Breakfast -- Oatmeal Muffin

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Oatmill Muffin, fresh out of oven

I know...I know...breakfast is probably one of the most important meals of the day. For me, breakfast also pose another really tricky dilemma: do I want to sleep more or do I want to have a better meal?

The choice for me has always been to sleep more. I told myself that I can eat while I'm driving (yes...and I'm pretty good at that, this is an essential skill if you live in Southern California, as we spend so much time behind the wheel anyways, might as well make good use of the time). The other thing is, I'm always sleep deprived, so I could really use that extra 15 minutes.

Others would suggest eating breakfast after I get to work. Well....that doesn't fly for me, as I cannot eat at work, so everything must be consumed prior to me stepping into my office. Otherwise, you'll see me standing in front of the security trying to finish my breakfast as fast as possible. 

So over the years, I've experimented with different options. For example:
A) toast with peanut butter, almond butter, jam, butter
B) store bought chinese bun microwaved
C) store bought frozen waffle
D) oatmeal (that's really a stretch, as I have to eat it at home)
E) cereal

Just to name a few.

Now, I think I've explored a lot of the common options, and I'm really sick and tired of them. I need something NEW!! Something healthy too, as I'm supposed to watch what I eat and try to lose weight (we'll get into the weight issue some other time).

So I turn to my default recipe search engine, epicurious, and just search for breakfast. This oatmeal muffin came up, and I figured.....nice! It uses oatmeal (I bought a HUGE box from Costco) and it seems to be something I can eat on the go. Not to mention, it had some really great reviews!!

And guess what?! It is quick and easy, and it tastes pretty good too! Not too sweet, and very soft (surprisingly, in my opinion). We'll see how it turns out overnight, and microwave straight from freezer, but fresh out of the oven, it's quite delicious!

Update: Straight out of freezer + 50 seconds in microwave proves to be the key for next day (and many days after) deliciousness!


Oatmeal Muffin
Yields: 1 dozen muffin (regular size)
Adapted from Epicurious.com
 
Ingredients:
  • 1 cup of old-fashioned rolled oats
  • 1 cup of buttermilk
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 1 cup of all purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 2 handfuls dried cranberries

1. Soak rolled oats in buttermilk in a large mixing bowl for at least 1 hour. (This is very important, as this is the key to its soft texture)

2. Preheat oven to 400F, line muffin tins with paper cups

3. Add egg, butter, and brown sugar to oats mixture. Stirring until just combined.

4. In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Stir with a fork to ensure even mixing. Add the dry ingredients to the oats mixture, stirring until just combined. Fold in dry cranberries.

5. Divide the batter evenly among muffin tins. Tap the baking pan on counter to release any large bubbles. Bake the muffins in the middle of oven until golden and a tester comes out clean, about 18 minutes.

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