Don’t have the “right” ingredients? Oh well IMPROVISE!
Work at home days means trying to decide what to have for breakfast!
I am sick of cereal and packets of oatmeal.
I had blueberries I bought on sale in the fridge that needed to be used and am looking for healthier options, so I decided to make blueberry muffins.
Simple, right?
Well, not really because I would usually use old fashion oats, buttermilk, and light brown sugar.
Of course, I only had steel cut oats, 2% milk and a little less that a half a cup of dart brown sugar…. but I didn’t let that stop me!
But first for the cold brew coffee
My daughter turned me onto the cold brew coffee a few years ago when she asked for a cold brew “machine” for her birthday. She even told me where to find it (Gloria Jeans at Independence Center for those who are local).
This is not an advertisement, but if you like strong good coffee. I recommend you look into this. Follow the instructions to mix cold water with coarsely ground coffee beans, let set for 24 hours, then filter out the water. Pop it in the fridge and now you have a great cold brew. I mix 1/3 cold brew, 1/3 milk and 1/3 water and put it in the microwave for a great quick morning coffee!
Steel Cut vs. Rolled Oats
So for those who have not experimented with steel cut oats, I switched to them a year or so ago while I was trying to minimize the processed foods in my diet. Researching I found that steel-cut oats are minimally processed and they contain more fiber and density than their counterparts.
So what is the difference you ask? Rolled oats are steamed (hmmm? Maybe breaking down the good stuff?) and then rolled flat. Steel cut oats start from the whole grain and go through steel blades that cutting them into 2 to 3 smaller pieces. Want to know more… check out this quick article from World’s Healthiest Foods.
Now for my recipe
I am not going to write much here, because I had not planned on making this a blog post… I have various post started, but haven’t published anything in over a year, but since lately everyone has been asking me for my recipes I guess I should get back to what I started. More recipes to come soon!
Debs Best Oatmeal Blueberry Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Steel Cut Oats
- 1 Cup Water
- ¾ Cup 2% Milk (or whole)
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 large egg beaten
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup dark brown sugar packed
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1-½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1-¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- 1 pint fresh blueberries (approx 1 cup)
Glaze (optional)
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1-2 Tbsp water or milk
Instructions
- Mix steel cut oat and water in a bowl and let set for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile spray muffin tins with non-stick spray or line with paper or silicone liners.
- Preheat oven to 375°
- Combine milk, lemon juice, egg, vanilla extract, and both sugars.
- Drain oats, discarding water. and stir in.
- In a separate bowl, sift together flour, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Toss blueberries in mixture to coat.
- Combine wet and dry ingredients until well blended.
- Fill muffin cups to top (approximately ⅓ cup batter in each).
- Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes until lightly browned and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
- Set on rack to cool 10-15 minutes before adding optional glaze.
Glaze (Optional)
- Mix water or milk with powdered sugar. Spread a scant teaspoon of glaze on each muffin.