Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins

It's that time of the year when blueberries are in season. We've got lots of blueberries and I needed to make something with it. I figure muffins would be awesome since we almost never finish cakes or tarts in this house. While I'm at it, why not make them a little healthier and more filling with some oats, eh? ;)

It's not necessary to mix 2 tablespoons of the flour with the blueberries, but it helps to make the blueberries stay whole while they bake. If you don't care about that, then by all means, just leave out that step.

I really do like these muffins. They're not too sweet and that cinnamon sugar topping totally hits the spot.


Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins
(makes 1 dozen muffins or about 35 baby muffins)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour, divided
• 3/4 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tsps baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 egg, beaten and at room temperature
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup fresh blueberries, rinsed and dried
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Line muffin tins with liners. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine all but 2 tablespoons of flour with the oats, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix well. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl or large measuring cup, combine beaten egg, milk, canola oil and vanilla extract. Mix well. 
4. Pour liquids into the dry ingredients. Mix just until combined. Set aside.
5. In a small bowl, toss blueberries in remaining 2 tablespoons of flour. Gently fold into the batter. Spoon batter into muffin tins to the top. 
6. In another small bowl, combine the sugar and ground cinnamon. Top each muffin with some of the cinnamon sugar mixture.
7. Bake in the center rack for 10-15 minutes (for mini muffins) or 20-25 minutes (for regular muffins), or until a cake tester comes out clean when poked inside the middle.
8. Serve with (a pat of butter and) coffee.