Oatmeal Walnut Muffins for your late-night cravings

I have a confession to make: I really did try to meditate on the mysteries of the Rosary while praying with my husband the other night, but I kept thinking about FOOD.

I don't know why, but I was really hungry, and needed a bedtime snack. I was in the mood for something with oats, but I didn't want to eat a bowl of oatmeal. I thought about making granola bars, but realized that I did not have all the ingredients to make my favorite recipe and I would wind up eating half the pan that night, so I nixed that idea. I didn't want to make baked oatmeal, since that would use up most of our eggs and milk (we've been without a car for a week, so I'm trying not to use up too many groceries), but then it hit me: Muffins. Warm, crumbly, chewy muffins would be perfect for my late-night oatmeal craving. Plus, there'd be leftovers to eat the next day!

I began searching the internet for oatmeal muffin recipes, but I could not find a single one that worked with the ingredients that I had on hand. So, I glanced at some common themes I was finding among recipes, added a few of my own twists, and soon was biting into a warm, chewy oatmeal muffin. I approximate when it comes to measurements, so feel free to tweak this recipe to make it work for you! 

Oatmeal Walnut Muffins (yields 1 dozen muffins)

1 c. milk

1 c. oats (I used old-fashioned)

1/4 c. oil (I used olive oil, because that's the only kind that I had, but vegetable oil should work great!)

1/4 c. brown sugar

1/2 t. salt

1 c. self-rising flour

1 egg

A handful of chopped walnuts
A dash of cinnamon

Chocolate chips (if desired. If you like chocolate, then you need to put it in these muffins!)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. While it preheats, put the milk and oats in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Let it sit for a couple minutes while you chop the walnuts. Add the oil, egg, sugar, salt, flour, and cinnamon to the bowl. Stir a couple times. Fold in the walnuts and (if desired) chocolate chips. Scoop batter into a greased muffin tin and bake for 18-25 minutes. Enjoy! 

I did half my tray with milk chocolate chips and half without.
While I love chocolate, I actually like the non-chocolate muffins quite a bit!