I appreciate baked goods that I can masquerade as breakfast. These muffins are good because they contain some sugar and also have cranberries, and oatmeal. They obviously taste great and someone put in the effort to make them. While these muffins can be baked for the week something tells me that you will finish them before the week is over. I would say I’m not too ashamed to say that, and I would endorse it.
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Choosing Ingredients That Impact Taste
The muffins contain oatmeal for two reasons. First, the oatmeal helps keep the muffins fresh and moist and prevents them from becoming sad and dry by Tuesday. Also, the muffins have a gentle chew and a bit of toastyness that makes the cranberry pieces seem even more crunchy and refreshing.
Personally, I think the muffins are good warm with butter, but they might be even better at room temperature. You might think they are more enjoyable in your lunchbox. The muffins give off a certain energy that makes it feel like your life is all together.
These muffins are very forgiving. Be as generous as you like with the mix-ins, and don’t stress about getting everything exact, it’s genuinely hard to go wrong here.
Every recipe has a personality and this one leans cozy, slightly tart, and very breakfast appropriate. It can easily be modified though. Muffin mixes have always “spoken” to my last-minute pantry choices. In the past, I’ve done this on tired mornings and used whatever I found.
Instructions
To prepare a regular batch of 12 muffins, first combine 1 cup of rolled oats and 1 cup of buttermilk and let the mixture soak. Then, combine this mixture with 2 cups of flour, 3/4 cup of brown sugar, 1/3 cup of oil (or 6 tablespoons of melted butter), 2 eggs, some leavening agents, and 1 to 1 1/2 cups of cranberries.
If you are making a batch of only 6 muffins, you have to halve each of the ingredients but bake them for the same amount of time. Just be sure to keep an eye on them to avoid burning them as you may want to check them a few minutes earlier.
These are relatively uncomplicated. The two things that come to mind are soaking the oats (for moisture) and mixing (for tenderness). Also, just a reminder, don’t over-mix. We don’t want depressing muffins.
1) To start, clear off some room on your countertop and preheat your oven to 425°F. You may want to decide whether you want to grease a 12 muffin cup tin and put some paper muffin liners in the cups, or just leave the muffin cups unlined and ungreased. Also, don’t forget to grease the top of the muffin tin since muffins tend to stick to metal.
2) As a method for soaking the oats, take a large mixing bowl and combine 1 cup of rolled oats with 1 cup of buttermilk and allow it to sit for 15 minutes. The mixture will resemble porridge with lumps. It may appear odd, but this is to be expected!
3) Now combine the dry ingredients. In another bowl, combine and beat 2 cups of all purpose flour with 2 teaspoons of baking powder, and add 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda along with 1 teaspoon of Kosher salt (or use 1/2 teaspoon if using table salt). If desired, you can add from 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon.
4) To prepare the wet mixture, take the oat and buttermilk mixture and blend it with 2 large eggs, 3/4 cup of packed brown sugar, 1/3 cup of neutral oil (or 6 tablespoons of melted butter), and 2 teaspoons of vanilla. If you are adding 1 tablespoon of orange zest, you can add that now.
5) To integrate the batter properly, use the folding method. Combine the liquid and solid components, and stop folding as soon as there are no visible bits of flour. The batter should be thick and a bit rough. If the batter is silky smooth, you have overmixed the batter. While it will still be edible, it will be less tender overall.
6) Incorporate cranberries (try and keep them on top). Gently fold in 1 to 1.5 cups of fresh (or frozen) cranberries along with 1 tablespoon of flour into the batter. (The flour will help suspend the cranberries in the batter so that they do not sink to the bottom during baking)
7) Fill the muffin cups to the very top with batter for nice rounded domes. Adding oats and turbinado sugar can create a crunchier topping.
8) To begin with the hot method baking, preheat your oven to 425°F and bake for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, reduce the temperature to 350°F without opening the oven. The muffins should spring back and a toothpick should come out with only a few wet crumbs. Bake for 13 to 17 more minutes.
9) Muffins should cool in the pan for about 5 minutes and then should be transferred to a cooling rack. If the pans are left to sit, the bottoms of the pans will become spongy due to steaming. Trust me, I’ve been ”busy” (I guess that has become my brand).
When compared to the other options available, these muffins add more value. Muffins made with oil tend to stay softer for a longer period of time. While the use of butter in muffins makes them taste richer, it also increases the amount of saturated fat. The oats contained in these muffins will give you energy and help to keep you full for a longer period of time.
Muffins can be kept in a container at room temperature for 2-3 days. After that, I prefer to freeze my muffins (I individually wrap each one so that I can take one out like a civilized person). When baking frozen muffins, preheat the oven to 300°F and bake for 10 to 12 minutes.
Microwaving will have to be done for a shorter time. If you want a top that is crispy, don’t microwave it. If you are going to just microwave it, then there is basically no effort and no time spent making it. But, if you don’t care about how long it takes, an oven would be better than a microwave.
Times I’ve Made This
Pilot batch: One November, I brought a batch to a morning meeting, and everyone looked like they were not hungry. A few minutes later, the scent of cinnamon and some other spices along with the zesty fruit muffins wafted around the room and people said they had “just taken half” of the muffins. Once there were only a few muffins left, the most serious looking person at the table asked what made the muffins so moist. It was the soaked oats and, well, a good pinch of salt.
Example 2: I used dried cranberries instead of fresh, which meant the muffins were sweeter and more trail mix style, so I also had to cut the brown sugar and add some orange zest to keep them tasting fresh. It was, if nothing else, mildly annoying but educational how quickly the muffins disappeared from the freezer compared to the so-called better batch.
The Prep Checklist
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and prepare a 12-cup muffin tin by lining it, or greasing it.
- Let 1 cup of rolled oats and 1 cup of buttermilk soak for 15 minutes.
- Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a bowl and whisk together.
- Whisk the following ingredients into the soaked oats: eggs, brown sugar, oil/butter, vanilla (and orange zest if you are using it).
- Fold dry into wet just until combined.
- Coat the cranberries with 1 tablespoon of flour and then fold the mixture in.
- Fill cups nearly to the top and add turbinado sugar if desired.
- Cook for 5 Minutes at 425°F, then 13 to 17 minutes at 350°F.
- Allow to cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a rack.
Terms Worth Knowing
- Fold: Gently fold the batter with a spatula in order to minimize the amount of air deflation and avoid overworking the batter.
- Leavening: Baking powder/soda creates gas bubbles which cause the muffins to rise as they bake.
- Hot-start baking: Starting with a higher oven temperature will help to create a rapid rise and domed tops; it then must be lowered to finish baking evenly.
- Hydration/soak: Allowing oats to soak in liquid helps the oats absorb moisture which keeps the muffins moist.
- Carryover cooking: Residual heat continues to set the crumb after muffins leave the oven: don’t overbake to get a dry toothpick.
Quick Answers
Are dried cranberries an acceptable alternative to fresh or frozen cranberries?
Yes. You may use between three fourths and one cup of dried cranberries. Because dried cranberries are sweeter than the fresh variety, you may wish to reduce the brown sugar by between two to four tablespoons, and you may add a small amount of orange zest if desired.
Should I soak my oats?
Soaking oats is a good habit to develop because it helps soften some of the chewiness from the oats and keeps the muffins tender longer. However, if you’re pressed for time, soaking the oats for 5 minutes is an option, but the muffins won’t be as plush.
What can I do about buttermilk?
If buttermilk is not available, combine 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar with 1 cup of milk, and wait 5 minutes. If you have plain yogurt, you can combine it with some milk until it gets runny and reach the consistency of buttermilk.
Can these muffins be made in advance for a brunch?
Indeed, you may bake the muffins the day prior to the event and store them in an airtight container. To prepare for serving, simply heat the muffins for 6 to 8 minutes at 300°F to impress your guests. They will look as if they have just been made and you will not need to bake them again.
What makes muffins stick to the liners?
Muffins are most likely to stick when the batter is lower in fat, or when you try to peel the liner while they’re still warm. Let them cool first, spray the liners with oil, or use parchment liners for the cleanest release.
Can you use less sugar?
To address your inquiry concerning the option to use less sugar, the answer is yes! You can reduce the amount of brown sugar to as little as 2/3 cup for the entire batch. The muffins will be quite a bit more tart, but will still taste fine, although they may be a little less tender. The sugar crunch topping will contribute more texture to the muffins.
Final Thoughts
I value the ease of the cranberry oatmeal muffins. They are pleasantly tart, and they have the perfect combination of being robust without being heavy. You can feel the care and love that goes into these muffins, and they will uplift your usual morning routine to something special. With some light customization, it will be a joy to eat these muffins at the start of autumn.
