Grab and Go Muffins

It’s not often David makes a special food request, but when he does want something particular, I generally jump on it and his wish is granted.

He was recently craving blueberry muffins. This stumped me as I don’t have a go-to blueberry muffin recipe that meets all of my nutritional demands. In my world, a muffin needs to be gluten-free, as paleo as possible, dairy-free and free from refined sugars. This request challenged me to explore some options and develop a recipe that met my standards of good + good for you.

Blueberry Muffin Request

I reviewed at least half a dozen “healthy blueberry muffin” recipes and assessed what I had in the pantry to develop a recipe that is a cross between baked oatmeal and a muffin. It is also gluten-free, dairy-free and has no refined sugars.

This muffin is insanely moist–even day 2 and day 3 after making them. Couple the big blueberry flavor and a generous serving of fiber and this new recipe is keeper worthy of sharing.

Muffin Flexibility

What I love most is the adaptability of this recipe that can change with the seasons. Replace the blueberries with dried cranberries or cherries. Additionally, these muffins are easily transportable which makes them an ideal muffin for kids and families on the move.

Bake them on Sunday night and they are ready to grab-and-go for a healthy breakfast and/or snack all week. I have kept them in a Ziploc bag on the counter and they are as tasty and moist today as they were fresh from the oven three days ago.

With everyone moving in different directions these days and struggling to eat a balanced diet with enough fiber and fruits, these muffins are something everyone will crave. And you can feel good about eating them on the go when you have these at the ready.

Buen provecho!

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Baked Oatmeal-Blueberry Muffins

If you are looking for a healthy muffin that can be adapted depending on what is in season and what you have in the pantry, this is the one. A cross between baked oatmeal and a blueberry muffin, it is well flavored without using any refined sugars, it's moist, gluten-free, dairy free and absolutely good + good for you. I have kept the muffins in a plastic ziploc bag on the counter and we enjoy them at room temperature or heated up in the toaster oven for a few minutes. This is an ideal grab and go food for families on the move.

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Servings 10 muffins

Author The Cowgirl Gourmet in Santa Fe

Ingredients

Dry ingredients

• 1/2 cup oats
• 1/2 cup oat flour, plus 1 tablespoon for dusting blueberries (you can make your own by grinding it in a Vitamix or food processor)
• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 1/2 cup brown rice flour
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder

Wet ingredients

• 1 cup milk or nut milk of choice
• 1 egg or flax egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Add-ins

• 1 cup organic blueberries (or seasonal fruit of choice)

Streusel topping

• 1 tablespoon coconut sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon heaping

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a muffin tin with paper cups. Spray the muffin tin and cups with oil, such as Pam coconut oil or similar. Set aside.

2. In a bowl, add all of the dry ingredients including oats, oat flour, almond flour, brown rice flour, salt and baking powder.

3. In a bigger bowl, add the wet ingredients and whisk to combine well--milk or nut milk, egg, vanilla, maple syrup, lemon zest and apple cider vinegar--making sure the egg is well incorporated.

   

4. Add the dry ingredients in to the wet ingredients and stir well to combine.

5. In a small bowl, place the blueberries (or seasonal fruit of choice) and sprinkle with the remaining tablespoon of oat flour. Toss to coat and then add blueberries to the batter. Gently fold in the blueberries.

   

6. Add about 1/4 cup of batter to each muffin liner and then divide any remaining batter so they are 2/3 full.

7. In a small bowl, mix the coconut sugar and ground cinnamon so it is well blended. Sprinkle evenly on top of each muffin and then place muffins in the oven.

   

8. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove the muffins from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Then remove the muffins from the pan and let cool on a wire rack. 

   

9. Preserve any leftover muffins in a sealed container or ziploc bag and store at room temperature. I would think these can easily be frozen as well.

Recipe Notes

Possible add-in combinations include:

• dried cherries and chopped walnuts;
• dried cranberries and slivered almonds;
• diced apples and cinnamon;
• diced pear and whole hazelnuts;
• chocolate chip and chopped pecans;
• blackberry or raspberry;
• mixed berries