Blueberry-Oatmeal Muffins
Like so many things in Texas, blueberries are bigger here, and sweeter and juicier, too — or at least it seems that way to me. June is a great month for blueberries, and come July, I always celebrate the Fourth with blueberry pancakes for breakfast. It’s my own little hometown parade on a plate.
I’ll eat blueberries any way that I can – I love spooning them on top of ice cream, or mixing them with strawberries and raspberries and putting them on top of French toast (oooh la la!) for breakfast, or eating them one by one, like candy, right out of the little plastic container.
When I’m home, I eat them as much as I can, because there just isn’t the availability of blueberries in France like there is here, and I don’t know why.
Blueberry muffins are lovely, and I’ve made the classic, streusel-topped ones before, but I’d recently found a recipe in Cooking Light magazine that sounded interesting, and thought that I’d give it a try.
Mom and I made these the other day, and the recipe is pretty much intact, except I cut back on the amount of cinnamon and used regular buttermilk. I also forgot to add the sugar on top, but these little muffins are just fine as they are, I think – sort of like a cross between an oatmeal cookie and a muffin.
Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins
1 ⅔ cups quick cooking oats
⅔ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup wheat flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon sea salt
¾ cup brown sugar, packed
1 ½ cups buttermilk
¼ cup canola oil
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons lemon zest (appx. 1 lemon)
2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)
2 tablespoons granulated cane sugar
Preheat oven to 400.
1. Place oats in food processor; pulse 5-6 times until oats resemble coarse meal. Place in a large bowl.
2. Sift flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon together and add to oats. Stir until combined
3. Add brown sugar, buttermilk, canola oil, lemon zest, and eggs. Stir just until combined.
4. Gently fold in blueberries.
5. Spoon batter into 16 muffin cups; sprinkle each with a bit of granulated sugar.
Bake for 20 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched lightly in the center. Remove from pans immediately. Place on a wire rack.
