Oatmeal Millet Muffins
Submitted by petpammi
Oatmeal millet muffins with rolled oats softened in boiling water and toasty whole millet for crunch. The morning muffin with two grains, golden tops, and tender, rib-sticking crumb. Freezes well.
YIELD
12 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
20 minREADY
50 minMost oatmeal muffin recipes treat oats like a sprinkle on top. This one treats them like the foundation. A full cup of rolled oats gets softened in boiling water for 20 minutes before they ever see batter, which is the trick that gives these muffins their signature creamy crumb. The pre-soaked oats break down and integrate with the butter and sugar, creating a moist, almost porridge-like base.
The millet is the surprise. Folded in raw at the end, it stays crunchy through the bake and adds tiny pops of toasty texture in every bite. Most home bakers haven’t worked with millet, but it’s worth a trip to the bulk bin. Cheap, gluten-free on its own (though this recipe uses regular flour), and it brings a nutty, slightly sweet flavor that plays well against the brown sugar.
The combination of white and brown sugar (a full cup of each) is generous, but it’s what makes these taste like bakery muffins instead of health food. The brown sugar pulls in molasses depth and the white sugar keeps the crumb from going dense. Don’t reduce either if you want the muffins to stay fluffy.
These freeze remarkably well. Cool completely, wrap individually in plastic, and stash in a freezer bag. Pop one out, microwave for 30 seconds and you’ve got a fresh-tasting muffin on a rushed Tuesday morning.
Pro Tips
- Cool the soaked oats fully before adding to the butter mixture. Hot oats can melt the butter and break the emulsion.
- Use room temperature butter and eggs. Cold ingredients give a denser muffin.
- Don’t overmix once the flour goes in. Stir just until combined. Tough muffins come from gluten development.
- Run a knife around the edge of each muffin before lifting. The recipe is right to insist on this. The high sugar content makes them stick.
Variations
- Add a half cup of dried cranberries or chopped dates for fruit pockets.
- Stir in a teaspoon of cinnamon and a quarter teaspoon of nutmeg for a warmer spice profile.
- Top each muffin with a sprinkle of raw oats and a pinch of brown sugar before baking for a streusel-like top.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350℉ (180℃).
Butter 12 muffin cups.
Stir the oats into the boiling water, cover, remove form heat and let stand 20 minutes.
Cool.
Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter until creamy.
Slowly add the white and brown sugars, beating until smooth and creamy.
Add the vanilla and the eggs and beat until well blended.
Add the cooled oatmeal to the butter mixture and stir well to blend.
Add the flour mixture and stir.
Stir in the millet.
Spoon the batter into the muffin cups, filling about ⅔ full.
Makes 12 muffins.
Bake for about 15 minutes, or until a straw inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.
Gently run a table knife around the edge of each muffin, lift them out and place on a rack to cool.
These muffins freeze well.
Comments
The correct amount of water is 1 1/4 cups, and this recipe yields 1 dozen muffins. (There is another copy of this recipe, with the exact same name, on this site--but the directions on this one look better.)
Thanks for your comment. Just edited the recipe, and now I know where the 14 cups of water came from. Happy baking :)