Prepare Your Baking Station: Preheat your oven to 190°C (170°C fan/Gas Mark 5). Line a 12-hole muffin tray with paper cases or grease it thoroughly. The kitchen will start to warm up, creating a welcoming atmosphere for baking.

Combine Dry Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the plain flour, rolled oats, light brown sugar, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, ground cinnamon, and salt. Give it a good whisk until everything is evenly distributed and the mixture looks uniform in colour.

Mash the Bananas: In a separate medium bowl, mash the ripe bananas with a fork until mostly smooth but with a few small lumps remaining for texture. You’ll notice a sweet, fruity aroma as you do this.

Mix Wet Ingredients: To the mashed bananas, add the peanut butter, milk, vegetable oil, beaten egg, and vanilla extract. Stir these ingredients together until they are just combined and the mixture has a creamy, pale brown appearance.

Combine Wet and Dry: Pour the wet banana mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Using a spatula or wooden spoon, gently fold them together until just combined. Be careful not to overmix; a few streaks of flour are perfectly fine. Overmixing can lead to tough muffins. If using, fold in the chocolate chips or chopped nuts now. The batter will be thick and somewhat lumpy.

Fill Muffin Cases: Divide the batter evenly among the 12 prepared muffin cases, filling each about two-thirds full. The raw batter will have a rich, sweet smell.

Bake to Perfection: Place the muffin tray into the preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes. You'll know they're ready when they've risen beautifully, are golden brown on top, and a skewer inserted into the centre of a muffin comes out clean. The enticing smell of baked bananas and peanut butter will fill your home.

Cool and Serve: Once baked, remove the tray from the oven and let the muffins cool in the tray for 5 minutes. Then, transfer them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. They should feel light and springy to the touch.