Breakfast Muffins

My fingers have been itching to bake now that I am able to bound around the kitchen again mixing, whipping, stirring, slicing, rolling. I spent too many hours browsing recipes and such while I was laid up in bed; now, I have about a gazillion recipes on queue to test out. I am anxious to get cracking...

Last night, I decided to get a jump start on the breakfast fare for the morning. A certain person I know loves plain, ol' oatmeal cookies so I wanted to find something comparable to make him as a breakfast treat. I searched for an oatmeal breakfast cookie but every one I found was 'tainted' with other flavors. Besides which, I feel almost guilty making 'cookies' for breakfast, as it was drilled into me when I was very young that there were 'No cookies for breakfast!' after I would request them each morning upon waking.

I moved onto the scone recipes but couldn't find anything that was satisfying. (Although an oatmeal scone recipe from Gourmet was placed on queue and probably will find its way into an edible format in the near future...)

The muffins finally gave me what I was looking for -- a simple oatmeal muffin with a hint of vanilla. Well, I added the vanilla but I nearly always feel impelled to add my own flair to a recipe.




Wouldn't ya know...those oatmeal muffins didn't satisfy my baking itch! I had to have more! I returned to my queue of muffins and decided upon a fruity option to add to the breakfast platter -- fresh strawberry muffins. It's not strawberry season so I cheated a little and used frozen ones. They actually work best in a frozen state as they then don't break apart when mixed into the batter.


Breakfast this morning was one of each, the oatmeal accompanied by a smear of peanut butter and raspberry jam. I preferred the strawberry. It was moist and had the perfect hint of sweetness riddled with juicy strawberries. The oatmeal was a little bland for my taste, hence, the need for peanut butter and preserves. It was made with buttermilk which gave it a slightly sour taste.

Perfectly complemented by a warm cup of Irish Breakfast tea....

N.B.: Another glance at my first photo made me realize these are definitely Ryan and Laurel Muffins. ;-) Okay, that was sort of my subconscious intention....

Oatmeal Muffins
adapted from epicurious.com

1 c. oats
1 c. buttermilk
1 egg
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. butter (I used 1/2 c. applesauce)
1 c. flour
1/2 t. salt
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 c. raisins (opt.)

Combine oats and buttermilk in a large bowl and let soak for about an hour. (I only let them soak 5 minutes due to lack of patience, but they turned out delicious and moist anyway.)
Preheat oven to 400 F. Grease a dozen muffin cups or line them with paper cups.
Add egg, sugar and butter to oats and stir until combined.
In another bowl, combine dry ingredients and then add to oats mixture. Fold in raisins, if desired.
Fill muffin cups about 2/3 full. Place in the oven for 16-20 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a rack for at least an hour before serving.


Strawberry Muffins
adapted from allrecipes.com

1/4 c. canola oil (I used 1/4 c. applesauce)
1/2 c. milk
1 egg
1/2 t. salt
2 t. baking powder
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 3/4 c. flour
1 c. chopped strawberries

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease or line 8 muffin cups.
In a small bowl, combine oil, milk and egg. Beat lightly. In a large bowl, combine salt, baking powder, sugar and flour. Add chopped strawberries to flour mixture and coat thoroughly. Add to milk mixture and fold together carefully.
Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake 20-25 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Cool for an hour before serving.