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.

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.

Eggnog Cranberry Muffins

Before I go on a trip I like to clean out the fridge and get rid of things so they don't go bad while I'm away. I noticed that I had an extra bag of cranberries and some eggnog, so I went on a mission to find something to make.

I came across two very similar recipes for Eggnog Cranberry Muffins and immediately made them. My house smelled delicious while they were cooking and I couldn't wait to take them out of the oven.

If I made these again I would probably increase the amount of cranberry and eggnog because I would have liked more cranberries in each bite (recipe below does not reflect my wishful changes). Other than that, I loved the recipe. A friend of mine, The Nifty Foodie, saw my tweets about making this recipe, so she made it into little mini bread loaves. This recipe, however you make it, is perfect for the holidays, and the streusel topping is just delicious.

Eggnog Cranberry Muffins 

from Recipe Girl and Annie's Eats

Ingredients:
For the muffins:
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
1 cup plus 2 tbsp. granulated sugar, divided
2 large eggs
¾ cup eggnog (would bump up to 1 cup next time)
5 1/3 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1½ cups coarsely chopped cranberries (would bump up to 2 cups next time)

For the topping:
½ cup sugar
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, slightly softened
½ cup chopped pecans (optional)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400° F.  Line 14-18 muffin cups with paper liners or grease muffin pan.  In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt; stir to combine.  In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 cup of the sugar, eggs, eggnog, melted butter and vanilla extract.  Stir until well combined.  Mix in the dry ingredients just until incorporated.  Toss the chopped cranberries with the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar, and fold into the batter.  Divide batter evenly between the prepared muffin liners or muffin pan, filling them about two thirds of the way full.

To make the streusel topping, combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon and butter.  Cut the butter into the dry ingredients until a coarse, crumbly mixture forms.  Stir in the pecans if using. Sprinkle the mixture evenly on top of the muffin batter.

Bake for about 18-22 minutes, or a until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.