Yesterday was one of those rainy fall Saturdays that makes you want to stay inside and curl up with a blanket on the couch. I was in the mood to do some breakfast baking, so I made "healthier" oatmeal blueberry muffins. They don't have a ton of sugar and the oats and blueberries make them healthy, right? I used frozen blueberries that I hand-picked this summer. Just enough sweetness. Perfect for breakfast or a snack. I used ingredients I had on hand, and modified a recipe I found via Pinterest. I'll definitely have to make them again.
Ingredients:
1½ cups rolled oats (uncooked)
1 cup milk
½ cup brown sugar, packed
½ cup vegetable oil
2 egg whites
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup flour (whole wheat or all purpose)
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries (if frozen, roll in flour prior to adding)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Line a muffin tin with 12 paper liners.
Combine oats and milk in a small bowl and soak for 30 minutes.
In a large bowl, combine brown sugar, oil, egg whites, vanilla and mix to combine.
In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Add oat mixture to wet ingredients and stir to combine.
Gradually add flour mixture to wet ingredients, and stir until just combined.
Fold in blueberries.
Spoon batter into prepared muffin tin.
Bake for 20-22 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
It's blueberry season! I just love fresh blueberries. We live around the corner from a local farm where you can pick your own. That's right up my alley! Does anyone else enjoy picking berries as much as I do? Makes me feel like I'm a pioneer woman. I picked 4.5 pounds!
Blueberries as far as the eye can see.
The really blue ones were in the middle.
I can (and do) eat them by the bowlful. I froze a bunch too. I also tried my hand at making blueberry scones for the first time. That's my go-to treat at Starbucks or Panera. Those things are good! I was pleasantly surprised to learn how easy they are to make. I've been enjoying them for breakfast. Delish!
I used this recipe from La Petite Brioche.
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
1 stick cold unsalted butter, grated
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup cold heavy cream
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
extra heavy cream for brushing the tops
raw sugar for sprinkling the tops
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix 2
cups of flour, 1/2 cup sugar, the baking powder, orange zest, and
salt. Add the cold butter and mix at the lowest speed. Combine the egg
and heavy cream and, with the mixer on low speed, slowly pour into the
flour and butter mixture. Mix until just blended. The dough will look
lumpy. Add the blueberries to the dough, and mix on low speed until
blended.
Dump the dough onto a well-floured surface and knead it into a ball.
Flour your hands and a rolling pin and roll the dough 3/4-inch thick.
You should see small bits of butter in the dough. Keep moving the dough
on the floured board so it doesn't stick.
Shape the dough into a square. Cut the square into quarters then cut again into eighths, diagonally, making triangles.
Brush the tops of the scones with heavy creme, sprinkle with sugar and
bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tops are browned and the insides
are fully baked. The scones will be firm to the touch. Serve warm with butter and preserves.
If you love blueberry scones as much as I do, you should definitely try this recipe. It's a perfect way to use any type of freshly picked summer berries.
Summer is in full swing, and what's better than sitting outside with a refreshing glass of iced tea? I love fresh fruit, especially blueberries. When I found a recipe for blueberry iced green tea, I had to try it. It's made with homemade blueberry simple syrup. I swapped out white tea instead of green tea because I wanted to keep it tasting light.
Blueberry Simple Syrup
Ingredients:
1 cup of blueberries (fresh or frozen)
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
Directions:
Place blueberries, sugar and water in a sauce pan and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
Strain solids from the juice with a fine sieve and set solids aside.
Transfer to a jar and store in the refrigerator.
Iced Blueberry White Tea
Ingredients:
8 cups of water
4 white tea bags
1 cup of blueberry syrup (or to taste)
ice cubes
fresh blueberries for garnish
Directions:
Bring 2 cups of water to a boil and remove from heat.
Mix in 1/2 cup of room temperature water, add tea bags and steep for 10 minutes.
Remove tea bags and add the remaining water.
Mix in the blueberry syrup until it reaches the desired sweetness.
Chill in the fridge, add ice and enjoy.
So refreshing! I mixed the tea with the blueberry syrup and kept it in the refrigerator for a few days. I just added ice and fresh blueberries to a glass when I was ready to enjoy.
