I always like to be sure that the muffins I bake have something in them that is good for you, and recently I’ve been experimenting with oats. I make bran muffins regularly, but I rarely use oats, and they really are good for you too. Like bran, oats are a wonderful source of dietary fibre, and they also contain beneficial phytochemicals and proteins as well as thiamin, folic acid and vitamin E. Plus they have a low glycemic index, which helps keep you fuller longer.

I’ve always loved the combination of oatmeal and raisins in cookies so I decided to experiment. Three test batches later, these muffins were judged the best by my very patient recipe testers. The brown sugar gives a lovely, treacly sweetness and the spices and flavouring really make these muffins special.

This recipe makes about 12 large muffins.

1½ cups plain (all purpose) flour

1 cup oats

½ cup brown sugar, lightly packed

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon ginger

1 cup raisins or sultanas

1 egg, lightly beaten

½ cup milk

⅓ cup sunflower or olive oil

½ teaspoon almond flavouring (optional, but really, really lovely)

2 ripe bananas, mashed

Preheat the oven to 350ºF (170ºC or 160ºC for fan ovens).

Mix the flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and ginger together in a large bowl. Stir in the raisins or sultanas.

In a separate bowl, mix together the egg, milk, oil, almond flavouring and bananas.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix together really thoroughly. Set the mixture aside for about five minutes to allow the oats to take up some of the liquid while you grease the muffin pans or line them with paper liners.

Transfer the batter into the muffins pans. A quick release ice cream scoop is a great way of doing this.