Today, I’ve got a classic but a goodie in these bakery style oatmeal muffins. Flavored with beautiful vanilla and spices, these are the perfect versatile muffin on the go! Packed full of fibre, these muffins will help keep you full for longer!
I love the taste of oatmeal so I knew I needed to make just a basic oatmeal muffin. These muffins are great for personalizing as you could add in some chocolate chips, other spices or some chopped nuts. I do enjoy them plain and made sure they had flavour without any additional add-ins though.
Bakery style muffins are always fun to make as they boast that big beautiful crunchy muffin top. These oatmeal muffins are no different and they’ll maintain a bit of crunch on top for a couple days. Add some butter and cheese on the side and you’ve got a delicious breakfast on the go! As these are oatmeal muffins, they’re definitely a denser muffin but they still have a perfectly soft crumb.
These are similar to most of muffin recipes as I’m giving you a delicious muffin but one that’s got much less sugar and fat then you’d find in a traditional bakery or grocery store. These muffins have whole flour and oats so they’ve also got lots of fibre which help keeps you full longer.
If you’d like something with oatmeal that isn’t a muffin, try my strawberry cheesecake overnight oats or my brownie batter overnight oats. Both are packed with protein and taste like dessert for breakfast! Or, if you’d prefer a dessert with oats, try my no bake peanut butter oat bars or my monster cookies, both of which can be made gluten free.
How to Properly Measure Flour
So when it comes to measuring flour, the most accurate and easiest way is to use a kitchen scale. I always use a scale and could never go back to measuring in cups. It’s such a hassle and way more dishes!
If you don’t own a scale, there are a couple steps to properly measure flour as it becomes compacted just sitting in the bag or container. I highly recommend you follow these as just scooping flour out of the bag can potentially lead to at least an additional 1/4 cup of flour. This equals dry and dense baked goods which is not what anybody is going for.
1. Fluff the flour by giving it a mix with a whisk or fork.
2. Spoon the flour into your measuring cup.
3. Level the excess flour off using a butter knife. (With the back of the knife level to the top of the measuring cup, run it over top, pushing the excess flour back into it’s container.)
4. Repeat until you’ve measured the amount the recipe calls for.
How to Store Muffins
When storing these oatmeal muffins, follow these steps:
- Fully cool the muffins, otherwise they’ll get gummy and soggy.
- Place a paper towel on the bottom of an airtight container or bag.
- Put the muffins on top of the paper towel.
- Lay another paper towel on top of the muffins.
- Seal and keep at room temperature for up to 3 days.
How to Freeze Muffins
If you want to freeze these, follow these steps:
- Fully cool the muffins
- Place a paper towel on the bottom of an airtight container or bag.
- Put the muffins on top of the paper towel in a single layer.
- Lay another paper towel on top of the muffins.
- Seal and keep at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- To eat, take amount you need out and let thaw at room temperature for 2 hours or heat in the microwave in 20 second increments. Be cautious if using the microwave when feeding children or toddlers, it can leave hot spots.
Benefits of Whole Wheat vs White Flour
When baking healthier snacks, treats or breakfasts, I’m a big fan of using whole wheat flour instead of all purpose flour, also known as white flour. There are many benefits to this including a higher concentration of minerals like copper, magnesium and iron. This is important for me personally as like many women, I’ve had issues with low iron in my life.
There is also a larger source of B vitamins in whole wheat flour which provides energy. Whole wheat flour has a higher protein content as well as more fibre, both of which can keep you feeling full longer. Another great thing about whole wheat flour is it can add a little extra flavour bringing a hint of nuttiness to certain bakes.
The only cons of using whole wheat flour that I know of is sometimes it can make a recipe more dense, which is why I typically add more moisture to my recipes. In doing this, I generally don’t notice that I’m eating a whole wheat flour muffin instead of a white flour muffin.
The other downside is I know everybody doesn’t keep whole wheat flour on hand. Well, I never used to either and now I can’t imagine not having it in the house. I buy a large 10kg bag for the exact same price as an all purpose bag of flour and have never had it go bad on me. I highly recommend keeping some on hand so you can make guilt free muffins, quick breads or whatever you want! In saying this, if the recipe doesn’t call for it, I don’t recommend swapping whole wheat flour for white flour, they’re generally not a 1 to 1 substitute.
If you’d like more information on the nutritional benefits, head to https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/whole-grains/. There are lots of great sources of nutritional information on the Harvard website that is backed up by multiple sources.
Baking Tips
- Make sure not to overmix the batter or you will end up with a very tough, dense muffin. Gently fold the batter until just combined.
- You can add chopped nuts, chocolate chips, etc but don’t add more than a 1/2 cup.
- I create my recipes based off weights so I recommend measuring by weights if you own a scale. It’s actually so much easier and makes for much less cleanup. I wish I had baked by weight from the beginning, I could never go back now.
More Healthier Muffin Recipes
Today’s song is taking it back to the 60’s with a fun one to sing along too. Here’s Love Potion Number 9 (Cover) by The Searchers. Happy baking!! **Disclaimer: Liv’s Little Muffins owns no rights to this song.
Don’t forget to leave a STAR REVIEW if you try my recipe! Follow me on Facebook or tag me on instagram @livslittlemuffins. Find more ideas on my Pinterest or Whisk.
Bakery Style Oatmeal Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 cups (240g) whole wheat flour
- 1 1/2 cups (180g) rolled oats
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground allspice (optional)
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 large eggs
- 2/3 cup (120g) light brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup (120g) avocado oil (or neutral oil like canola)
- 3/4 cup (165g) plain Greek yogurt (I typically use nonfat)
- 1 cup (220g) unsweetened oat milk (or any kind of milk)
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- Sanding or turbinado sugar for topping
- Optional add-ins: chocolate chips, raisins, dried cranberries, chopped nuts (no more than 1/2 cup)
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl, add the flour, oats, cinnamon, allspice, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk to combine and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the eggs and sugar. Whisk until well combined. Add the oil, yogurt, milk and vanilla extract and whisk until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients into the wet mixture and fold until just combined. Add any optional add-ins here if you like, just don't overmix! Let batter rest for 15 minutes and preheat the oven to 425℉ while you wait.
- Line or spray 12 tins on 2 different pans, alternating so there's space between each muffin or 12 tins in one pan (*see notes). Fill each tin so it's almost at the top. Use all of the batter! As we've rested the batter, it won't actually spill out the sides. Then top each muffin with turbinado or sanding sugar if you like.
- Bake at 425℉ for 7 minutes and then without opening the oven door, drop the temperature to 350℉ and bake for an additional 12-15 minutes or until they spring back when touched or a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to fully cool before storing in airtight container for up to 3 days and enjoy!
I really want to make these oatmeal muffins. Can I use all purpose flour instead? Thanks
It’s not typically a 1 to 1 substitute as whole wheat flour requires more moisture. If you’d like to try, I recommend reducing the milk by 2-3 tbsp. If you still find the batter pretty liquidy after resting it for the 15 minutes, then let it rest an additional 15 minutes. I’m not positive it’ll end up with the same texture but if you try let me know!
Olivia
I absolutely love these muffins for their versatility and oat and vanilla flavours.
If you try them, let me know what you thought with a star rating and review!