Healthy Chocolate Oat Muffins

Makes 6

How much goodness can you possibly pack into a deliciously chocolatey treat? Answer: A heck of a lot! These flapjack muffins (or flap-fins as I like to call them!) are loaded with nourishing and wholesome ingredients that make THE perfect any time of day snack.  I used to make these simple and healthy oat-based muffins when my daughter was a baby.  She absolutely loved them, as did I with a cup of tea in the afternoons.  Then my cooking got ‘fancier’ and a bit more ‘sophisticated’, so unfortunately these bites of deliciousness sort of fell by the wayside on account of their simplicity.  I made a new batch for the first time in about 5 years and was happily reminded that they are not only super easy and quick to make, but they are absolutely delicious for both adults and children alike.  Good food needn’t be complicated or time consuming.  These are made all in one bowl for minimal washing up and the recipe takes under 20 minutes to make from start to actually in your mouth, making them a great after school activity to do with little helping hands too.

One healthy oat muffin provides 158 calories, 8g of protein and 3g of fibre, making them ideal to tackle that 4pm energy slump after school.  Not to mention they contain 11% of my recommended daily Vitamin C requirements, which is pretty good going for a sweet treat. They are only naturally sweetened with bananas and have no added sugar, apart from a few dark chocolate chips, which are entirely optional should you want to make them for breakfast on-the-go instead.   They are loaded with nutritional goodies like wholegrain oats, pumpkin seeds, almonds, dried berries and bananas, as well as also containing some superfood powders for an extra vitamin and mineral boost. And sometimes when I have the odd leftover carrot or sweet potato, I’ll grate that into this mixture too, to up its micronutrients even more. 

INGREDIENTS

·     1 Banana
·     70g Wholegrain Oats of your choice (Jumbo porridge oats or quinoa, buckwheat or spelt flakes)
·     40g Nuts and Seeds (I used 20g Pumpkin Seeds and 20g Flaked Almonds)
·     35g Dried Fruit (I used 15g Dried Cherries and 20g Freeze-dried Pomegranates but normal raisins or dried apricots would work well too)
·     1 Egg
·     15g Unflavoured Protein Powder (I used Vital Proteins Collagen)
·     1 tbsp Superfood Powder like Maca, Lucuma, Baobab, Acai or Goji (I used Revolution Foods Amazonian Berry Blend)
·     Optional - 20g Dark Chocolate Chips 

METHOD

·     Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
·     In a mixing bowl, mash the banana.
·     Add all of the other ingredients and combine well.
·     Distribute the mixture evenly between 6 silicone muffin trays.
·     Pop in the oven for 12-14 minutes. 
·    Cool on a wire rack and either enjoy immediately, or store in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.

NOTE: For an even more indulgent treat, melt some dark chocolate and drizzle on top of the muffins once they have cooled slightly.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Calories – 158
Protein – 8g
Fat – 6g
Carbohydrates – 20g
Fibre – 3g
Vitamin C – 11%
Calcium – 4%
Iron – 7%