Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins

Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins

• 9.15.2013

I'm not really a muffin person. And since we are disclosing things, I'm also not really a cupcake person. That being said, I'm not going to turn down a cupcake really. They are pretty great - but not as good as strawberry shortcake or a piece of pie or cheesecake. Muffins feel like a convenience food. They are great for "to go" food and most certainly have their place. I think I prefer my muffin to be buttered and tossed on the grill. There aren't many things better than a grilled muffin?

The pros to muffins are that they are great for sharing and for the mail... exactly the two things that I was hoping to accomplish with this blessed batch of baked goods. While I would have loved to use my extra buttermilk from last weeks scones on some breaded chicken... that I would smother in buffalo sauce ... I elected to make these oatmeal blueberry muffins. The catch? The oatmeal is soaked in buttermilk overnight. Overnight oats are all the rage these days with mommy bloggers and Pinterest pinners ... and I'll admit that I'm a fan as well. The oats becoming amazingly plump and pretty much the opposite of instant oatmeal.

While I'm not a giant fan of whole wheat baked goods, these muffins are pretty decent. They can most certainly be considered a "healthy" option. Plus they come with these big ole giant blueberries. Win.
Here's how it goes...

(Step 1) Combine oats and buttermilk in a medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight. I actually didn't cover mine and they got a smidge icey. Either way you'll be fine in my mind.

the next day....

(Step 2) Preheat oven to 350°.

(Step 3) In your mixing bowl (or stand mixer), mix your eggs, oil, baking powder, baking soda, brown sugar and salt.

(Step 4) Add in your flour. The original recipe I was looking at called for all wheat flour... but I really don't like wheat flour so I went with a combo. 1 cup regular flour, 3/4 cup wheat flour. Life is a compromise.

(Step 5) After blending in your flour, add in the buttermilk mixture. Mix at a medium speed until well blended and smooth. Obviously you have oats in there ... so there will be lumps but that's cool. 

(Step 6) Add in your frozen blueberries. Fold those babies in gently-ish.

(Step 7) Spoon your batter into the muffin tin (coated with cooking spray). If you want small muffins, 1/4 cup = 23 muffins. Upping the batter to 1/3 cup will yield about 18 ... I would guess. I actually kind of like the smaller muffins but you can be your own batter police.

(Step 8) Bake for 15-20 minutes until lightly golden brown.

Shopping List
1 cup regular oats
2 cups low-fat buttermilk
1 2/3 cups flour (whole wheat / white combo of your choice)
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup frozen blueberries
Cooking spray