Simple Oatmeal & Chocolate Chip Muffins

I have been looking for a heartier muffin recipe for the kids. My children just love muffins and I love making these fast little treats for snacks and the occasional breakfast. I have had this recipe in my to-be-tried pile for far too long so I decided to break it out this week.

These muffins are hearty, but the chocolate chips make them a little bit sweet too. I was surprised that they had so much oatmeal in them, but the soaking process made the chewiness of the oats disappear. The muffin was still light, although you could tell it was a little denser than the traditional muffin.

My kids absolutely loved these and I did too. I think I will be making these with some butterscotch chips or peanut butter chips next time, just to switch it up a bit!

Simple Oatmeal & Chocolate Chip Muffins
1 1/4 cups quick cooking oats
1 1/4 cups milk
1 egg
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Combine oats and milk (I used prepared powdered milk) and allow to stand for 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C). Grease each cup of one 12-cup muffin tin. Stir egg, oil, 1/2 cup of the brown sugar, chocolate chips and 1/2 cup of the pecans into the oat and milk mixture. Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add oat mixture to flour mixture, stirring until just moist. Fill each cup of one 12-cup muffin tin 2/3 full. Sprinkle tops with the remaining brown sugar and pecans. Bake at 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) for 20 to 25 minutes. Amy's Notes: I added a 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon and 1 teaspoon of vanilla to the muffins. I omitted the pecans and instead I topped the muffins with this crumb topping recipe.

Sound Off: Do you have any hearty or healthy muffin recipes that I could try? I am looking for some new ideas for breakfast and would love any suggestions you might have!