Chocolate Banana Almond Muffins

Chocolate Banana Almond Muffins
4 points each (see note below on how to reduce points)

We had several bananas getting really dark that were just begging to be baked into something. So my little sous chef and I decided to make banana muffins for breakfast this morning. I used the banana variation of the basic muffin recipe in my Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook. And of course I "hollified" it as well.

Ingredients

• 1 cup white flour
• 3/4 cup rolled oats
• 1/4 cup flax seed meal (can be omitted)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 beaten egg
• 1/2 cup 2% milk
• 2 mashed bananas
• 1/2 cup chopped almonds (or other type of nut)
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Directions

• Preheat oven to 400 and spray muffin pan
• In mixing bowl, combine flour, oats, flax seed meal, powder and salt
• Add egg, bananas, milk, almonds and chocolate chips. Mix until just combined.
• Divide batter into muffin pan
• Bake in 400 degree oven for 18 - 20 minutes
• Muffins are done when toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean

Notes: The original recipe calls for 1/3 cup of sugar, which I actually intended to add, but I forgot about it. The muffins were plenty sweet with the banana and the chocolate chips though. They could have used a tiny bit more sugar; perhaps 2 tablespoons. Also, the original recipe calls for 1/4 cup cooking oil, which I (intentionally) omitted.

To reduce points:

• Omit almonds, 3 points each muffin
• Omit chocolate chips, 2.5 points each muffin
• Omit both almonds and chocolate chips, 2 points each (1.75 points, really)
• Reduce almonds by half, 3.5 points each
• Reduce chocolate chips by half, 3 points each
• Reduce both almonds and chocolate chips by half, 3 points each (2.75 points, really)