I have a total guilt complex when I waste things, especially food items. I bought buttermilk last weekend to make scones. Those turned out beautifully so they will definitely be making an appearance at some point on the blog. Since I only needed one cup, I have quite a bit of leftover buttermilk sitting in the fridge. The baking itch got to me yesterday afternoon, so I started looking for a muffin recipe that called for buttermilk. I love muffins because they make a quick breakfast addition to eggs during the week, and they can be frozen to last for months. After looking at several recipes online, I decided to make up my own.
This recipe started off with a base of oats. I later added some whole wheat flour because it was a little bit too wet. Molasses gave the muffins a slight sweetness with some depth.
These muffins are “spicy” because I added about twice as much cinnamon and nutmeg as most other recipes I referenced in coming up with ideas for ingredients. I like my muffins to have a little character. 🙂
This was the result. Minus three courtesy of Brad (I had 1/2, Brad and 2 1/2).
Unlike most recipes I make on the fly, I meticulously wrote down the ingredients as they were added.
Mix dry ingredients together:
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 Tbsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
Mix together the wet ingredients in a separate bowl:
1 cup buttermilk
2 Tbsp. butter
1/4 cup agave syrup
2 Tbsp. molasses
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
Combine both mixtures. Spray muffin tin with non-stick spray. Use 1/4 measuring cup to put batter into muffin tin. Bake at 400 degrees Farenheit for about 15 minutes, or until you can insert a knife or toothpick into a muffin that comes out clean.
It’s really important when baking to remember that every oven is different. Once you have really gotten to know your oven you’ll always know how to interpret a recipe. For example, add five minutes or go by the exact time.
These muffins were a big hit with Brad, which really is the seal of approval since these muffins are really healthy. They’re full of whole grains, don’t have much sugar, and are only 121 calories a piece by my calculations. Brad prefers that his muffins are sweet, while I like mine to take more like a hearty bread, not like a cupcake. Although Brad did suggest a crust of sugar on the top of the muffins would be icing on the cake, I mean muffin. I usually find that when I substitute applesauce for fat, Brad doesn’t care for the consistency. The oat base really helped the muffins be more hearty, not airy and spongy, which is usually the case with flour + applesauce.
Overall, these muffins were a success and are quite delicious with the blueberry preserves I smeared on them this morning. I also recommend a bit of almond butter to give your snack/breakfast a bit more protein.