Cherry Oat Muffins

Here's my suggestion for an easy to make, healthy breakfast. Make 'em the night before and grab a couple to go, along with that cup of coffee of course. I calculate they're 160 calories each which is good compared to 377 for a commercial muffin, and they're low fat and gluten free too (providing you buy organic oats though). I had a lot of fun creating and testing this recipe!

Step 1: Gather Your Ingredients

This quantity makes 8 muffins.

Dry ingredients

60g oat flour (I made my own by blitzing some rolled oats in a food processor)

80g rolled oats

25g brown sugar

½ tsp baking soda/bicarbonate of soda

½ tsp ground cinnamon

Wet ingredients

1 medium egg

200g plain yogurt

80g honey

50ml milk

2 tsp vanilla extract

Fruit

140g frozen cherries

Step 2: Where the Magic Happens

I've used an electric mixer, if you are mixing by hand I'd advise mixing the dry and wet ingredients in separate bowls first.

1) Preheat your oven to 180C.

2) Lightly spray or grease a muffin tray

3) Put the yogurt, milk, egg, vanilla and honey in a bowl and mix thoroughly.

4) Add the oats, oat flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and baking soda into the wet ingredients. Mix thoroughly together.

Warning, it’s very runny at this stage and doesn’t look too good. Trust me, I’m a pro chef (er, nope, pro electronics technician perhaps…)

5) Add 2 or 3 cherries to each muffin indentation, then divide the batter between 8 indentations in the muffin tray. Add the remaining cherries to the top of each muffin.

6) Place in the oven for 25 -30 minutes until golden, check they are cooked by inserting a skewer into the middle, it should come out clean.

Step 3: The Final Result

And here's the resulting 8 muffins, eh? I've been robbed already....

Step 4: Notes

Apparently muffins can keep for several days in an airtight container, but to be honest, it’s difficult making them last the hour out! They’re lush fresh ’n hot as well as cold. They’ll make a great, healthy breakfast to go.

Caveat: while 160 calories is good for a muffin, if you eat all 8 that’s a bad thing.

Notes

Would quick cook oats work? Probably, they’re just steamed longer and cut a little thinner at manufacturing

Would fresh cherries work? Well, they’re not in season yet, though the blossom has just come out on my tree. Does anyone want to try it and tell me?

Would wheat flour work? Should do, but might make it seem slightly less moist.

Milk substitutes such as almond milk? I’ve never tried any as I don’t buy them, but I don’t see why not.

Without the egg? well, Mr Google is a clever bloke and has some suggestions you could try.

Most importantly, will blueberries work? I've tried frozen mixed berries with partial success, the muffins had soggy bases, probably due to moisture in the raspberries. Perhaps If I'd defrosted and dried them 1st? I will be trying blueberries soon.