Healthy Date Banana Muffins

9 Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
10 Take walnuts in a food processor and pulse into large pieces. Add flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pulse. Then add oats, and pulse just to combine. The oats should remain whole and walnuts as pieces. Transfer dry mix to a bowl.
11 In the same food processor, take dates with milk and process into a smooth paste. Add oil and pulse. Then add egg, vanilla and pulse, just to incorporate. Finally add chopped banana and pulse few times until smooth.
12 Then add dry ingredients into wet ingredients and pulse just to moisten, making sure the oats remain whole and walnuts as pieces. Stir in chocolate chips if using. Make a thick batter that forms a mound with a scoop (see note for tip).
13 Prepare a muffin pan, by applying butter in the wells, sprinkle flour all over and dust off excess. Or line with paper muffin liners.
14 Spoon the batter almost full into the prepared muffin cups. Lower the temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and bake until a cake tester inserted comes out clean and the muffin tops are golden brown, about 18 to 20 minutes. Remove muffins from the pan and let cool.