Sour Cream-Oatmeal-Chocolate Chip-Awesomeness Muffins

I've been completely unofficially training for my first marathon.

Let me explain this vague admission.

I've never been a runner. Usually, when I take to the streets in my tennies, I'm embarrassing myself in full-fledged power-walk mode. (No joke. Friends have seen me and made cracks about my intense mom-walk.) I'm not lazy. I'd tried running running before. Short distances. To the end of the block, at which point my body would start telling me, very resolutely, that it would not allow that type of activity to happen anymore. Enough, Katherine! Then one day I started running--like, farther than just down to the corner. I don't know what happened. But it was empowering enough to get me to start doing push-ups, too. It's great to feel legitimately like a strong person.

I'm probably close to a mile now. And I'm up to 15 push-ups. In my brain, that means that I'm well on my way to becoming a long-distance marathoner. Right? Anyway, the problem is that yesterday I took it to the limit and I woke up this morning to a crunching shoulder (gag), sore elbow and angry legs.

So that meant no running tonight. I decided to try baking as a replacement activity. (Because when running isn't an option, baking high-calorie, delicious goods is the most logical alternative.)

Muffins. Muffins! I wanted tasty muffins. Cinnamon. Oatmeal. Oatmeal! Sour cream! Chocolate chips! The kitchen sink! Why not! I found a basic muffin recipe, made some logical substitutions, picked up the missing ingredients and got to work.

It wasn't hard, and I was really liking the smells I was getting from the oatmeal-sour cream-cinnamon mixture and lemon zest. I cranked the oven up to 400 degrees. I mixed it all up. I tasted it. I loved it. I wanted it bad, bad, bad.

AND THEN I COULDN'T FIND MY MUFFIN TINS.

Are you serious?! The oven is ready for me. The dough is ready for the oven. This was about to be the smoothest baking experience in my adult life by far. Not even blog-worthy. Yawn. Etc. And now this. I think fast, refusing defeat by my ill-stocked kitchen. This dough is too tasty to put down the drain (trust me). The only logical solution is to arrange super-reinforced cupcake liners in my 9 x 13 Pyrex dish. So I fill 12 triple-lined liners (that's 36 liners, total...my apologies, Mother Earth) and wedge them into the Pyrex. Can I put that many liners in a 400-degree oven without setting them on fire? Can Pyrex even handle a 400-degree oven? Are these muffins going to flatten out all over each other and create a crispy papery pancake? They seem secure enough in their little Pyrex home, but I know about the power of a stick of butter and some baking soda. I've read the books. I say a prayer, pull the fire extinguisher off the wall and set the timer.

It worked! Without a single casualty! The muffins did widen out in the liners a bit without the backbone of a muffin tin to keep them in check, but they're still muffin-like enough to be massively satisfying. And you know how muffins can be kinda dense and chalky (or chewy, if you're going the banana route)? These are super moist and crumbly and, well, downright DELICIOUS.

Muffin success!! (And now, time to track down those tins...)

Sour Cream-Oatmeal-Chocolate Chip-Awesomeness Muffins

1 c oats (old-fashioned, quick, whatever)
1 c sour cream
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 c (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 c all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp lemon zest
1/4 c chocolate chips (or more, up to you)

In a large bowl, combine oats and sour cream. Let the mixture stand for 30-60 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a muffin tin of 12, assuming you have one.

Add egg, sugar and butter to oat/sour cream/cinnamon mixture, stirring until just combined.

In a medium bowl, sift flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Add to oat mixture, stirring until just combined. Add lemon zest. Add chocolate chips.

Divide batter evenly among muffin tins. Bake 20-22 minutes, or until golden and a tester comes out clean.

Weep.