Honey oat muffins
Honey oat muffins make a cozy, comforting breakfast, with a gentle natural sweetness from honey and the warm, nutty aroma of oats. The oats soak in milk first, so the crumb is soft, moist and slightly chewy rather than dry. A sprinkle of oats and a brush of honey on top give them an irresistible glossy crust.
- Difficulty
- Very easy
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 22 min
- Rising or chilling
- 30 min
- Total time
- 1 hr 7 min
- Method
- Oven-baked
Ingredients
Milk-soaked oats
For the batter
For the topping
Instructions
Step 1
Stir 90 g rolled oats with 240 g whole milk in a large bowl and let it sit for about twenty minutes. Soaking softens the oats so they don't pull all the moisture out of the batter while baking. The oats are ready when they are plump and the mixture has thickened like a thin porridge.
Step 2
While the oats soak, preheat the oven to 190°C and grease or line twelve cups of a muffin pan. Having the pan ready lets you get the muffins into the oven as soon as the batter is mixed, while the leavening is at its strongest. You're ready when the oven has come up to temperature.
Step 3
In a separate bowl, toss together 180 g all-purpose flour, 40 g brown sugar, 8 g baking powder, 2 g baking soda, a pinch of salt and a pinch of ground cinnamon, pinching apart any lumps of brown sugar. Brown sugar clumps easily, so breaking it up keeps the muffins from having overly sweet spots. The mixture is ready when it is loose and an even pale beige.
Step 4
Add 100 g eggs, 120 g honey, 80 g vegetable oil and 4 g vanilla extract to the bowl of soaked oats and whisk vigorously. Thick honey needs a good whisking to blend into the oil and milk; otherwise it settles in streaks at the bottom of the muffins. The mixture is ready when the honey has fully dissolved and no strands of it cling to the whisk.
Step 5
Tip the dry ingredients into the wet mixture and fold gently just until no large patches of dry flour remain. Overmixing makes the muffins tough and gives them long tunnels inside. The batter is ready when it is thick, a little lumpy, and falls from the spatula in clumps.
Step 6
Divide the batter among the twelve muffin cups so each is about three-quarters full, then sprinkle 15 g rolled oats over the tops. The oat topping bakes up crisp and gives the muffins a rustic look. The cups are ready when they hold equal amounts of batter and each top has a thin layer of oats.
Step 7
Bake at 190°C for about 18 to 22 minutes, until the muffins are puffed and the tops are a honey brown. Honey makes them brown quickly, so start checking at the fifteen-minute mark. They're done when a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean and the tops spring back when pressed lightly.
Step 8
As soon as the muffins come out of the oven, warm 15 g honey until runny and brush a thin layer over each top, then leave them in the pan for about ten minutes before lifting them out. Honey soaking into the hot tops makes the crust fragrant and beautifully shiny. They're ready when the tops have dried slightly and no longer feel sticky but still glisten.
Equipment
- Oven
- Muffin tin
- Whisk
- Spatula
- Mixing bowl
- Kitchen scale
- Wire cooling rack
Tips
- Use regular old-fashioned rolled oats rather than instant oats, which turn mushy and make the muffins gummy.
- You can fold a handful of raisins or chopped walnuts into the batter at the final mixing step for extra texture.
- Honey tastes different depending on the flowers; coffee blossom honey is bold, while longan blossom honey is lighter and more delicate.
Storage
The muffins stay soft for three days in an airtight container at room temperature. For longer storage, wrap them individually and freeze for up to a month, then warm them in the microwave for about twenty seconds.
Common problems and how to fix them
- The tops darken too quickly while the inside is still raw.
- Honey makes the tops burn easily. Lower the oven to 175°C, or lay a loose sheet of foil over the pan for the last five minutes.
- The muffins are heavy and dense like steamed cake.
- The oats weren't soaked long enough or the batter was overmixed. Soak the oats for the full twenty minutes and stop mixing as soon as the batter comes together.
This recipe is based on the common ratios for this bake and is written entirely in our own words.
