HANDS-ON TIME: 15 minutes TOTAL TIME: 45 minutes plus cooling time
Buttermilk contributes tenderness to these muffins and canola oil adds richness (as well as good-for-you monounsaturated fats). And the combination of oats, whole-wheat flour, and wheat bran provides a good helping of whole grains; a small amount of all-purpose flour was added to lighten the texture, but you can make it with all whole-wheat if you prefer.
3⁄4 cup quick-cooking oats
1 cup white whole-wheat flour
½ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup wheat bran
2 tablespoons Truvía
1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
1¼ teaspoons baking soda
¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
¼ teaspoon salt
1¼ cups light (1.5%) buttermilk
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
¼ cup canola oil
1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1¼ cups fresh or frozen (unthawed) blueberries
1⁄3 cup sliced almonds
Heat the oven to 375°F. Spread the oats in a baking pan and bake for 5 to 7 minutes, until lightly toasted. Leave the oven on but reduce the temperature to 350°F. Lightly coat a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray or line with paper liners.
In a large bowl, combine the toasted oats, whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, wheat bran, Truvía, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg, and salt.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, oil, and vanilla.
Make a well in the flour mixture. Add the buttermilk mixture and mix just to combine; do not overmix.
Gently fold the blueberries into the batter. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups. Top with almonds and gently press them into the batter. Bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centers comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes and then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
MAKES 12 MUFFINS
Per muffin: 172 calories, 8 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 5 g protein, 23 g carbohydrate, 3.5 g fiber, 190 mg sodium
Variation: Try these muffins with 1¼ cups fresh raspberries instead—they have some of the same healthful compounds as blueberries. If you do so, reduce the vanilla extract to 1 teaspoon and add ¼ teaspoon almond extract to the batter.
TIP: Bake several batches of muffins and freeze them for easy grab-and-go breakfasts. For the best results, measure the ingredients and mix the batter for each batch separately. To freeze the muffins, arrange them on a baking sheet and pop in the freezer until frozen. Then transfer them to airtight freezer storage containers or bags.