Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins {Flour Free & Low Fat!}

I talked last week about some of the things I use in place of all purpose flour in my baked goods and one of the ingredients I sometimes use is oats.  I have often replaced part of my flour with ground oats, but have never swapped it out completely.   I decided it was time to try making muffins only using oatmeal – no flour at all.   While the result probably won’t be winning any beauty contests, they are darn delicious, packed full of that traditional banana bread flavor (and the amazing scent you get while they bake).

If you buy gluten free oats, then you have an easy gluten free banana muffin recipe that even gluten eaters will enjoy.  The best part about these is that they are made with simple ingredients – nothing fancy, no trips to specialty grocery stores, no strange things you haven’t heard of.   Keeping it simple here people.

I started with the Greek Yogurt Banana Bread recipe from The Shiksa In The Kitchen and changed it up some.   I am sure her original recipe would be delish, and I will probably try it sometime soon.   But for now, let’s make a flour free version.

I started by running my old fashioned oats through my food processor.   I’ve purchased oat flour in the past and it’s great, but it’s cheaper to make your own, and I almost always have oats on hand.    I put three cups of oats into the food processor and this resulted in about 2 1/3 cups of ground oats (just slightly more than the recipe calls for).   I then poured out my oats and ran my bananas through the food processor.  I’m not fond of the texture of bananas, so the food processor is always the way I go.

The other ingredients in these include Greek yogurt, bananas, applesauce, eggs, sugar, brown sugar, butter, vanilla, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and chocolate chips.  You could always leave out the chocolate chips or use nuts in their place.  Do what works for you!  Truth be told, I wasn’t sure how this would turn out.  The batter looked exactly like oatmeal ready to be cooked.  For breakfast.  In a bowl.   With a spoon.   Not so much like bread.

While they didn’t rise very much (my daughter told me if I made them in chocolate, they would look like hockey pucks) they tasted great.   So they aren’t pretty, but they have that delicious banana bread flavor with a bit more hearty of a texture.   The texture reminds me a bit of steel cut oatmeal – hearty and chewy.  A few seconds in the microwave this morning and these were an awesome start to my morning.   Am I the only one who thinks that breakfast is the consolation prize for having to get out of bed?

This recipe made 24 muffins.  Like most of my muffins, I am storing mine in the fridge and freezer.   They are so easy for a quick breakfast or to toss into my daughter’s backpack for her snack at school.   And she doesn’t even realize that she’s practically eating a bowl of oatmeal for her snack.   Woohoo!    If you would like some other muffin recipes, make sure to check out my collection of made over muffins.

TO MAKE THESE MUFFINS GLUTEN FREE, MAKE SURE YOU USE GLUTEN FREE OATS (not all oats are gluten free).

*When avoiding anything is your baking for health purposes, always make sure that YOU verify that YOUR ingredients are safe and meet your particular dietary requirements.  Also, if you are baking for someone else with food allergies, sensitivities or special diets, make sure to consult with them (or their parent) regarding ingredients to verify if everything is “safe”.   Food allergies are not to be messed with, and it is always better to check and double check versus assume.   To state the obvious, I am not a doctor, and this is not medical advice.  🙂

Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins {Flour Free & Low Fat!}

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Servings: 24 Standard Size Muffins.

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups ground old fashioned oats this is just shy of 3 cups oats prior to grinding them
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter melted but cooled
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup applesauce
• 4 ripe bananas - mashed or pureed
• 1 cup Greek vanilla yogurt I use fat free
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup chocolate chips this can be left out or you can use nuts in place of the chocolate chips
• Nonstick cooking spray

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
• Before starting, grind your old fashioned oats in a food processor to turn them into a flour like texture. You could also buy oat flour if preferred.
• In a mixing bowl, combine sugars and butter and mix until well combined (mixture will be dry). Add in eggs and applesauce and mix until well combined. Add in bananas, Greek yogurt and vanilla, mix until well combined.
• In a separate bowl, combine oats, baking soda and cinnamon. Stir into wet ingredients. Add in chocolate chips and stir until just combined.
• Scoop into muffin pans sprayed with non stick cooking spray.
• Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely, then remove from muffin pan. Store covered in fridge or freezer. Enjoy!

Notes

To make gluten free, make sure to use oats and ingredients that are gluten free. Not all ingredients are gluten free, so always check each and every ingredient.

*When avoiding anything is your baking for health purposes, always make sure that YOU verify that YOUR ingredients are safe and meet your particular dietary requirements. Also, if you are baking for someone else with food allergies, sensitivities or special diets, make sure to consult with them (or their parent) regarding ingredients to verify if everything is "safe". Food allergies are not to be messed with, and it is always better to check and double check versus assume. To state the obvious, I am not a doctor, and this is not medical advice. 🙂

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