Oatmeal Muffins (5 ways!)

Muffins are the superior breakfast – delicious, but still healthy enough to eat for breakfast. A lot of muffins I find in stores are very sweet and very dry, so I prefer to make my own. Homemade muffins are the best, especially warm out of the oven. They only need a bowl and a whisk, and they’re so easy to customize! My recipe has no refined sugar and has oats for added fiber and texture. These muffins are a satisfying, nutritious snack, but still fluffy, sweet, and totally addicting – they’re usually half gone before they’re even cool!

Ingredients

• Flour: These muffins are made with a mixture of oats and flour to provide both fluffiness and texture. This recipe calls for all-purpose flour, but you could substitute it with whole-wheat pastry flour if you want to add more fiber.
• Oats: Use quick oats, not rolled oats or steel-cut oats. These willl dissolve more easily into the batter.
• Buttermilk: You’ll soak the oats in buttermilk to soften them and thicken the batter. Buttermilk adds flavor and tang to the batter. If you don’t have buttermilk, you can substitute it by adding 1 teaspoon of vinegar or lemon juice to 1 cup of regular milk. You can also use yogurt thinned with milk.
• Neutral Oil: You can use any neutral oil like canola oil or vegetable oil. I don’t recommend using strongly flavored oils like olive oil, which will flavor the muffin batter and clash with the flavors of the mix-ins.
• Eggs: 1 egg binds the batter together. You can try using a flax egg or egg substitute like applesauce if you want to make it egg-free.
• Honey: Honey adds sweetness. You can also substitute it with agave, maple syrup, or molasses. Keep in mind that some liquid sweeteners may be sweeter or less sweet than honey.
• Baking Powder: Don’t confuse with baking soda! Baking powder is activated by touching liquid, so try to get your muffins baking soon after the batter is complete.
• Spices: The batter is flavored with cinnamon and just a touch of nutmeg, but if you want to add different spices, you can! Ginger, pumpkin pie spice, or even Chinese five spice are some adventurous additions.
• Vanilla Extract & Salt: These add an extra depth of flavor to the muffins.

Making the Muffins

First, you’ll need to soak the oats in the buttermilk, and let them sit for at least 10 minutes. This step helps the batter be more hydrated, allowing for better rise, better moisture, and better texture. The oats don’t have to be completely soft, but they should get somewhat softened in the milk.

Then, mix the dry ingredients in a bowl, add the oat mixture, and remaining wet ingredients. Mix until combined, but be careful not to overmix, as this will result in very tough, flat muffins. Portion the batter into a muffin tray (a cookie scoop or measuring cup is helpful here) and bake!

Customizations

I encourage you to get creative with the mix-ins! Some things you can add are:

• Blueberries
• Raisins
• Chocolate chips
• Diced peaches
• Diced mangoes
• Strawberries
• Mashed banana
• Pumpkin puree

Increase the amount of sweetener you are adding if your mix-ins are on the sour side – like blueberries. If you add a liquid mix-in like mashed banana or pumpkin, you will want to decrease the amount of milk you add. I’ve included recipe adjustments for pumpkin, banana, chocolate chip, and cinnamon-peach muffins. If you’re adding something different, follow the notes for the customization your mix-ins are the most similar to!

Tips

• Soaking the oats in milk first is important! It helps with rise and texture.
• Overmixing the batter will overdevelop the gluten and lead to tough muffins, so try to avoid this!
• Make sure that fruits like peaches or apples are chopped into small chunks.
• To keep large pieces of fruit from dropping to the bottom of the muffins, it can be helpful to toss them with a little bit of flour before mixing them into the batter.
• If you don’t have muffin liners, that’s okay – just make sure to grease the pan so the muffins don’t stick.
• If you want taller muffins, put more batter in each muffin cup and bake for longer.
• Try not to open the door while the muffins are baking, as this will cause them to drop.

Oatmeal Muffins (5 ways!)

Healthy, tasty, easy-to-customize muffins!

Prep Time: 20 min	Cook Time: 30 min
Total Time: 50 min	Serves: 12

Ingredients

• 1-1/4 cup quick oats
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/3 cup neutral oil
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup honey or liquid sweetener of your choice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup mix-ins of your choice

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Spray or line a 12-cup muffin pan.
2. Soak oats in buttermilk until softened, 10-20 minutes.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, spices, salt, and baking powder.
4. Add oil, honey, vanilla, and egg. Whisk to combine.
5. Pour in oat mixture and stir until homogenous, making sure not to overmix.
6. Fold in mix-ins.
7. Scoop into muffin pan. If you desire, sprinkle ~1 tsp sugar on top of each muffin for a sugar crust.
8. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
9. Let cool and enjoy!

Variations

Chocolate Chip Muffins: Decrease liquid sweetener to 1/3 cup if using milk chocolate chips.

Pumpkin Spice Muffins: Mix in 1 cup of pumpkin puree. Decrease buttermilk to 1/2 cup. Replace cinnamon and nutmeg with 2 1/2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice. Top with cinnamon sugar if desired.

Banana Bread Muffins: Mix in 1 cup of mashed banana (from about 2 bananas). Decrease buttermilk to 1/2 cup. Increase cinnamon to 1 teaspoon. If desired, stir in up to 1 cup chopped walnuts.

Cinnamon-Peach or Apple-Cinnamon Muffins: Use chopped peaches or apples as your mix-in (I recommend peeling them, or you can use drained canned peaches). Increase cinnamon to 1 teaspoon.

Notes

You can make these muffins vegan by using a plant-based milk and substituting the egg for a flax egg.