As a teacher, it is important not to play favorites- to be fair and impartial so that each child has an opportunity to shine. In my past six years of teaching, I think I've done a pretty good job of that. (Although I do have a special place in my heart for the trouble makers. We're kindred spirits, after all!) In my job a baker, however, it's an entirely different story. There are just certain ingredients I gravitate to more often than others (yogurt, yogurt, yogurt) and recipes that are sure to get top marks each time they're made. This recipe is one of them- I've been working on it for a while now and it really is one of my favorites. Fresh blueberries, oatmeal, a hint of cinnamon, and a yummy, crunchy top- what's not to love?? This is definitely the "teacher's pet" of all my muffin recipes. Brown butter banana walnut is a very close second though, don't get me wrong...One of the things that seems to make this recipe shine, as with many muffin recipes, is the quality of ingredients. Really fresh blueberries are a must. Frozen blueberries work well in other recipes, but I've found that once the frozen blueberries start to thaw, their juices leak into muffin batter, turning it an odd shade of grayish-purple. Yuck! Another thing to consider is your choice of dairy products. Although I drink skim milk and eat fat-free yogurt, I don't use them to bake with. I keep a container of good quality yogurt (whole milk or sometimes low-fat) and a small bottle of whole milk in my fridge just for baking. This is a habit I quickly developed once I started taking baking classes- I didn't see any jugs of skim milk in our pastry kitchens, and for good reason. The trade off for the extra fat is the richness and depth of flavor in the finished baked good. Plus, I am a big believer in enjoying all things in moderation...meaning that if I'm going to indulge in a dessert or a baked item, it'd better be worth it!!
Ingredients:Streusel Topping:
1/4 cup flour
2 Tbs. old-fashioned rolled oats
2 Tbs. brown sugar
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
2 Tbs. butter
Muffins:
1 stick unsalted butter
1/2 cup milk
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats, divided
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
2 eggs
1/2 cup plain yogurt
2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
Directions:Streusel Topping:
1. Combine the dry ingredients (flour, oats, brown sugar, and cinnamon) together in a small mixing bowl.
2. Use a pastry cutter to cut butter into the flour mixture until coarse and crumbly.
Muffins:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Line muffin pans with foil or paper liners and spray lightly.
3. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
4. While the butter is melting, combine half of the oats and the milk together in a large mixing bowl. Set aside while preparing the other ingredients so that the oats absorb some of the milk.
5. In another mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients- the other half of the oats, the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and the cinnamon.
6. Whisk the eggs, yogurt, and vanilla into the oat/milk mixture.
7. Continue whisking while streaming in the melted butter.
8. Add the dry ingredients and stir until only just combined. Overstirring will result in a tough muffin!
10. Fold in the blueberries.
11. Use an ice cream scoop to generously portion batter into liners.
12. Sprinkle streusel over the top of each muffin.
13. Bake in a preheated oven until muffins are golden and a tester inserted into a muffin comes out clean, about 22 minutes.
