April 5, 2014

Blueberry oat muffins

Last Sunday, on a rainy afternoon, I thought I'd make a batch of muffins. It's always a good time to make muffins.  Lately, I've been inspired by Cooking Light's Healthy Habits Cookbook, which I picked up on sale after the holidays.  It isn't a diet book by any means, or necessarily a cookbook though there are a good amount of recipes in it.  It essentially consolidates the 12 healthy habits the magazine had been discussing throughout the past year into one place.  I'm glad I bought it because it's like a good reference book; there are a lot of useful information, healthy recipes, and tips that I see myself going back to for inspiration.  
Ground oats and plenty of blueberries in these muffins
These blueberry oat muffins are one of the recipes in the book.  I feel like you can never have too many muffin recipes in your arsenal so I'm always interested in trying a new one out.  Muffins are just easy to whip up and they make for a great snack, treat, or a sweet breakfast if you're so inclined.  My husband's sweet tooth is activated from the moment he wakes up til bedtime so he's always game for muffins.  With a tight schedule in the morning, they make a quick breakfast option on some days for him, too.  The goal, of course, is to find recipes that are more muffin than cupcake.
They turned out more moist than I expected...the brown sugar helps
My husband had recently requested blueberry banana muffins, which I (eventually) made and he polished off.  I thought these blueberry oat ones would be a similar alternative that he'd also like. And happily, I was right.  We both like the sweetness from brown sugar and the background note of cinnamon here.  We also like the flavor and texture from ground oats and whole wheat flour. Buttermilk, along with a little canola oil, provides moisture.  Of course, there are plenty of blueberries, which adds even more moisture, along with some lemon zest that just goes so naturally with it.

I made a half recipe, or 9 muffins.  Using frozen blueberries, it's easy to put a batch together.  The muffins stayed moist for a couple of days at room temperature and I stowed a few away in the freezer for a quick breakfast to come.  The freezer has become a very good friend of mine these days.  
I sprinkled turbinado sugar over the top of the muffins for a little texture


Is it me or is the middle muffin smiling at us?  I love a happy muffin.
I like the convenience of using frozen blueberries for muffins since I'm likely to have them on hand but I'm also looking forward to making a batch or two with fresh ones when they're in season.  Toss the frozen blueberries in a bit of flour to keep them from streaking the batter too much.  If you use fresh blueberries, you can skip that step.


Recipe:

Blueberry Oat Muffins
Adapted from Cooking Light

- For 9 muffins - 

1/2 plus 1/3 cup quick-cooking oats
1/3 cup (1.5 ounces) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (1.17 ounces) whole wheat flour (I use white whole wheat flour)
6 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 large egg
1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup frozen blueberries (can use fresh instead)
1 tablespoon flour (omit if using fresh blueberries)
1 tablespoon granulated, coarse, or turbinado sugar, for topping (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line 9 standard-size muffin cups with paper liners.

Grind oats in a food processor or small chopper until oats resemble the texture of coarse meal.  Place in a large bowl, along with the flours, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine and make a well in the center of the bowl.

In a large measuring cup or another bowl, whisk the buttermilk, oil, egg, lemon zest, and vanilla together. Pour into the dry ingredients and stir together until almost combined. Toss the frozen blueberries with 1 tablespoon of flour (if using fresh blueberries, just add them alone) and gently fold it into the batter.

Divide batter into the 9 prepared muffin cups (the batter will come nearly to the top).  Sprinkle each with a bit of sugar, if using.  Bake for about 20 minutes, until muffins spring back lightly to the touch. Let muffins cool a few minutes in the pan on a wire rack, then remove from the pan to cool completely.










48 comments:

  1. Love to love when it rains...it feels so good when the whole kitchen smells chocolatey and cinnamony :-)) These oat muffins look scrumptious, Monica.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's nice to have a simple baking task on a dark rainy day. Thanks, Angie.

      Delete
  2. I love using ground oats in baking recipes - it's something I've really gotten into lately! And with the buttermilk and lemon zest in these ... they sound pretty darn awesome! There is just something about blueberry muffins that I find incredibly hard to resist! : )

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Me, too! I love some ground oats in choc-chip cookies...almost like not enough to make it oatmeal choc chip cookies but the oats are hidden in there in a subtle way but give them a lot of chew and texture. : ) Blueberry muffins do seem to go down easy and before you know it, you ate 2 already.

      Delete
  3. I love the smiley face muffin :-) I wish I had one of these right now... I've had a ridiculously long lie in and am only just about to make breakfast. If I wasn't so lazy, I would make these right now!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. haha - I'm glad you see it, too, Aimee. Enjoy the weekend!

      Delete
  4. Nice, very nice muffins! Great pictures too! :) ela

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi Monica, these muffins look amazing, love the cute little smiley one. I enjoy being in the kitchen when it is rainy, it's such a comforting feeling.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm glad I'm not just seeing things! Pottering around in the kitchen is particularly comforting on a dark day, isn't it...

      Delete
  6. Such a great recipe Monica! I love the wholesomeness of the oats and blueberries. We don't have Turbinado sugar here, I guess the closest thing for us is Demerara? Enjoy the weekend :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's definitely still a sweet muffin but I think there are some good wholesome ingredients tossed in here to make it a good breakfast muffin option. I think you're right. Turbinado is coarse and I believe demerara is too? I see it all the time and I'm curious to bake with it but still haven't. Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

      Delete
  7. Delicious Recipe! I'm a huge fan of oats and blueberries :D I love my cookbooks and magazine for inspiration. It's just mind-blowing how many different recipes you can find!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So true about recipes - amazing what little twists there are and how it makes a whole new experience. I love reading cookbooks and browsing magazines for ideas. Thank you, Cindy.

      Delete
  8. Blueberry muffins always start a morning out great! Looks tasty! J+C

    ReplyDelete
  9. It's really muffin baking weather today! You should see it outside. It's rainy and chilly. I'd love one of these! :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We had a lovely day - just a bit windy - for a change! I still cooked but it wasn't muffins today. : )

      Delete
  10. These muffins look delicious. I am a big fan of oats in desserts, and these are no less. Love the blueberries, my favourite muffins!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love oats every which way, too...was never a fan of blueberries in the past but now I am.

      Delete
  11. Wow!! These muffins look great! So yummy! And I love Cooking Light!! I saw that book!! So nice :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much. I like the book and have already made 4-5 of the recipes, which is a lot for me since I find I'm usually more reading cookbooks than using them!

      Delete
  12. I love blueberry oat muffins and try any recipe that I see and this looks yummy!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There's always room for more muffin recipes! : )

      Delete
  13. These look wonderful Monica! I love blueberry muffins...my favourite flavour.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You have good taste, Nazneen. Blueberries are so good for you.

      Delete
  14. Love baking on a raining afternoon too and these muffins look delicious Monica! Hehe, the smiley one is so cute too :) I can never resist a blueberry muffin and especially one with oats - it sounds wonderful with the buttermilk and lemon zest too! Hope you enjoyed your weekend and have a great week :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Kelly! I love things with ground oats in them, too. Makes it a little more interesting. You have a great week!

      Delete
  15. These do look like happy muffins because they are packed with so much flavour. Blueberries and raspberries are my favourite ingredients to throw into a muffin or even a cake. I love that these have oats in them too..the texture is unique with the addition of oats...so delicious!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know what you mean now...I've come to really love berries.

      Delete
  16. Oats, blueberries (when they are not that pricey), and cinnamon are friends in my breakfasts, I would love to have these lovely muffins ready in my freezer too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The freezer is a very good friend for sure! I wish berries were cheaper too...it's time to get as much as possible when they're in season and more reasonably priced.

      Delete
  17. These gorgeous oat muffins need to get in my kitchen asap!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. haha - I'm sure there are lots of good eats in your kitchen, Pamela!

      Delete
  18. These look fantastic - perfect for breakfast or an afternoon snack!!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Oooo I love blueberry muffins. This oat version looks so moist and delicious!!! Love it!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi and thank you! : ) Can never have too many (blueberry) muffin recipes.

      Delete
  20. truly, it's always good to find good muffin recipes: they're so easy to make, and you know someone in the house will always want them, so finding new ones to add to your rotation is great. these look lovely; i'm a sucker for blueberry muffins anyway (probably they're my favorite all-time muffin) so i would love these.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think muffins are just a great relaxing bake for those of us who like to be in the kitchen. Thanks, Shannon.

      Delete
  21. Sounds like such a lovely combination (ground nuts and whole wheat flour)! And I agree, one can never have too many muffin recipes! Have a great day

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It goes down pretty easy...very moist. Thanks, Monica.

      Delete
  22. I am a HUGE fan of blueberry muffins - so I am loving the sound of these! :-) Swoon!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lots of smart blueberry-lovers out there and glad to hear it. Thank you, Kristi.

      Delete
  23. Yum! I love me a blueberry muffin. You are right that muffins are great to have around. Breakfast, lunch, or snack, I'll eat a muffin any day :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There's always an excuse to make muffins. Better yet, you never need an excuse to make muffins! : )

      Delete
  24. Blueberry muffins are always a comfort, and using frozen blueberries when they're not in season is perfectly acceptable. I like the healthy take--I'm always looking for guiltless ways to enjoy treats :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hear you - I like real full-on desserts and it's good enough to have a small portion of that once in a while - but for everyday, lighter treats and things we can eat more regularly is so great.

      Delete

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...