Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins

When juicy blueberries meet oatmeal muffins you get the best of both worlds. These are super moist, soft, not-too-sweet gorgeous muffins that freeze wonderfully and are ready in under 45 minutes! A great breakfast on the run or an afternoon snack with your favorite beverage.

These muffin recipe became a lifesaver in the mornings (together with the morning glory muffins to be fair) as I'm not a breakfast person except for coffee. So grabbing a blueberry oatmeal muffin on the go is perfect. I keep them frozen and pop them in the oven while my coffee is getting ready.

Main ingredients

• Oats - the traditional kind is the first choice because it holds well after baking, adds texture without being too obvious, and is easily available.
• Liquid - buttermilk is the best option because it adds some tenderness to the batter, but milk works just as well.
• Blueberries - use fresh or frozen (without defrosting), they both work well. If fresh, make sure they are washed and dried.

The oatmeal

This is the part that makes these muffins wonderfully soft, tender and moist.

Oatmeal is the mixing of oats with a liquid, in this case buttermilk or milk. When they're left to hydrate together, even if it's for a few minutes, the oats soften and change their texture enough to become tender wonderfully chewy in the baked muffin. So don't omit this step.

Mix lightly and let wait aside (image below) while preparing the rest of the recipe.

Simple steps

I strongly believe in muffin recipes that involve lightly mixing of the ingredients. They're easy to put together and the results are dense but tender, the best of both worlds if you ask me.

In this recipe, we start with the oatmeal mixture, as explained before, and then the rest of the ingredients are added to it. So it's like a one-bowl situation, something we love around here.

Sugar, egg, and melted butter are added and mixed (image above and below left). You can use a wire whisk (as I do), a wooden spoon or a spatula. No need for electric beaters of any kind, in fact, they will overbeat the batter so they're discouraged from using them in this recipe.

The last step is adding the rest of the dry ingredients together with the blueberries (image below, right). This will aid the berries when distributing throughout the muffin as the flour helps keep them in place and not sinking.

The batter

After adding the dry ingredients lightly mix it, and that's a strong recommendation I make. Overworking it after adding the flour will produce tough muffins as the gluten starts to develop. We don't want that.

As you can see in the image below, there are small patches of barely mixed batter here and there. That is fine. Don't worry, they will come out with no dry spots after the blueberry muffins are baked.

Muffin pan

You can use regular or mini pans. Or jumbo individual muffin tins. Simply adjust the baking times and start checking them 5 minutes earlier for mini ones and 5 minutes later for jumbo.

I like to use regular muffin pans with paper cup liners, but you can either spray them with baking spray, or butter and flour. If you do the latter, I recommend you put the pan in the fridge while making the batter, just like we do when preparing bundt cake pans. They will pop out more easily after they're baked.

Top tips

• Oatmeal: don't skip this step for softer muffins.
• Butter: make sure it's not very hot when you add it. Lukewarm works best because it integrates better as the temperatures of both mixtures are similar.
• Baking: they don't brown too much, but you can bake them a couple of minutes in the end at a higher t° to achieve a more golden top. They will still be moist.

Variations

• Liquid: besides buttermilk or milk, as suggested in the recipe, you can use nut milk or orange juice.
• Flavorings: add some lemon or orange zest to the batter, or a ground spice like cinnamon.
• Berries: raspberries and blackberries work wonderfully also.
• Sweeter muffin: these are barely sweet, but you can sprinkle each muffin top with a teaspoon sugar before baking, or add a tablespoon of honey to the batter. Or eat them with honey (my favorite way).

Storing

Disclaimer: I strongly believe all muffins should be eaten within hours of being baked.

That said, these keep well for a day (maybe two) at room t°. After that I think the refrigerator is best as they have fruit and it can ferment or decay quickly when not stored properly.

Freezing: I have these frozen on a regular basis since I can't consume them fast enough. Well wrapped (there's a whole post on freezer baking if you're interested) they keep for a month. When ready to eat, pop the frozen muffin in a medium (350°) oven for 5-10 minutes. Eat warm.

Related recipes you might like:

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Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins

★★★★★ 5 from 3 reviews

• Author: Paula Montenegro
• Prep Time: 15
• Cook Time: 30
• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Yield: 12 medium 1x
• Category: Muffins
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: American

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Description

When juicy blueberries meet oatmeal muffins you get the best of both worlds. These are super moist, soft, not-too-sweet gorgeous muffins that freeze wonderfully and are ready in under 45 minutes! A great breakfast on the run or an afternoon snack with your favorite beverage.

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 cup (100g) traditional oats
• ¾ cup buttermilk or milk, at room temperature
• 1 cup all-purpose or cake flour
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 5 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 egg, at room temperature
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of ground cinnamon
• ¾ cup brown or white sugar, packed + extra for sprinkling before baking
• 1 ½ cups blueberries, fresh or frozen

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Instructions

• Turn on the oven at 350°F/180ºC.
• Mix oats with the buttermilk in a large bowl and leave to hydrate while preparing the rest.
• Line 12 muffin cups with liners. Or butter and flour.
• In a large bowl, mix flour, salt, and baking powder.
• Add the sugar, melted butter, egg, vanilla and cinnamon to the oatmeal mixture. Mix everything well without beating.
• Add the rest of the dry ingredients (flour, salt, and baking powder) to the oat mixture together with the blueberries.
• Mix with a spatula, but without beating and just until blended. It’s important you don’t overmix at this point. 
• Fill the muffin cups ¾ full, dividing the mixture as evenly as possible.
• Sprinkle the tops with extra sugar, a bout ½ a teaspoon for each muffin. 
• Bake 25-30 minutes, or until a tester comes out dry.
• Let cool completely on a metal rack.
• Store in the fridge after one day, covered, or freeze for up to a month. 

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Notes

Oats: you can use quick-cooking oats if that's all you have. The muffins might be a bit chewier and/or wetter.

Oatmeal: don't skip this step for softer muffins.

Butter: make sure it's not very hot when you add it. Lukewarm works best because it integrates better as the temperatures of both mixtures are similar.

Baking: they don't brown too much, but you can bake them a couple of minutes in the end at a higher t° to achieve a more golden top. They will still be moist.

Freezing: I have these frozen on a regular basis since I can't consume them fast enough. Well wrapped (there's a whole post on freezer baking if you're interested) they keep for a month. When ready to eat, pop the frozen muffin in a medium (350°) oven for 5-10 minutes. Eat warm.

Variations - Liquid: besides buttermilk or milk, as suggested in the recipe, you can use nut milk or orange juice. Flavorings: add some lemon or orange zest to the batter, or a ground spice like cinnamon. Berries: raspberries and blackberries work wonderfully also. Sweeter muffin: these are barely sweet, but you can sprinkle each muffin top with a teaspoon sugar before baking, or add a tablespoon of honey to the batter. Or eat them with honey (my favorite way). 

Paper cup liners: I love kraft colored paper baking cups, which can also be more artisanal tulip cupcake liners.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1/12
• Calories: 169
• Sugar: 11 g
• Sodium: 73.1 mg
• Fat: 5.9 g
• Carbohydrates: 26 g
• Protein: 3 g
• Cholesterol: 29.9 mg

Keywords: blueberry oatmeal muffins

Paula Montenegro

I'm Paula, a baker for more than 30 years and your designated recipe finder, sharing the best ones here, with simple ingredients + easy-to-follow instructions.

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