Small-batch Peanut Butter Balls

It’s getting a bit warm, so it is time to transition from warm treats to cooler ones. Actually, inland in the San Francisco Bay Area, we can get record breaking heats. As a result, my nice hot spicy oatmeal breakfasts become cold ones with cooling spices. If I have them on hand, I’ll sprinkle tropical fruits in it, like mango and pineapple.

Since I do not want to turn on the big oven during the summer months, one of my staple sweet treats are protein balls – specifically peanut butter. These are no-bake snacks that I can keep in the fridge and pop in when I get hungry. These are almost cookie-like and satisfy that sweet craving.

The recipe below was probably inspired from many many recipes. I am just not sure from where since I had it written down in my notebook for so long. I figured its time to type it up.

Small-batch Peanut Butter Balls

Makes about 8

Ingredients

• 4 Tbsp of Peanut Butter
• 1/3 cup of Rolled Oats
• 1 T + 1 tsp of nibs
• 1 T + 1 tsp of walnuts
• 2 tsp of honey (optional) 

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients together.
2. Roll into balls (I scoop them with either tablespoon or teaspoon measuring spoon).
3. Chill. Enjoy after 30 minutes.

Verdict. I love making these protein balls during the summer. It has a hint of carbs, lots of protein and lots of texture – thanks to the nuts and nibs. Since it has peanut butter, an added bonus is my hubby loves them.

Variations:

• You can toast the oats for some toasty flavor. I usually add the walnuts and nibs in the pan to give it dimension.
• If you have Tahini, you can substitute 1 Tbsp of Tahini to the Peanut Butter. Same reason: more depth of flavor. I have varied the proportion of Tahini to Peanut butter and made Tahini Balls instead – also good for that protein boost.
• You can also roll them in chocolate sprinkles. For tahini balls, I've used coconut or sesame seeds. They look like truffles and adds a bit of decadence.

Hope you enjoy!

October Oatmeal and Oatbran Pumpkin Muffins

I can’t let October to pass by without making something with pumpkin. I am still obsessed with oats and need muffins (even though, I baked that gigantic batch last week). One problem: I have not worked with canned pumpkin before.

I found a great recipe at AllRecipes.com. It had the perfect name: October Oatmeal Pumpkin Muffins. However, since I do have a huge batch of banana muffins, I decided to half the recipe.

Also since I am now also obsessing on oat bran, I decided to substitute some of the oats with oat bran. It just gives a hint of fiber! I also remembered the Chia Seeds this time for that touch of Omega-3.

I know this may look like a lot of ingredients, but I usually have most of these in my pantry. And I listed subs in case you don't have oat bran, whole wheat flour, etc. It will simplify the recipe. Also, especially this time of year, I usually have maple syrup handy - something I got accustomed to while vacationing in Pennsylvania.

October Oats and Oatbran Pumpkin Muffin 
Adapted from October Oatmeal Pumpkin Muffin from AllRecipes.com

Made about 10 muffins in a regular muffin tin

Ingredients: 

• No-stick cooking spray
• 1/4 cup + 2 TBSP whole-wheat flour
• 1/4 cup rolled oats
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 TBSP all-purpose flour (or just use whole-wheat flour)
• 2 TBSP of oat bran (or just add more oats)
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• Generous pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup and 2 tablespoons pumpkin puree (I used Trader Joe’s Organic Pumpkin)
• 1/4 cup almond milk
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 TBSP maple syrup (or just use more brown sugar)
• 1/4 cup (or more) of walnuts (optional)
• 2 TBSP of butter, melted (optional – should just be 1 T (maybe its why its so moist)
• 1 1/2 teaspoon of chia seeds (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Spray muffin cups with cooking spray.
2. Soak oats in the almond milk.
3. Whisk oat bran, all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, sugar, salt, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in a large bowl until thoroughly combined.
4. Stir oats mixture (from step 2), pumpkin puree, milk, egg, and maple syrup into the dry ingredients until batter is smooth;
5. Fold in walnuts and chia seeds in the batter.
6. Scoop batter into prepared muffin cups, filling them to the top.
7. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes; set aside to cool 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Verdict

Pumpkin muffin and friends

This is very good and very pumpkin-y. It’s very moist too, but maybe it’s because I put too much butter. I usually have peanut butter with my muffins, but these are so tasty that one does not really need it. I do know someone who would eat it with PB.

Next time, I think I’ll try it with white chocolate chips. That would be a great decadent twist... or a potluck treat for our Halloween party.