kid!

I adore banana and chocolate together--it was a natural combo for me! :)

Carrie said...

beautiful Mrs. W!!! banana muffins are serious comfort food! You were very creative with these!! good job!! ;-) What is your favorite sugar sub??

Amanda said...

Thanks, Carrie! I even froze these li'l muffins individually wrapped--now I can enjoy one every morning for breakfast. Yum!

The sugar substitute I use is called Whey Low. It is milk-based and there are several different formulas--the one I buy is Type D for diabetics. It's on the pricey side, but honestly is the best tasting sugar sub I've ever tried (and I've tried lots and lots of them).

Anonymous said...

Those look absolutely delicious! I've been on a bit of a banana kick lately. I LOVE the new Banana Nut Cheerios and I've been eating Quaker Banana Bread oatmeal almost every morning!

Amanda said...

I'm with you on the bananas, Lulu--they're definitely satisfying some deep inner craving for me lately!

Anonymous said...

Hi Amanda,

I'm not sure if the oat bran cereal that I saw is the same as yours. Does yours look flour-like cereal or is it a regular cereal and you crushed it?

Thanks!
can't wait to try

Amanda said...

Hi, erlyn. No crushing at all--the cereal sort of looks like oatmeal, only much smaller. I suppose like a coarse cornmeal, but a more oat-y brown color. The cereal is found in the same area of the grocery store as hot oatmeal cereal.

You could use oat flour (which is powdery like wheat flour) at a replacement; I generally use oat bran cereal because its less expensive and easier to find for me locally.

I hope this helps!

Anonymous said...

thanks! i found it

Amanda said...

@erlyn--I'm glad you found it. Let me know how you like the muffins if you do try them!

LinkWithin Related Stories Widget for Blogs