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I had no idea so many of you’ll would want to know the recipe for the oatmeal muffins I posted this week on Hi5 Mondays! I am surprised to say the least simply because it was more of a DIY experiment which actually turned out fine!:P So I’ll let you in on it with utmost pleasure.. again it is totally DIY so feel free to add and remove whatever you would like… and make it more you!
Technically this isn’t a real muffin as it uses no flour, eggs, oil and as a result has no crust of any kind. It is simply a lazy woman’s attempt at healthy eating and portion control with leftover pantry ingredients! The bonus is it is lower cal than a regular muffin, a good alternative to baked oatmeal when you have no eggs, and you can totally toss it in a ziplock bag to eat on the go!
Ingredients
Old fashion Oats – 1 cup
Milk – 1 1/2 cups( I used almond milk but anything should be good)
Apples; cored and peeled – 1 cup( I used Gala but you could use granny smith for a more tart taste)
Cinnamon – to taste ( I usually go all out here)
Nutmeg – A pinch( This can be overwhelming so exercise caution)
Baking powder – 1 tsp
Dried cranberries/ Raisins – Handful
Slivered almonds – To garnish
Sweetener of choice – To taste.. I used agave nectar, but maple syrup, honey or brown sugar should work just as well. I used about 2 tblspoons but then again I like them on the less sweet side. Also you can always drizzle more of your sweetener when the muffins are semi warm. Do not forget that cranberries also add sweetness so be wise! Cloyingly sweet muffins for breakfast is a no go. 😛
Vanilla bean extract/ vanilla essence – 1 tsp
A pinch of salt
Note: I made mine without any oil or butter. The result is a slightly sticky muffin. If you would like a more true to the name muffin, feel free to add 2 tblspoons of butter to the mixture or as suited. You can also replace half the portion of oats with half a cup of flour and two eggs to make it a good ol’ muffin! ( yawn)
Now that you have everything, its pretty simple to whip up. Pour the milk into a mixing bowl and add the cup of oats to it along with the vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg. Give it a quick mix and let it sit for a good 30 mins; the oats must have soaked a good mount of milk at this point. Stir in the sugar, salt,baking powder and cranberries. Add in the chopped apples and mix until it has a chunky yet gooey consistency. Scoop the mixture into cupcake/ muffin foil liners. Use slivered almonds or chopped nuts to garnish each muffin.. spray olive oil over if required. I skipped this and instead chose to drizzle some agave nectar. Line these up in a baking tray and stick it in the oven at 350F for 20- 30 mins. Make sure the nuts are nicely browned and let it sit in the cooling rack. Enjoy your guilt free muffin.
Portion size: My mix fit in 6 medium size muffin cups – 1 cup a day for breakfast 😛 ( sunday is cheat day remember ) 
Let me know if any of you try these and if it was edible! That would inspire me to write another recipe! 😉 Happy weekend!
