I’ve always thought there are two types of people: those who like scones, and those who like muffins. But I have recently decided that there is a third type of person: those who just love all of the baked goods.
I used to be a “scones rule, muffins drool” kind of gal, but it turns out that now I feel like muffins are a “don’t mind if I do!” kind of snack! Do I prefer them over cookies? Don’t be silly. (And if you do prefer muffins, you haven’t tried these cookies.) Would I choose a muffin over a cinnamon roll? Of course not! You guys… Stop being such tricksters!
I do feel like muffins are a great, no-fuss snack you can bake any day of the week, though. You can fling all of the ingredients into one bowl and 20 minutes later, have yourself a companion for your morning/afternoon tea or coffee. You can slice that bad boy open, slather some butter on it and kick back with your favourite binge-watch of the moment. (Mine was The Bold Type but I’m tragically all up to date with that, so now I’m rewatching New Girl. Just in case you were wondering, you know? My TV shows of choice these days have to be upbeat and cozy. Our world needs as much of that right now as it can get!)
Now, Kylie of ImmaEatThat whose recipe this is, managed to make her oatmeal muffins look amazing in her photos. She’s so clever! Mine, however, don’t look as *chef’s kiss*. It’s like photographing soup… How do you make it look good?! You just have to trust me, little loves. I would never lead you astray when it comes to baked goods!
When I first made these muffins, I thought they could use a bit more sugar when I bit into the first one that was warm and straight out of the oven. But once they cooled down I was all, “Cool beans, Kylie, I’m picking up what you’re putting down.” If you like sweeter muffins, I would maybe add 1/4 cup more brown sugar, but I keep them as is because the sweetness I add is the different mix-ins!
I’m sorry I can’t give you precise measurements for each flavour. I more wanted this to be a “if I can do it, you should try it too!” sort of recipe post. Instead of baking 12 muffins that are the same flavour, why not use the (already amazing) base recipe as a springboard for a one-way ticket to flavour-town?
Here’s a rough guide on what I did, but you can always just jump right to the recipe link if you’re one of those people who get angry at food bloggers for writing a wee story before they provide you with free recipes. (Don’t be one of those people, you guys. Food bloggers put their recipes up at no cost to you! Just scroll down and quit complaining!)
Lemon Curd Muffins
So, I’ve always wanted to shop at Williams-Sonoma but have never been able to afford it. But one day last week I went on their website to see if they still had espresso powder for baking (which isn’t the same as ground coffee beans, amazingly!) and not only was it in stock, but they were having an Autumn sale! So I friggin went for it and clicked “add to cart”. But because they were having a sale, I decided to have a little look at what else they had, because treat yourself. As I was browsing, I saw Meyer Lemon Curd and I was shook because I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Meyer Lemon in Australia. So I gosh-darned bought it because I love lemon curd and it’s been a really horrible few months and I deserve the velvety, buttery, delicious tangy flavour of lemon curd in my mouth.
All of that is my long-winded way of telling you that if you can get your hands on lemon curd, you should plop it into your muffins. Using a cookie/ice cream scoop, after I made the muffin batter, I spooned some of the batter into 6 muffin cases, and then used a smaller cookie scoop to plop a good amount of lemon curd on top. Then I topped them with a little more muffin batter, sprinkled them with cinnamon sugar and bingo bango bongo, I had my first flavour!
Blueberry & White Chocolate Muffins and Espresso and Milk Chocolate Chip Muffins
As they were baking and filling our apartment with the most heavenly aroma, I split the rest of the batter into two. I plopped 1/4 cup frozen blueberries and 1/4 cup white chocolate chips into one of the mixtures, and 1 teaspoon espresso powder and 1/4 cup milk chocolate chips into the other. All of the muffins got a hefty sprinkle of cinnamon sugar and ended up coming out looking amazing! (I mean, I probably should’ve made 3 of the blueberry and white chocolate ones instead of 4… They’re looking a little small. But we still love them, all the same!)
I can’t choose which one is my favourite. It’s definitely tied between the lemon curd and the espresso chocolate chip… No disrespect to the bluebs and white choc, but they were always kind of doomed from the start. I don’t even really like white chocolate and I bought them accidentally instead of more milk chocolate chips. But I digress!
I feel like there’s a whole world of possibilities when it comes to mix-ins for these muffins. Why not try some diced up apples? Or add some cocoa powder to make super chocolatey oatmeal muffins. OR you could add some strawberry jam and cream cheese for a sort of cheesecake muffin! OR SWIRL SOME NUTELLA THROUGH IT?! Ugh, yes! The world is your oyster, little loves.
Oatmeal Muffins: One Batter, Three Different Flavours
Recipe slighted adapted from the wonderful Kylie @ ImmaEatThat
Makes about 12 muffins
Ingredients
Oatmeal Muffins
– 1 cup milk of your choice, at room temperature
– 1 large egg, at room temperature
– 1/2 cup (116g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
– 1 cup rolled oats
– 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
– 1 cup plain flour
– 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
– 1/4 teaspoon salt
– 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
– 1 teaspoon baking powder
Toppings and Mix-in Ideas
– Cinnamon sugar, for topping
– Lemon curd to dollop in the middle
– Blueberries (fresh or frozen) and white chocolate chips
– Espresso powder and milk chocolate chips
– Dried cranberries and dark chocolate
– Nutella (to dollop in the middle or swirl throughout)
– Berry jam and cream cheese
– Diced apples
Method
Preheat oven to 200 degrees celcius (180 fan-forced). Line two muffin trays with parchment papers or muffin cases, leaving a space in between each one so that the muffins have enough room to puff up and spread.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together milk, egg and cooled melted butter. Add in rolled oats, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, baking powder and baking soda and use a spatula to gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet, until you can see a few streaks of flour remaining. At this point, you can separate your batter into 2 or 3 bowls and add your different mix-ins, or spoon the batter into some of the muffin tin if you’re dolloping in a spread like lemon curd or nutella. If you’re adding in different mix-ins, be sure not to over mix the batter; this will make your muffins tough! Wondering how much of each mix-in to add? Start with 1/4 cup and add more if you think it needs it. Go with your gut, it’s all about the journey to our destination of flavour-town!
Once your muffins with all of their mix-ins are in the pans, sprinkle each muffin with cinnamon sugar (use enough to cover the entire top of the muffin.)
Bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean. Allow the muffins to cool slightly before digging in. Enjoy!