Mixed Berry Muffins

These are really delicious muffins. I think it probably has something to do with the half cup of melted butter that is in them. I found the original recipe at Under the Highchair and her photos of the muffins looked so delicious that I had to try them. I changed the recipe slightly, but mostly it is just the way she wrote it. They really are just as good as they look.  And of course I like the fact that they have oats in them so I can pretend they are good for you.

Ingredients:

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup buttermilk

1 large egg

½ cup brown sugar

½ cup melted butter, cooled

1 cup flour

¼ tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup mixed berries, fresh or frozen

Topping:

additional buttermilk

large grain sugar (Turbinado sugar crystals)

 Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine oats and buttermilk and let stand for one hour.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare a 12-cup muffin pans with nonstick spray or liners.
3. Stir the egg and the sugar into the oat mixture, followed by the melted butter.
4. Add remaining ingredients (except berries) to the oat mixture and stir the batter until just combined.
5. Fold in the berries carefully without over mixing.
6. Spoon the batter into t he muffin tins, brush with buttermilk and sprinkle with sugar.  Place in the oven and bake about 10 minutes if using fresh berries, longer if using frozen berries.

Chocolate Bran Muffins

These muffins come out a delicious looking dark chocolately brown color. They have high fiber cereal and some whole wheat flour in them so I feel good giving them to the kids.

1 cup bran cereal

1 1/2 cup buttermilk

1/3 cup oil

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup white flour

1/2 cup unsweetened baking cocoa

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/3 cup chocolate chips

Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Coat 12 regular sized muffin cups with butter.

lace the cereal in a plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin, or crush in a food processor.

In a medium bowl mix the cereal and buttermilk, let that stand for 5 minutes. Stir in the oil, egg and vanilla.

In another bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients and then add the cereal mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips. Divide batter evenly between 12 muffin cups. 

Bake for 16-20 minutes. 

Buttermilk Bran Muffins

My current project is to try to find a bran muffin that even my husband and kids will like. They are all pretty much a strictly "blueberry muffin with streusel crowd".  

The first one I tried was from the "Fiber One" website, since that was the brand of bran cereal that I had in the cupboard. They turned out pretty well. My husband liked them a lot but the kids were not too convinced. I did change a few things in the recipe, so you can see the original recipe on their site if you like. The second time I made these I added raisins and now even the kids love them.

I would definitely make these again. They are great to have around when you want a snack or a breakfast to grab on the go. 

Buttermilk Bran Muffins

1 3/4 cup bran cereal

1 1/4 cups buttermilk

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 egg

1 1/4 cup flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

2/3 cup raisons

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. 

2. Crush the cereal in a plastic bag with a rolling pin, or in the food processor, which is much easier. In a bowl, stir the cereal, buttermilk and vanilla together until well mixed. Beat in the oil and egg.

3. In another bowl, mix together dry ingredients. Add to the cereal mixture until just moistened. Add raisins.

4. Spoon into 12 muffin cups, greased with cooking spray.

5. Bake 18-22 minutes