Baked Oatmeal Muffins

I'll be the first to admit that I have a picky palate. I typically like almost anything, but sometimes my taste buds sort of freak out on me. Take breakfast, for example. A lot of people like having sweets in the morning, but even a banana is too sweet sometimes; I need savory eats to satisfy me...usually. I do like French toast and pancakes on the weekends for brunch and occasionally oatmeal when it's cold outside. See, I told you I have a picky palate!

So when Natalie posted a recipe for a Baked Oatmeal that didn't look too sweet, I was intrigued. I made it right away and actually liked it! But here's the weird thing: I actually wanted it a little sweeter. Since she posted the recipe I've made it just about every week, tweaking it every time and trying to get it just right. Finally, after several attempts, I have a version I really enjoy eating.

The original recipe calls for making this casserole-style, but for the past few weeks I've been making them in muffin tins and I'm loving the convenience of having muffins ready throughout the week. My husband usually grabs two (or three or four) and eats them for breakfast on his way to work. If I have it for breakfast I'll heat a couple up and pour milk over them or I'll have one muffin along with an egg for some protein. They're also great as a snack before or after a workout.

If you make these keep in mind that they're not traditional muffins, so they won't really rise. Also, play around with the extra ingredients; use what you have on hand already! The amount of muffins you'll get in a batch will also vary depending on your add-ins.

Baked Oatmeal Muffins

adapted from Oven Love

Ingredients:

2 large eggs

1/4 cup butter, melted (can use butter substitute)

1/4 cup agave nectar or honey

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

2 Tablespoons flax seeds

4 ounces applesauce (one small container)

1 apple, peeled and grated

1 1/4 milk

3 cups old-fashioned oats

1/4—1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

1/4—1/2 cup dried fruit (optional; I've been adding dried apples and dried cranberries)

1/4—1/2 cup fresh or frozen fruit (optional; I've been using frozen blueberries—I don't thaw them before adding)

Directions:

Line two muffin tins with muffin/cupcake liners. Preheat oven to 375f (180c).  

In a large bowl stir together all ingredients except oats and add-ins. Once everything is combined, mix in oats nuts and dried fruit. Carefully fold in fresh or frozen fruit.

 

Let oat mixture sit and soak for 30 minutes at room temperature. After 30 minutes, scoop mixture into muffin cups (using 1/4 or 1/3 cup servings). Bake for 15-20* minutes or until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the muffin comes out clean. (*Mine are done after about 15 minutes, but I have a tiny oven, so yours may need longer.) Pop the muffins out of the tin and let cool completely on a cooling rack. Will keep in the fridge in an airtight container or Ziplock bag for up to a week.

Summer Berry Tart

I have a confession to make. Well, it's not really a confession, but more like a fact: I only like to make something if it's simple. I'm still learning my way around the kitchen and I'm still figuring out what works well together, so if something's too difficult, my eyes glaze right over the directions and I forget about making it.

I always see pretty-looking desserts floating around the Internet, but thought they were way above my baking league. But when I saw a version of this tart on Pinterest I couldn't get over how light and refreshing it looked and knew I wanted to try it. Then I discovered the recipe was from Real Simple and breathed a sigh of relief knowing it had to be easy to make. Luckily, it was extremely simple—just like the magazine claims—and I had the perfect place to take it: a 4th of July barbeque.  

You can use cream cheese, but we really like marscapone (Italian sweet cream cheese), so that's what I used. You can also top it with whatever berries you want. The one shown here is clearly decorated like a flag, but I also made one with a mixture of blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries. Frozen puff pastry is my new favorite ingredient and I'm already dreaming of other things to make with it.

Sweet Berry Tart

adapted from Real Simple

Ingredients:

2 8-ounce sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 egg, beaten  
2 tablespoon granulated sugar 
8 ounces marscapone (or cream cheese, softened) 
1/2 cup half and half (or heavy cream)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest 
6 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
3 cups berries

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375° F. On a lightly floured surface, unfold the sheet of pastry and roll it into a rectangle, smoothing out creases. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
2. Using the tip of a knife, score a 1-inch border around the pastry without cutting all the way through. Brush border with egg and sprinkle with granulated sugar. Bake until golden and puffed, 17 to 20 minutes.
3. Using the tip of a knife, rescore the border of the cooked pastry without cutting all the way through. Let rest until cool to the touch. Gently press down on the center of the pastry sheet to flatten it. Let cool to room temperature, 15 to 20 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, with an electric mixer, beat the marscapone until smooth. Add cream, vanilla, lemon zest, and 5 tablespoons of the confectioners’ sugar; beat until smooth (will thicken up over time). Gently brush flakes from the center of the pastry off; spread mixture evenly within the borders of the pastry.
5. Arrange the berries on cream mixture and sprinkle with the remaining tablespoon of confectioners’ sugar.

Berry Rhubarb Pie

My husband and I went to Costco last week—a big deal since the closest one is an hour away—and we went to town buying fruits and veggies. With an abundance of strawberries and blueberries, we knew we needed to make something with them other than plopping them in our morning smoothies. So we (or I should say my husband) made what he makes best: pie!

Last year we really wanted to make a rhubarb pie, but we procrastinated and missed rhubarb season. Whoops. This year we didn't take any chances and bought rhubarb the second we saw it, and since we had a plethora of berries on hand, we decided to make a Strawberry Blueberry Rhubarb Pie. Or a StrawBluBarb Pie, if you will. As with most berry pies, the fruit will release a lot of liquid, so it's best to let it sit and thicken a bit before digging in...if you can wait that long

I'm pretty sure this is my new favorite pie, especially for the summer. The blueberries popped with sweetness, the strawberries tasted like snozberries...naturally, and the rhubarb complimented the berries sweetness by making my cheeks pucker just a bit. Do yourself a favor and make this pie—or a variation of it with whatever berries you have on hand!

Berry Rhubarb Pie

adapted from All Recipes

Ingredients

• 3 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and cut (if needed) into bite-sized pieces
• 2 cups blueberries
• 2 cups rhubarb, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon  
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon melted butter or butter spray
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• two prepared pie crusts

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
2. In a medium bowl, combine berries and rhubarb. In a separate small bowl, mix together 3/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup flour, and cinnamon. Sprinkle over fruit mixture and stir gently. Let sit for about 15 minutes. Gently stir again, making sure flour and sugar mixture isn't clumpy.
3. Mix lemon juice into fruit filling, then spoon into pastry-lined pie pan. With the other crust, either make a lattice top (in photo) roll completely out and place over filling. Crimp edges and cut steam vents in top. 
4. Brush lightly with butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
5. Bake for around 40–50 minutes, or until filling is bubbling thick and crust is golden brown.

Strawberry Pineapple Crumble

Yesterday I headed out to a local strawberry patch with my friend Natalie where we each picked several pounds worth of fresh strawberries and then enjoyed delicious strawberry ice cream. This was my first time strawberry picking and I had an absolute blast. Sure, I could have done without the Georgia humidity in April, but I almost all forgot about the heat when I heard the lovely "Pop" that comes from picking the berry off its stem.

Armed with five pounds of ruby-red, sweet strawberries, I had a hard time deciding what to make first. But then I remembered a post I read that morning from Joy the Baker and knew exactly what I'd use my first pound of strawberries for: Strawberry Pineapple Crumble.

If you tilted your head for that combination, you're not alone. I remember thinking, "Huh, interesting." So interesting, in fact, that it just might work really well. I'm here to let you know that it doesn't just work, it's fantastic!

The pineapple's sweet and tart flavor brings out the sweetness from the berries. And the crumble? Well I could probably eat the topping all by itself. All together, this dessert is light enough to eat for breakfast (like I had this morning), and the crunchy topping has a bit of saltiness that pairs perfectly with the filling. Make this. Make it, share it, and enjoy it.

Since I have four pounds of strawberries leftover, what should I make next? I'm thinking at least one pound needs to be devoted to some strawberry ice cream.

Strawberry Pineapple Crumble 

slightly adapted from Joy the Baker

Ingredients: 
1 pound strawberries, hulled and cut in half/quarters (bite-sized pieces)
1 pound peeled and diced fresh pineapple 
3 tablespoons sugar 
3 teaspoons cornstarch 
1/4 cup all-purpose flour 
pinch of salt  
2/3 cup all-purpose flour 
1 teaspoon baking powder 
1/4 teaspoon salt 
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes 
1 1/3 cup old-fashioned oats 
1/4 cup pecans, chopped
1/4 cup brown sugar


Directions:

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.

After fruit is diced, place in colander to drain excess liquid. In a small dish, whisk together 3 tablespoons sugar, cornstarch, 1/4 cup of flour and pinch of salt. Toss sugar mixture with fruit and place fruit in an 8-inch square baking dish. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together remaining flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Add cold butter cubes. Use your fingers (or pastry cutter) to break up the cold butter cubes into the flour mixture. Add oats and pecans; toss together until the butter bits are about the size of the oat flakes.

Pour oat mixture over the prepared fruit. Place in the oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until juices from the fruit bubble up around the sides of the pan. (Depending on how full the dish is, you may want to put a baking sheet underneath in case it bubbles over.)

Remove crumble from oven; allow to cool for at least 15 minutes before serving. Crumble is delicious served warm with vanilla ice cream. Crumble can we wrapped and refrigerated for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave or wrapped in foil in a low oven.

Hearty Berry Muffins

In an effort to eat healthier, I've been looking for a good muffin recipe. I figure a muffin would be a perfect snack in the middle of the day or great as a quick breakfast in the morning. The problem is that it's been hard to find a healthy muffin recipe that doesn't taste like you're eating a "diet" muffin (i.e. cardboard).

Luckily, this muffin is anything but "diet." It has tons of good-for-you ingredients, but actually tastes good. I found this recipe from a book I just finished reading, of all places. It's called "How to Bake a Perfect Life" and has different bread recipes sprinkled throughout the pages. So on top of being a great, fast read, it gave me some good recipes!

The recipe below includes a streusel topping, but you may notice the picture is missing that particular tasty layer. I only put it on three of the 30 muffins (it says to set it aside and I set it too far away and forgot about it), but then I ate those three muffins before I took the picture. Luckily, I can safely say they're delicious whether you include the streusel or not!

Seriously, unlike most "healthier" muffins that can come out dray and lackluster, these are moist, light, flavorful, filling, and nutritious. Here's what the author has to say:

"This is a muffin for those crazy mornings when you need calories in a hurry. The yogurt and nuts add protein, the whole grains add fiber, and the fruit adds nutrients as well as general seduction for picky children. The streusel can be left off to save calories, but trust me, you're better off with one good one. Serve with boiled eggs for a super fast breakfast."

Hearty Berry Muffins

adapted slightly from How to Bake a Perfect Life
yields around 30 (regular-sized) muffins
3 Weight Watchers points+ (with or without steusel topping)

Ingredients:
	1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
	1 cup whole wheat flour
	1 cup oats
	1 Tbsp baking powder
	1 tsp baking soda
	1/2 tsp sea salt
	1 cup honey
	1 1/2 cups plain fat-free yogurt (or fat free sour cream)
	6 oz raspberry or blueberry yogurt
	1/2 cup milk
	2 tsp vanilla extract 3 Tbsp apple sauce
	1 egg (or 1/4 cup egg substitute)
	1 cup fresh blueberries
	1 cup raspberries
	Streusel Topping: 1/4 cup flour 3 Tbsp brown sugar
	1/4 cup pecans, chopped
	1 1/2 Tbsp butter, melted   Directions:  Pre-heat oven to 400 and prepare muffin tins with paper or oil. Prepare streusel and set aside. Mix dry ingredients in large bowl. In a medium-sized bowl, mix all wet ingredients except for berries; beat together well. Pour wet ingredients into dry mix; beat firmly and quickly just until thoroughly moistened. Add berries and fold in gently. Divide batter into greased or paper-lined muffin tins. Distribute streusel topping evenly over batter (optional). Bake for 15 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes in the pan to set the berries. Remove from pan; cool on wire rack.