Banana Oatmeal Muffins

Feels like forever since I last posted something! “Has she fallen off the face of the earth?” some of you might wonder (I wonder about that often myself). However, the truth is nowhere near as dramatic. :) I’ve just been feeling sooooo… exhausted lately, and the weather is certainly not helping! I’m so sick of winter…..can’t stand the snow and the cold anymore…ugh! Although I’m sure I’ll probably feel otherwise in the summer, spring can’t come fast enough for me this year.

So Chap Goh Meh (last day of Chinese New Year) and Valentine’s Day came and went and we hardly celebrated the occasions. In fact, I didn’t even realize those two celebrations fell on the same day this year until the day itself. Of course, I didn’t do anything at all (had no intentions to cook or bake) and wouldn’t you know, Keith surprised me with a feast from our favorite Chinese restaurant. Bless his heart! (Love you, hon!)

Anyway, despite the winter blues, I’ve continued to bake here and there in the past month…I just didn’t get around to blogging about it. But most of the things I’ve been making are easy recipes…comfort recipes…foods we eat daily such as these yummy banana oatmeal muffins. Moist, tender, and chewy, these muffins are delicious for breakfast, lunch, or anytime of the day. This batch was essentially made by my baby (who is no longer a baby, I know but since he’s my only child, can I call him my baby forever? :D) with a little help from me. Enjoy!

Adapted from Jean Childress’ Country Kitchen Muffin Cookbook Oatmeal Muffins recipe. Note: Although these muffins are tender, they do have a chewier texture than a typical muffin.

1½ cups old-fashioned rolled oats
½  cup light brown sugar
¾ cup sour cream
¼ cup milk (I use vanilla soy milk)
1 extra-large egg
¼ cup vegetable or canola oil
¾ cup mashed banana (from 1-2 ripe bananas)
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease muffin pan or line with baking cups. In a large bowl, combine oats, sugar, sour cream, milk, egg, oil, mashed banana, and vanilla extract. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and add to the wet mixture. Mix lightly, just enough to combine all the ingredients. Divide batter evenly among the muffin cups, and bake for about 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. When done, transfer muffins out of the pan to a cooling rack and cool completely. Makes 12 muffins.