OATMEAL CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINS, ADAPTED

When I made Quaker Oats’ Prize-Winning Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins with Chocolate Streusel I thought there could never be another oatmeal cc muffin to get my top rating. But this one comes very close. Kari Farwell submitted this fabulous recipe to Allrecipes, and the readers rated it 4-1/2 stars. Even with my lower-fat, part whole-grain version, these muffins are still moist, tender, flavorful, full of chocolate chips, with a nice crunch from the walnuts and just a hint of spice from the cinnamon in the topping. Soaking the oats in the milk for 15 minutes before mixing the batter is a crucial step in developing the tender crumb and light texture of the muffin. You’ll get 12 standard-size muffins, and any that are left can be frozen and microwaved for a quick snack or treat.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins Adapted from Allrecipes Rating: 9.5 out of 10 Printable Recipe

INGREDIENTS: 1-1/4 cups quick-cooking oats 1-1/4 cups milk (I used 3/4 cup milk + 1/2 cup lite sour cream) 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour (I used Ultra-Grain) 4 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. sea salt 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts, divided use 1 large egg 2 Tbsp. oil 1/2 cup applesauce 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract 3/4 cup packed brown sugar, divided use 1 tsp. cinnamon 1. Combine oats and milk in large bowl and allow to stand 15 minutes. Heat oven to 425F. Spray the wells of a 12-cup muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray. 2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, chocolate chips and 1/2 cup nuts in medium bowl. 3. Beat egg, oil, applesauce, vanilla and 1/2 cup brown sugar into the oats and milk mixture. Add the dry ingredients, all at once, stirring just till barely combined, leaving a few lumps, if any. Do not overmix. 4. Fill each of the 12 muffin wells about 2/3 full. Sprinkle tops with the remaining brown sugar, nuts and cinnamon. Place muffin tin in oven and immediately reduce heat to 375F. Bake 17-20 minutes, or till a toothpick inserted near center returns almost clean. Cool in pans about 5 minutes, then turn out onto wire rack to finish cooling. Yield: 12 standard-size muffins