Blueberry Oat Muffin Recipe, 4 points+

One thing I absolutely love about summer is the fresh organic blueberries I can find at my local farmers market.  I am super pick about my berries though – they have to be firm and pop when you bite into them.  Once they get soft, I never want to eat them straight up and I am always trying to find ways to use them up.  A batch gets frozen for smoothies, some may get set aside for jam or Fresh Blueberry Syrup and others are lucky enough to make it into these tasty Blueberry Oat Muffins.

One of my secrets to making super healthy muffins is to sneak in a little oat bran, wheat germ and/or flax seed but never let The Husband know that!  The oat bran gives these muffins a tasty nutty flavor, but, also works on helping to keep them super moist allowing you to cut down on a little butter and sugar.  You definitely want to make full size muffins versus minis with these because each muffin is packed with full size blueberries that pop with every bite.

BLUEBERRY OAT BRAN MUFFINS, (print it!)

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup oat bran or wheat germ
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 6 Tbsp. butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup 1% low-fat buttermilk
• 1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
• 2 Tbsp. sugar in the raw for sprinkles, optional

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a standard muffin tin with nonstick spray.  Whisk together flour, oat bran, baking powder, baking soda,cinnamon, and salt.

2. In a large bowl, using a mixer, beat butter and 1/2 cup sugar on high until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.  I know it seems crazy but I learned this technique from this chef at the farmers market and it really does make these muffins super light and fluffy.  Beat in eggs and vanilla until combined. With mixer on low, add flour mixture in 2 additions, alternating with buttermilk, and beat until combined. Gently fold in the blueberries.

3.  Divide batter among muffin cups and sprinkle tops with sugar in the raw. Bake 23-25 minutes until the muffins are golden, rotating pan halfway through. Let cool in pan on a wire rack 5 minutes, then transfer muffins to rack and let cool completely.

Makes 14 muffins, 4 points+ each or Simply Filling + 4 WPA

Nutritional information per muffin calculated at caloriecount.com

I definitely recommend opting for the raw sugar on top because it creates this sweet “crumb like” top that is guaranteed to be the first part of the muffin you eat.

These muffins were so tasty I was sad when they were gone.  They did not pass go, collect $200 or make it in the freezer (although they totally would freeze well when individually wrapped.)  I think I  need to head back to the market to buy some berries (any berries will work!) and bake some more of these delicious berry muffins!

Enjoy!