Triple Threat Banana Cream Muffin

Not another MUFFIN!!!!!

I don't know what it is....I just can't seem to get muffins out of my system. And I still have one more muffin in my head that I want to try. (just giving you fair warning that you will have to suffer through yet another muffin post in the near future)

This started out as a simple Banana Scotchie Muffin recipe that was shared with me over on FaceBook. The recipe originally came from the Great American Cookbook.

Do you know what happens when you make muffins at night, after dinner?

They become something for dessert rather than breakfast. That's the only explanation I can come up with.

Chocolate....peanuts....butterscotch morsels....and the same cream filling that I used in the Strawberries and Cream Muffins, were all added. I dunno....I couldn't stop myself. I kept seeing stuff in the cupboard that I wanted to add. I came to my senses when I saw two different kinds of chocolate and the add-ins out weighed the flour and oats.

So I put the white chocolate chips away.

How did they turn out? mmmm.....goood. Crumbly and moist at the same time (probably cuz by the time I mixed everything, there wasn't much left to hold it all together). They are sweet but only in bursts....the oatmeal does a great job of balancing that out. And this muffin really wants to be washed down with an ice cold glass of milk.

Triple Threat Banana Cream Muffin
Printable Version

Cream Filling:
4 oz. cream cheese
1 1/2 tablespoons from a beaten egg
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Muffin:
1 cup flour
1 cup oats (I used old fashioned Quaker oatmeal)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 ripe banana
1 egg (plus the rest of the egg from the filling)
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup melted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 oz semi sweet chocolate chunks
3 oz chopped peanuts
3 oz butterscotch chips
Raw sugar (or regular sugar if that's all you have. Or no sugar if you don't want to)

Preheat your oven to 400' F. Spray 12 nonstick muffin tins with cooking spray.

Melt the butter and set aside to cool.

Combine the filling ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, oats, baking soda, baking powder, salt and sugar.

In another bowl mash up your banana and mix in the egg (don't forget the left over egg from the filling), buttermilk, melted butter (that has cooled but not hardened again...that would just be dumb) and the vanilla extract.

Add the flour mixture to the banana mess mixture and gently stir, but not too much. Dense muffins are no fun.

Fold in the chocolate, peanuts and butterscotch.

Fill each muffin tin halfway (there will be some batter left...if not, take it out and start over). Scoop a tablespoon'ish amount of filling in each cup and top with a tablespoon'ish amount of the remain batter.

Sprinkle the raw sugar over each muffin (for that nice sweet crispy texture)

Bake for about 12 - 15 minutes

Do you see that cream cheese filling making it's way out? (how could  you not, I know...but I just had to mention it). Good stuff, let me tell you.

If you want to lie to yourself justify this as a good breakfast, keep in mind you have the following:

Antioxidants from the semi-sweet chocolate
Fiber from the oats and a ton of other nutrients
30 essential nutrients and phytonutrients from the peanuts
Dairy from the cream cheese
Potassium from the banana, plus an abundance of other viamins and minerals that provide a natural source of energy.
Choline, protein and the right kind of fat from eggs. Choline helps to regulate the nervous sytem, cardiovascular system and the brain. (and we all know that the brain of a foodie needs regulating)

Sorry...I couldn't really find any health benefits for the butterscotch. We'll consider this ingredient a splurge. Or something good for your morale.

What ever your reason for eating this muffin is, enjoy!