Oatmeal Almond Chocolate Chip Muffins

Last evening, while making supper, I got some jumbo porridge oats (old fashioned oatmeal) soaking in milk. I left this in the fridge until this morning, when I used this to make dark chocolate chip almond muffins. This is simply a variation on the usual soaked oats recipe that I use a lot. The original recipe is called Lynne's Muffins and is found in The New Laurel's Kitchen Cookbook. I first discovered this around 30 years ago (!!!) and have made so many variations since (here's a banana version). I love the recipe because the muffins are great--not greasy and sickeningly sweet, but delicious, full of good stuff, and lend themselves well to so many different additions. They are the kind of food that feels like a treat, but are still nutritious.

For this variation, I put 2 cups of jumbo porridge oats (old fashioned oats in the US) in a container, added 1 1/2 cups of milk, put the lid on, and stuck in the fridge overnight. This morning, I dumped this mixture into a bowl and added 1 egg, 2 tablespoons of demerera sugar (you could use 1T if you wanted less sugar and you can use brown sugar or plain white sugar if you prefer), a little coconut, and a splash of almond extract, all of which I stirred in. Then I added 1 cup of wholemeal flour, 1 teaspoon each salt and baking soda and mixed that in. Finally, some flaked (sliced) almonds and some mini dark chocolate chips were folded in. I baked these at 180C in a fan oven for about 15 minutes, but I should say that every oven I have had here in Ireland (this is my 4th!) has been different, so I adjust temperature and time for each one. When I lived in the US, I baked these at 400F for about 20 minutes.

There were 14 muffins, so Bill and I had to sample them to get it down to an even dozen. 😊😋 Yum! They are so good! We will probably eat these warmed for dessert over the next few days.

Hope your day has some delicious moments! Happy Friday!

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