Perfect Blueberry Oat Muffins
There’s days where rain is cozy. When you want to snuggle up on the couch and eat a huge bowl of Homemade Spaghetti O’s.
Then sometimes the sky unleashes a torrential downpour for days. Days! And you have to do responsible things like leave the house and go to the store and work. You soak you shoes stepping in puddles and wrestle with umbrellas.
And you so desperately want to see the sun again.
I made blueberry muffins with frozen blueberries, just dreaming of summertime when the fresh ones don’t cost five dollas per pop. Practically, per berry.
But the muffins did the trick! They’re full of sunshine.
(And I think they really might have worked a miracle because the rain stopped.)
My husband eats everything, really! There is never a bite he won’t try and rarely a homemade dish he doesn’t like. But when it comes to lightened up or “skinny” baked goods, he usually runs in the opposite direction. Or, just to the pantry to pour himself a ginormous bowl of cereal.
I’ve made tons of low fat muffins and bars that never made it on here because, well, they sucked.
We both agreed.
Too chewy and ewwy.
And not sweet.
And ewwy.
This week, I promised blueberry muffins. Good ones. And I was finally able to pull off a sweet, tender, and HEALTHY muffin, with the perfect round and crunchy top!
Pureed apple gives the muffins amazing moisture (Or you could definitely substitute applesauce).
After that, they needed only a touch of oil and egg whites to make them tender.
I also used oat flour, which is packed with fiber!
Not sure about this crazy oat flour business? It’s really no big deal. To make your own oat flour, simply process old-fashioned oats in a food processor for a minute to create a smooth powder. I make a bunch at a time and store it so I always have oat flour on hand for pancakes! Many grocery stores also carry oat flour in their bulk bins.
Of course, you could sub whole wheat pastry flour or all-purpose to save a step. Or:
If you substitute all the flour for oat flour, these muffins could also be gluten free!
- FOR THE MUFFINS:
- 1 cup Almond milk
- ¼ cup Brown sugar, packed
- 2 Tbsp Honey
- ½ cup Apple, chopped (about ½ a large apple)*
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 1 Tbsp Oil
- 2 Egg whites
- 1½ cups Oat flour
- ½ cup All-purpose flour
- 1 tsp Baking powder
- ½ tsp Baking soda
- ½ tsp Salt
- 1 cup Blueberries**
- FOR THE TOPPING:
- 2 Tbsp Old-fashioned oats
- 2 Tbsp Brown sugar, packed
- 1 Tbsp Flour
- ¼ tsp Cinnamon
- ¼ cup Blueberries
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and spray non-stick muffins tin with cooking spray. Or line with paper liners and spray the insides.
- FOR THE MUFFINS:
- In a blender or food processor, add almond milk, brown sugar, honey, chopped apple, vanilla, oil, and egg whites.
- Blend until the apples are relatively smooth, then transfer to a medium bowl. (If you are using applesauce, you can skip the blending and simply stir ingredients together in a medium bowl).
- In a large bowl, whisk together oat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet almond milk mixture, being careful not to overmix.
- Fold in blueberries.
- Spoon batter evenly into 12 muffin cups.
- FOR THE TOPPING:
- In a small bowl, combine oats, brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Sprinkle evenly over the muffins before baking.
- Press one or two extra blueberries into the top of each muffin.
- Bake at 400 degrees for 18-20 mins, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Notes: *Can substitute ½ cup applesauce. **You can use fresh or frozen blueberries. If using frozen, toss them in a little flour to remove some of the moisture and avoid turning your muffin batter blue.
Storage Note: These muffins are best straight from the oven, obviously! But can be stored in an airtight container for two to three days (Just give them a few seconds in the microwave). Usually I’ll whip up a half batch, so we get to eat at their freshest!
Okay, I’ll take your word for it and try these. I agree that low fat muffins are usually so rubbery, they could bounce.
Bouncy baked goods are no bueno. But I think it’s the apple that helps these out! They’re tasty.
You are so smart to add extra blue berries on the tops to make them look irresistible!
Tricks of the trade! Haha, I just always like to seeeeee what’s in my food. I do the same thing to cookies and brownies.
Great photos! These look just right for these frigid days. I don’t like paying and arm and a leg for berries either, but it’s good to keep eating variety!