Friday, February 29, 2008

Spiced Oatmeal Muffins




I was rummaging through my fridge when I realized that I had a container of buttermilk that was a little old, but not quite expired. After I checked to make sure it was ok, I wanted to find a way to use it up quickly! Plus, I was sort of in the mood to bake something. So, I rummaged through this new baking book I got (The King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion) and found a recipe for oatmeal muffins. Mind you, I still can't bring myself to eat oatmeal on its own, but that's another story!

Anyway, the recipe sounded really easy and healthy (oats, buttermilk, raisins, brown sugar). So, I thought, why not add some spices to the basic mixture and jazz it up a bit? My initial thought was to try to add a mix of spices that would resemble Indian tea masala. Masala chai meets oatmeal. Neat idea, huh? I thought so, but that's my twisted mind at work!

It turned out to not have as much of a spiced kick as I wanted, but was still delightful. The spices wound up more in the background and were subtle, combined with the flavor of the oats (without any sliminess!), juicy pop of raisins, and sweetness of brown sugar. Not only are these muffins really satisfying, they make a great start to the day! (Just keep in mind that the oats need to be soaked overnight.) I'm giving you the spice measurements that I used, but feel free to tweak them to your taste. :)


So, they're off to Suganya who's hosting WBB healthy eats this month! Without any further ado, let's get to the recipe, shall we?

This recipe yields 12 muffins.

Ingredients:

Quick cooking or rolled oats - 1 cup
Buttermilk - 2 cups
Brown sugar - 1/2 cup, packed (you could cut back a bit for less sweetness)
Butter - 4 tbsp, melted (1 tsp per muffin!)
Egg - 1, lightly beaten
Baking powder - 1 tsp
Baking soda - 3/4 tsp
Salt - 1/4 tsp
All purpose flour - 1 1 /2 cups
Raisins - 1/2 cup

Optional spices:

Allspice, ground - 1/4 tsp
Nutmeg, ground - 1/4 tsp
Cinnamon, ground - 1/2 tsp
Ginger, ground - 1/2 tsp
Clove, ground - 1/4 tsp
Cardamom, ground - 1/2 tsp

Method:

1. Soak oats in buttermilk overnight.

2. Preheat the oven to 425 F.

3. In a large bowl, combine the oat and buttermilk mixture, butter, egg, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

4. In another bowl, stir the raisins and spices (if using) into the flour. Pour into the large bowl used in the previous step and combine quickly and gently. Overworking will result in tough muffins!

5. Line muffin cups with paper liners or grease them.

6. Divide batter evenly between the cups and bake at 425 F for 20 minutes, until tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

7. Remove from oven and allow to cool on a rack for 5 minutes. Then, remove from pans and allow to finish cooling.

Enjoy warm! They really don't need anything on them!

For a real treat, take the leftover muffins, cut them in half, and warm them in a hot oven until the edges become slightly crispy. Enjoy with or without butter. Delicious!! Alternatively, you could toast them (cut side down) on a slightly buttered griddle for the same effect. Try it. You'll be glad that you did! :)


23 comments:

FH said...

I have that book, love most recipes. Oats are good heart, so I would love these. looks yum!:)

Dhivya said...

Its indeed a healthy dish kalai....keep rocking

Prema Sundar said...

Its nice that people have started to include oats in their diet. ...looks yum..nice entry for the healthy event.

Laavanya said...

I just saw another oatmeal muffin recipe at TBCs. I like how your twisted mind works... tea masala is a great idea.

Cham said...

Yum & healthy start.Parcel me for this weekend :)

Namratha said...

Very healthy Kalai, good one!

TBC said...

I made muffins too...with oats.
Spicing it up like that is a good idea. I should give that a shot.:-)

AnuSriram said...

Looks fluffy... Gr8 recipe..

Suganya said...

Oatmeal does mask other spices in a recipe. I find fruit based muffins tastier with less amount of spice. Try adding banana or pineapple. If you want a different colour, beetroot does the trick. And you won't taste the vegetable at all. Thanks for the entry, Kalai.

Seema said...

Love;ly & fluffy muffins! Looks yum!

Kalai said...

So, Ashakka, what books don't you have?? *laugh* Thanks, girl! Have a great weekend! :)

Dhivya, thanks! :)

Prema, welcome to my blog! Thanks! :)

Laavanya, I saw that recipe, too. Thanks for the compliment! :)

Cham, will do if any are left! :)

Kalai said...

Namratha, yes, definitely healthy and tasty! :)

TBC, loved your version as well! Sure, try it out and let me know! :)

Anu, thank you!! :)

Suganya, thanks so much for the suggestions. Will try adding pineapple next time! My pleasure to be able to contribute. Have a wonderful weekend! :)

Seema, thank you, thank you! :)

Anonymous said...

that sounds really unique and tasty kalai! even i cannot eats oats on their own :-)

Anonymous said...

Looks delicious Kalai,great entry :)

Uma said...

so innovative kalai! Looks so yummy!

Kalai said...

Latha, it's nice to know I'm not the only one who doesn't like oatmeal on its own! Thanks for the kind words! :)

Homecooked, thank you! :)

Uma, thanks! This is what happens when you have a twisted mind! ;)

Cynthia said...

It's a pity the spices only played a background role, with brown sugar and raisins, the make everything great :)

Lavanya Raj said...

kalai chance a illa..Samaithu paarkalaam nnu irukka blog name a samayal Ilavarasi nnu mathikoanga.(Cooking Princess).

Kalai said...

Cynthia, I know! I'm planning on playing with the amounts again to make them more prominent. Will post an update if it works out! :)

Lavanya, idhu ungallukku konjam over-a illai? *laugh* Vaazhthukkalukku mikka mikka nanri, ma! You are really too kind!! :)

Unknown said...

lovely muffins , healthy too and love the spices you added

Unknown said...

hey kalai the spices are a really nice idea.

Kalai said...

Sowmya, welcome to my blog!! Thanks so much for the kind words. :)

Saswati, thank you! Hope you try them! :)

Unknown said...

bookmarked this muffin..will have to try..