I'm a traditionalist when it comes to my favorite recipes, but my attempts at banana bread have always left me searching for improvements. Some have been sweet, another too rich to be parading around the breakfast table and one sad, heavy loaf could be better used for personal protection rather than consumption. But now I think that's all behind me as I have at last found my ultimate banana baked good pièce de résistance. It's low in fat, highly flavorful, toothsome in crumb and it incorporates another rather wonderful breakfast food: Scottish oatmeal.

Come on over for a banana muffin top; we'll slather them in peanut butter, honey and more bananas!

Have you ever used a muffin top pan? I'm all about them. They give you that scrumptious golden brown on far more surface area than from a loaf pan or traditional muffin pan. They can be found online and often at thrift stores (where I picked mine up).

Muffin top pans admittedly seem like an idea spawned from the Seinfeld episode where Elaine convinces her boss to open a bakery that sells only the tops of muffins and they greet customers with "Top of the Muffin to You!" Don't tell me you don't remember the muffin top episode?! But they really are great in providing lots of crusty bits with minimal muffin "stump."

Another thing, don't skimp on the freshness of grated nutmeg (as pictured above); it adds so much character to this quickbread.

This version of banana bread is moist and barely sweet. It's full of flavor and dotted with Scottish oats for a nice bite in the texture. It also incorporates a new favorite ingredient, barley flour (though you could substitute whole wheat or any other whole grain flour if you want). Cut in half and smeared with cream cheese or peanut butter, they make a filling breakfast or lovely afternoon accompaniment to tea. They're even just delicious on their own, straight from the glorious muffin top pan.

Related: Peanut Butter Ginger Muffins from Hannah of Bitter Sweet

(Images: Leela Cyd Ross)