Breakfast on the Fly: Carrot-Oatmeal Muffins

Good thing I love making muffins, since my family adores them. They were the favourite breakfast finisher, after a bowl of cereal, when my kids were little, and then they became the preferred snack item to take to school. These days, one of my kids is the type who can’t eat much first thing in the morning, so I’m glad to send her out the door with a healthy, homemade muffin to tuck into when she’s ready. These carrot and oat muffins, fragrant with cinnamon, are everyone’s favourite and I feel good about serving them instead of calorie-laden commercially made muffins. If you measure the flour mixture the night before, these take just minutes to prepare in the morning, plus they freeze really well.

Carrot Oatmeal Muffins 

Ingredients

• 1 cup buttermilk (or 1 scant cup milk plus 1 tablespoon white vinegar)
• 1 cup quick (not instant) oats
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup melted butter or canola oil
• 1 cup finely grated carrot
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• Grated zest of 1 orange
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions 

  Preheat oven to 375F and line a 12-compartment muffin tin with paper liners.

  Combine buttermilk, oats, egg, sugar, butter, carrot, vanilla and orange zest in a large bowl.

  Combine flours, baking powder and soda, salt and cinnamon in a small bowl.

  Add flour mixture to buttermilk mixture and stir just until combined.

  Scoop batter into muffin tins.

  Bake 18 minutes then remove to a wire rack to cool slightly before devouring.

Makes 12 muffins

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