Jam-Filled Peanut Butter & Banana Muffins

Here’s another back-to-school recipe that the whole family is sure to enjoy.

These tender muffins taste like peanut butter, jam, & banana sandwiches on whole wheat oatmeal bread. With a touch of brown sugar and a kiss each of cinnamon and vanilla.

Conveniently pre-wrapped and easily portable, these Jam-Filled Peanut Butter & Banana Muffins are nutritious enough to serve for breakfast and tasty enough to enjoy as an after-lunch treat.

Like most baked goods, these muffins will freeze well… so I recommend baking a batch over the weekend, wrapping them tightly in plastic wrap and then in sealable plastic bags, and storing them in the freezer. The night before you plan to eat one (or a few), take out however many muffins you want and by morning they will be defrosted and ready to devour.

Jam-Filled Peanut Butter & Banana Muffins

inspired by Annie’s Eats, originally from Baking Bites

yield: 14 muffins

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cup sifted whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 Tbsp unsweetened applesauce
• 1/4 cup Sucanat or light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 heaping cup mashed overripe banana (about 3 medium-large)
• 6 Tbsp creamy peanut butter (such as Peanut Butter & Co.)
• 1/2 cup milk (skim or low-fat)
• 1/2 cup plain 2% Greek yogurt
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 3 Tbsp all-fruit jam of your choice
• 1 medium-ripe banana, sliced into 14 rounds, optional

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Coat 14 muffin cups with canola oil baking spray or line with paper cups.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the first 6 ingredients (flour through cinnamon).
4. In a large bowl, whisk together the next 8 ingredients (applesauce through vanilla) until well combined.
5. Add dry ingredients to the wet and stir just until fully incorporated.
6. Fill muffin cups a little less than half full with batter. Spoon about 1/4 tsp of jam into the center of each almost-half-filled muffin cup. Divide remaining batter evenly amongst the muffin cups. The cups will be full.
7. If using, place one banana slice on top of each cup of batter.
8. Bake in preheated oven for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the muffin comes out clean (a bit of jam sticking to the toothpick is fine, but you don’t want to see raw batter).
9. Allow muffins to rest at room temperature in the pans for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.