Diuretic Muffins?!

Mini Muffins

Full-Size

These no-butter and high-fiber muffins are so delicious! I was skeptical that anything this healthy could taste good, but I was definitely proven wrong. This is a pastry you can feel good eating in the morning (without that guilty dessert-for-breakfast mindset)! The truly high fiber content made me nickname these "diuretic muffins," as I passed them out to my pharmacy school classmates!

I always add more banana to my banana breads, so the banana content in the recipe is bumped up from the original "1 cup mashed banana" to 1 1/2 cups. Also, you can replace the vegetable oil with applesauce for even more wholesome-ness. 

The recipe says it makes 12 large muffins; however, I managed to get 12 large muffins and 12 mini muffins out of this recipe. Make sure you grease the muffin tins if you're not using paper baking cups! You don't want to have your muffins stuck in the pans.

I also learned the difference between "rolled oats" and "quick oats" after a little bit of Googling. Apparently, the two are interchangeable in most recipes. Rolled oats, or old-fashioned oats, are oat grains rolled flat and dried. Quick oats are a bit more processed, since they are rolled thinner than old-fashioned oats. In terms of cooking or baking, rolled oats give a more chewy texture, while the quick oats, since they absorb water more quickly, provide a smoother texture. There are also "instant oats" and "steel-cut oats". These CANNOT be substituted for the first two (rolled oats and quick oats). Steel-cut oats are the least processed and retain the oat shape, giving a chewier, nuttier taste. Instant oats are the thinnest rolled oats and give a mushy texture. 

Banana Oat Muffins

modified from Allrecipes.com

1 1/2 cups flour

1 cup rolled oats (I substituted with quick oats with great results)

1/2 cup white sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 egg

3/4 cup milk

1/3 cup vegetable oil (or applesauce)

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/2 cup mashed bananas

Almond slices, garnish

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Combine flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a mixing bowl.
3. In a large bowl, beat egg lightly. Stir in milk, oil, and vanilla. Add the mashed bananas, and combine thoroughly. Stir the flour mixture into the banana mixture until just combined. (Note: over-stirring creates a chewy rather than light muffin texture.) 
4. Line muffin tins with paper bake cups or grease muffin tins. Fill batter almost to the brim of the muffin tins. Sprinkle almond slices on top of batter, if using. 
5. Bake in preheated oven for 18-20 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.