Since I let my child eat blueberry coffee cake for dinner, I thought we’d try a healthier version of blueberry baked goods. Carter had two lemons from the tree at daycare, so I searched online for lemon blueberry muffins, with an eye toward healthy ingredients. In addition to having oats and whole-wheat flour, this recipe caught my eye because it calls for agave syrup, which we have leftover from making Finnley’s Super Muffins.
Today’s new baking concept was making a “well,” i.e., a hole, in the middle of the dry ingredients in which to pour the wet ingredients all at once. This technique is supposed to make it easier to mix the batter uniformly without the dreaded overmixing that can result in tough muffins. Does it actually matter? Probably not much. (Here’s a quick sampling of opinions from Chowhound). But it was fun to show Carter before he carefully and gently mixed all this goodness together.
I was concerned that these muffins might end up tasting “too healthy,” but even with the oats and whole-wheat flour, they’re not heavy—and Carter likes them, so they’re kid tested and approved!
Lemon Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins
1 1/4 cup oats (not quick cooking)
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 cup milk
1/3 cup agave syrup
1/4 cup canola oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest (2 lemons)
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat a 12-muffin pan with cooking spray.
In medium-sized bowl, stir together the oats, flour, baking powder, and salt.
In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg, then whisk in the milk, agave syrup, vegetable oil, and lemon zest.
Make a well in the dry ingredients, pour in the wet ingredients all at once, and stir until barely combined (do not overmix!). Gently fold in blueberries.
Divide batter equally among muffin cups. Bake muffins 20–25 minutes, or until tops start to brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Adapted from Whole-Wheat Lemon Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins on Tasty Planner, contributed by Angel’s Scullery
