Banana Muffins with Peanuts and Chocolate

Jeff the Chef
"Banana Muffins with Peanuts and Chocolate," from Make It Like a Man!

Although these banana muffins with peanuts and chocolate exhibit all the hominess you’d expect of banana bread, they’re impressively fabulous. Delicious freshly warm, but surprisingly addictive at room temperature even days later.

Banana Muffins with Peanuts and Chocolate
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Banana Muffins with Peanuts and Chocolate

Makes

6

jumbo
Or

12

standard muffins

Although this recipe is written for an electric mixer, it can easily be done by hand with a whisk, a potato masher (or a fork), and a silicone spatula.

Ingredients

  • 1½ oz. (½ cup) old-fashioned oats

  • 10 oz. (2 cups) AP flour

  • ½ tsp baking soda

  • 6 oz. (¾ cup) light or dark brown sugar

  • 1½ tsp cinnamon

  • 1 lb. plus 3-4 oz. banana, measured after peeling (from 4 large bananas, producing 2 cups of mash)

  • 4 oz. (½ cup) safflower oil

  • 4 oz. (½ cup) milk

  • 2 large eggs

  • Pinch of coarse salt

  • 1 tsp vanilla

  • 2 oz. (~½ cup) salted peanuts, thoroughly chopped

  • 6 oz. (¾ cup) chocolate, chopped

Directions

  • Preheat the oven to 425°F. Insert cupcake liners into a 6-count, jumbo muffin tin. (See notes for alternatives.)
  • Blitz the half of the oats in a food processor until you produce something like a meal, or rough flour, 30 seconds. Pour it and the rest of the oats into a mixing bowl. Add the flour, baking soda, brown sugar, and cinnamon and mix until well combined, 30 seconds on speed 2 (of 10). Set aside.
  • Beat the banana until mashed, but not soupy, less than 30 seconds, slowly ramping up to speed 4. Add the oil, milk, eggs, salt, and vanilla, and beat until combined, 30 seconds on speed 4.
  • Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the well; fold and stir with a silicone spatula until the dry ingredients are fully moistened, but not smooth. (Overmixed batter may produce disappointingly dense muffins.) Gently stir in the nuts and chocolate. Divide the batter evenly into the muffin tin.
  • Put the muffins in the oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 375°F. Bake until golden brown and a tester comes out absolutely clean, 35 minutes.
  • Cool the muffins on a rack for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and allow to cool further on the rack. Once fully cool, store in an airtight container, at room temperature.

Notes

  • Substitute 4.5 oz. (1 cup) cake and 5.5 oz. (1 cup) bread flour for the AP. Substitute another neutral, vegetable oil for the safflower.
  • The chocolate you use for this recipe is completely up to your tastes. I used German’s chocolate for the muffins I photographed for this post, but I’d’ve used bittersweet or semisweet without thinking twice about it. Chocolate chips will work, but chopped chocolate produces a more nuanced result.
  • Alternatives: If you use cupcake liners, you may have a couple spoonsful of (delicious) batter that won’t fit into the tin. If you butter the tin instead of using liners, and fill it to the brim, all the batter will fit. A standard, 12-count muffin tin will also work; reduce the baking time to 25 minutes. (Let’s face it: no one really needs a jumbo muffin … but they’re so opulently gorgeous.)

Social Learning

The oat flour gives these muffins an interesting, ultra-moist, almost creamy texture that is, while substantial, just shy of seeming too dense. It also gives them a terrific, fluffy lift as they bake. They stay beautifully moist for days, stored at room temperature. You can swap the oats out for an equal amount of flour if you’d prefer a more traditional texture.

These muffins are quick and easy, especially if you make them by hand. You can go from “I’d love a muffin” to “Good God, this is delicious” in an unrushed hour, and half that time is unattended.

They last for many days in an airtight container at room temperature. They also freeze shockingly well. Wrap them individually in plastic, then in foil, and then place them in a freezer bag. To thaw, unwrap one and tell your microwave that you’re defrosting 0.6 pounds of meat. They’re maybe even better this way than fresh, as incredulous as that sounds.

"Banana Muffins with Peanuts and Chocolate," from Make It Like a Man!
Banana Muffins with Peanuts and Chocolate

Credit for images on this page: Make It Like a Man!, unless otherwise indicated. Thank you, Kesor. This content was not solicited by anyone, nor was it written in exchange for anything.

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50 thoughts on “Banana Muffins with Peanuts and Chocolate”

  3. Dessert for breakfast? Breakfast for dessert? My favorite part of this post (other than the recipe) is, “Good God, this is delicious!” Thanks for another great combo!

    Reply

    • Excellent questions, David. I had several of them for breakfast(s), then froze them, and thawed the frozen ones as late-night snacks!

      Reply

  5. Ok, so .6 pounds of meat? How did you land on that number? Did you try .5 pounds of beef, and it wasn’t enough? Or perhaps .7 pounds of chicken was too much? I’m intrigued. In all seriousness, though, I’m loving the idea of chopped peanuts in a banana muffin. And the addition of oat flour, too! I can see why these muffs got such high reviews!
    David @ Spiced recently posted…Chocolate Raspberry Stout with the NewAir Beer Fridge

    Reply

    • Actually, I started with 1.1 pounds, checked periodically, and perfected the process on subsequent muffs. See my article in Muff Sci Weekly. ;=)

      Reply

    • Thanks, Eva! The thing about oat flour is that it holds on to moisture. The downside is that, without gluten, it tends toward density. I experimented with turning all the oats in the recipe into flour, and I liked the result, but I had a feeling that the muffins were leaning just a tad too far into the dense zone. Blitzing half the oats produces a subtler effect. If you try it, you might want to experiment with this. I very much enjoyed eating the results of my experiments!

      Reply

  11. Jeff, you’ve put together a great flavor combination in your muffins. Not to mention all of the scientific research on thawing said muffins. Brilliant of you to use the havremjöl (oat flour) as it’s not only tremendous in muffins, it’s great for making pancakes, and dinner rolls.
    Me, I’d call it an afternoon muffin to be enjoyed during my afternoon fika…
    Ron recently posted…Funen Rygeost a Danish smoked cheese…

    Reply

    • Yes, I like an afternoon muffin, Ron! But what I like even more is fika! It’s unsurprising that there is no English word for this. The only thing I can think of is “me time,” which when you think about it, is so telling.

      Reply

  13. Oh those muffins look good! I would like to have one right now with a cup of coffee. Thanks for sharing the recipe. I plan to give it a try.

    Reply

  18. These will go very quickly in our house. Never mind needing an airtight container. 😉 I love muffins with oats, and the peanuts put them over the top. Have a great weekend, Jeff. ~Valentina

    Reply

  19. Yup, love how oat flour makes the baked goods ultra moist and lighten up the texture when combined with other flours. Great combo of ingredients, Jeff!

    Reply

    • Well, as I said Rahul, wishing for them and having them can be done in the space of about an hour!

      Reply

  22. I’ve been looking for a project to get me through the day. I am going to make these today. GREG

    Reply
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