Happy 4th of July!

Strawberry Blueberry Honey Oat Muffins

Aren’t I festive?

I love leisurely waking up in the morning without an alarm clock and having breakfast at home. While it might not seem luxurious, keep in mind that during the work week I’m usually inhaling a Larabar on my way to work and washing it down with water from a plastic tumbler.

Weekends are different. For instance: this morning, I woke up a couple of hours before The Hubby, made myself a pot of coffee, and retreated to our bright and airy sunroom to read my freshly downloaded Emily Giffin novel on my new Kindle.

The house was quiet and still cool before the heat of the day set in. My book sucked me in immediately, and before I knew it, I had been there two hours. My hunger (and now functioning husband) got me off the couch and in the kitchen…where these muffins were living.

I made these yesterday, fully intending to enjoy them today. Fresh, ripe red strawberries and beautiful blueberries, baked into a healthy muffin.

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Strawberry Blueberry Honey Oat Muffins
adapted from AllRecipes.com

1 1/3 cups gluten-free flour blend (I used Gluten Free Pantry’s all-purpose flour)
1 cup rolled oats (I used Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free oats)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1 cup milk
1 egg, beaten
3 tablespoons applesauce
1 cup chopped fresh strawberries
1 cup fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 425 F.

Combine all ingredients except fruit and stir until well blended. Fold in berries. Spoon mixture into prepared muffin cups (either greased or using liners) and bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.

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Now here’s my confession about this recipe. They browned up beautifully (as you can see in the pic) – however, much to my chagrin, they did not cook all the way through. I didn’t realize this until I had two on my plate and tried to take the wrappers off. I suggest that the temperature be lowered to 350-375 in order to allow the muffins to cook completely through and THEN brown.

Not being one to be deterred from eating, I ripped the fully-cooked muffin tops off and ate those…and they were fabulous. Not too sweet, a little punch of tartness here and there from the fresh berries. I will most definitely be making this recipe again.

I’m telling you about this, as always, to let you know that disasters when cooking/baking gluten-free are totally normal! You just have to go with the flow. I plan on slicing my next muffin in half and sliding it in the toaster oven for a few minutes to finish it off. I’ve done that before with previous disasters, and it’s worked really well.

It’s all about learning, right?

Happy 4th!
Kelly

P.S. At The Hubby’s request, I also made cupcakes today from a mix I hadn’t used before. Stay tuned for details and a review!

UPDATE: Check out this recipe and other healthy, gluten-free recipes at Simply Sugar & Gluten Free’s Slightly Indulgent Tuesday.