Apple, Carrot and Toasted Oat Muffins
My daughter came home from a friend’s house with two giant grocery bags full of freshly picked apples. The girls had been sent out to pick a few apples for dinner and apparently decided ‘a few’ meant multiple bags.
With 10 pounds of apples to suddenly put to use, I started flipping through my cookbooks for some fun inspiration. Recipes for slab pies, apple cider donuts, braised pork chops with apples and pears and a lovely looking apple and fennel slaw all grabbed my attention and I was quick to ear mark several recipes to try another day.
But a super simple recipe for a toasted oat muffin caught my attention. The only frilly step to the recipe is quickly toasting the oats for a rich nutty flavor. I rolled my eyes a little bit when I saw the extra step but decided to do it anyway. The extra five minutes ended up being totally worth it. The muffins have a lovely depth of flavor and richness that comes from the toasted oats. Combining the hearty oats with sweet carrots, apples and raisins turned this simple treat into the perfect breakfast on the go.
Our mornings start very early with three kids in three schools. Top that off with after school football practices and all the regular running around that family life requires and now more than ever, I’m looking for hearty and easy recipes that my kids will actually enjoy. I want to fuel them with homemade food but the caveat is it needs to be easy to prepare. These muffins check all those boxes.
The pickiest eater in the family (they shall remain nameless), eyed the muffins with a bit of suspicion but was coaxed into taking a bite. Not long after, I walked back into the kitchen and the three kids had eaten the entire batch of muffins. I would say that’s a good sign. If you have picky eaters in your house or feel a little particular about certain textures, I highly recommend grating the apple along with the carrot. The shredded apple will sweeten and flavor the muffin as well as soften and cook much more quickly than the diced apples will. Also, the raisins are optional. No pressure to include them if you don’t enjoy them.
This is a great all-purpose muffin recipe and the fruit could easily be swapped out seasonally or based on personal preference. Some delicious options might be pear, peach, zucchini or even just mashed banana (maybe with a little chocolate). Skip the apple, carrot and raisin and try one of these fun options instead of any of those appeal to you a little bit more.
Apple, Carrot and Toasted Oat Muffins
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup salted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large Fuji apple, cut into a small dice
1 medium carrot, grated
1/3 cup raisins
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with liners and set it aside.
Put the oats on a small baking sheet and bake them for about 8 minutes, stirring halfway through until they are golden brown and fragrant. Once the oats are finished toasting, remove from the oven and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the toasted oats with the all-purpose flour, baking powder and baking soda, cinnamon, salt, ginger and cloves. Whisk to combine. Add the sugar, melted butter, buttermilk, egg and vanilla to the bowl and using a spatula, gently combine.
In a small bowl, combine the carrot, apple and raisins with 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour. Give them a good mix and then add to the muffin mixture. Gently mix until well-incorporated.
Using a spoon, scoop the batter evenly into the muffin tin, filling just to the top of each muffin cup. Bake the muffins for 25 to 30 minutes or until they are golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Remove the muffins from the oven and allow at least 10 minutes to cool before serving. Recipe makes 12 muffins.