Toasted Oatmeal Muffins

oatmeal muffins 1

First thought that comes to mind when someone mentions oatmeal muffins? Do the words dry, bland, gummy come into mind? Well I was not quite a fan of oatmeal muffins, but THIS oatmeal muffin is very different. For one, it does not use oats whole, but uses toasted ground oatmeal. It has a distinct taste of oats with a fragrance likened to popcorn. Intrigued?

I came across this article on my Cook’s Illustrated magazine on oatmeal muffin. Those of you who read Cook’s Illustrated will know that they spend extended time testing recipes and refining them. They suggested that toasting and grinding up the oatmeal allows it to absorb liquid quickly, while giving it flavour. Who would have thought of doing that?

oatmeal muffins 2

Since I had an unopened packet of oats sitting around, I decided to give the recipe a try. Although muffins are typically fast to prepare, this one does take time. So if you are intending to make this muffin for breakfast, plan ahead! I didn’t and so my starving family had a late breakfast. Also, the original recipe calls for a streusel topping which I find sweet. I removed the streusel topping and added some raisins instead to sweeten up the muffin a little.

The resulting muffin was fragrant and moist. It went very well with jam and my family enjoyed it. This was baked in conjunction with Cook For Family‘s event which ends today.

Toasted Oatmeal Muffins
 
Recipe type: Muffins
Serves: 12 muffins
Ingredients
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 2 cups rolled oats
  • 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1½ tsp salt
  • ¾ tsp baking powder
  • ¼ tsp baking soda
  • 6 tbsp butter, melted
  • 1¼ cup light brown sugar
  • 1¾ cups milk
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup raisins
Instructions
  1. Using a non-stick spray, grease a 12-cup muffin tray.
  2. Melt 2 tbsp butter in a skillet.
  3. Add oats and cook, stirring frequently until oats turn golden brown.
  4. Transfer oats to a food processor.
  5. Process until finely ground, about 30 seconds.
  6. Add flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda and pulse till combined.
  7. In a large mixing bowl, whisk butter and sugar together till thick and smooth.
  8. Add milk and eggs and whisk till smooth.
  9. Using a large whisk, fold half of oat flour mixture into the egg mixture.
  10. Fold in remaining oat flour gently.
  11. Add raisins and stir to combine.
  12. Allow batter to sit for 15 minutes to thicken.
  13. Preheat oven to 190°C and place an oven rack in the middle position.
  14. Using an ice cream scoop, divide batter equally among 12 muffin cups. The batter should fill each cup to the brim.
  15. Bake for about 20 minutes till muffins are golden brown and a tester inserted in the middle comes out clean.
  16. Allow muffins to cool on wire racks for 10 minutes.
  17. Serve warm, or allow them to cool completely before storing.
Notes
Adapted from Cook's Illustrated magazine Muffins are best eaten the day they are baked. They can be kept in the fridge for up to 3 days and toasted before eaten.

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Baked fish with potatoes and gremolata

25th Nov was Cook For Family Day, an event that I had the privilege of organising following a Cook For Family initiative started off earlier by Daniel of Daniel Food Diary.

For Cook For Family Day, I decided to try out a recipe that I saw in an earlier issue of Delicious magazine that I borrowed from my sister-in-law. It is simple and fuss free, as with most one-pot oven meals. Toss everything in and walla! A tasty meal awaits you and your family. If you have a larger family, simply increase the amounts of the recipe below accordingly. Like some spice, add some red chilli slices during the final baking step!

My family and I enjoyed the fish and vegetables very much. The baked fish was moist and tender and the gremolata added alot of flavour. Do not omit it!

Try out this simple recipe when you have the time. It is definitely worth it.

Baked fish with potatoes and gremolata

Serves 4
Prep time 20 minutes
Cook time 45 minutes
Total time 1 hours, 5 minutes
Allergy Fish
Meal type Main Dish
Misc Child Friendly, Serve Hot
From magazine Delicious

Ingredients

Baked Fish

  • 500g Potato (peeled and thinly sliced)
  • 1 onion (thinly sliced)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 20g unsalted butter
  • 250g Cherry Tomatoes
  • 100g breadcrumbs
  • 700g Halibut fillets (3 - 4 pieces, depending on size)
  • 1 lemon

Gremolata

  • 1/4 cup Extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 cloves Garlic (finely chopped)
  • 1 Lemon's zest (Grated)
  • 1 bunch English parsley (finely chopped)

Directions

Step 1
Preheat oven to 180°C.
Step 2
Spread potatoes and onions in a large roasting pan and drizzle with 1 tbsp of olive oil. Season with salt and ground pepper, then toss to coat.
Step 3
Spread it out to cover the base of the pan and dot with butter. Bake for 15 minutes.
Step 4
Add tomatoes, and return to the oven for 10 - 15 more minutes.
Step 5
Meanwhile, mix breadcrumbs with remaining 1 tbsp of olive oil and season with salt and ground pepper. Season the fish fillets with salt and pepper as well.
Step 6
Remove roasting pan from oven and place fish over potatoes. Cover with breadcrumbs and lemon slices and return to the oven for 12 - 15 more minutes.
Step 7
In a small bowl, combine extra virgin olive oil, garlic, parsley and lemon zest. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Step 8
When fish is ready, remove from oven. Serve hot with gremolata.