Oatmeal Blueberry Muffins

It's been a gray and rainy Saturday here in Texas. The day started humid and is now cool and breezy after the storm. We don't get much rain here, so I have started to appreciate it more. The sun is starting to peek through the clouds now, but it will be dark in about an hour. I have noticed myself missing home more and more as the weather grows colder and the year gets older. I hear about corn mazes, pumpkin patches, bonfires, raking leaves and even snow! And I miss home, good ol' Iowa. I don't think corn mazes and pumpkin patches exist in Texas, not to mention the lack of fall foliage. These too-proud Texans don't know what they're missing!

Now that I'm through with my weather musings, I will get to my recipe. You see, I started on the weather kick because these muffins are perfect for a rainy weekend morning! The toasted oats give these muffins a subtle nutty flavor, while the sweet blueberries constrast perfectly with the ever-so-slightly salty and crispy outside. As my husband said, most blueberry muffins are too sweet and cakey, but these are just right!

Oatmeal Blueberry Muffins
from Brunch, Recipes for Cozy Weekend Mornings
Prep: 20 minutes / Bake: 18 minutes
Yield: 12 muffins, 6 servings

1-1/4 cups quick oats (I used whole grain quick oats)       
1 cup flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk (see my review for substitute)
1 egg
4 T unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. (I didn't have any liners so I just greased the pan and they came out perfectly).

2. In a skillet over medium heat, toast the oats, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until they are fragrant and show just a hint of gold, about 4-5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.

3. In a bowl, whisk together the toasted oats, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the buttermilk, egg, and melted butter and mix with a wooden spoon until the dry ingredients are moistened. Gently stir in the blueberries.

4. Divide the batter among the 12 cups, they will be nearly full. Bake until they are puffed and lightly browned, about 20-25 minutes. (I only had to bake mine for 18 minutes, so keep an eye on them). Serve warm or at room temperature.

Step 2, toast the oats. Just stir for 4 or 5 minutes, they'll start to smell really yummy!

Step 3, whisk the dry ingredients.

Step 3, add blueberries. Try your best not to break them!

Step 4, fill the muffin cups.

There you have it, simple and delicious, these muffins are a spin off of your typical cakey and sweet muffin. I hope you will give these a try, they are worth it! Click below to see my complete review.




 My Review

• Preparation: 4
• This recipe is about 45 minutes, start to finish, depending on how long you have to bake the muffins. As I mentioned before, the recipe said to bake them for 20-25 minutes. My oven usually cooks fast, so I checked them at 18 minutes and they were done.
• Taste: 5
• I really loved these muffins. My husband was right, they weren't cakey and super sweet. An added bonus is that the whole grain oats and blueberries made it seem slightly healthy, just ignore the 4 tablespoons of butter! Although that is only 1 tsp of butter per muffin...
• Cost: 5
• I had all the ingredients on hand except for the blueberries, oats, and buttermilk. Those cost me 4 or 5 dollars. By the way, you can make your own buttermilk if you don't have any! For 1 cup buttermilk, use 1 tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar, plus enough regular milk to equal 1 cup. Let it stand for 5 minutes. You could also use 1 cup plain yogurt. (Source: Taste of Home Cookbook). 
• Clean-up: 4
• Skillet, mixing bowl, and muffin tin. Not bad!
• Changes
• I used whole grain quick oats, but you could use regular quick oats too.
• I did not have muffin liners, so I just greased the pan and they didn't stick one bit.
• As mentioned above, I only baked them for 18 minutes. Just make sure you are familiar with your oven and how it cooks.
• Summary
• I will attempt to avoid excessive redundancy, but these are really good! Try them, I guarantee your taste buds will thank you!