These apple and oatmeal muffins combine quick-cooking oats, fresh apple, buttermilk and spices to make a simple, tasty breakfast treat.

Apple oatmeal muffins on a cooling rack

So many of the muffin recipes you find these days make extra-large muffins, loaded with fat and sugar. While they may be delicious, they really aren’t a healthy choice for breakfast or a mid-morning snack.

These easy apple oatmeal muffins are made with quick-cooking oats, buttermilk, and fresh apples. The apples provide most of the sweetness, making them relatively low in sugar and the buttermilk cuts down on the fat as well.

Buttermilk is a wonderful ingredient for baking as it adds a light, tender texture and mild, tangy flavor to baked goods.

The problem however is that it’s often sold in larger quantities than you need and will go to waste if you don’t use it up. Making your own buttermilk substitute is an easy way to solve this problem.

How to make a buttermilk substitute

The only ingredients you need for a buttermilk substitute are whole or 2% milk (we don’t recommend 1% or skim), and lemon juice or white vinegar. Here’s what you do:

  • Measure one tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar into a one-cup measure.
  • Fill to the one cup line with milk, give it a stir, and let it stand for ten minutes before using it.
Apple oatmeal muffin cut and spread with butter

How to serve apple oatmeal muffins

Although they’re delicious just as they are, we recommend serving our apple oatmeal muffins warmed and spread with a little bit of unsalted butter or whipped cream cheese.

More easy muffin recipes

Apple oatmeal muffin on serving plate
Apple Oatmeal Muffins

Apple-Oatmeal Muffins

Yield: 12 muffins
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes

This easy oatmeal muffin recipe combines quick-cooking oats, fresh diced apple, buttermilk and spices to make a low-fat, low-sugar breakfast treat.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1 cup quick-cooking oats
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons sugar (see recipe notes)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 tablespoons melted butter
  • 1 medium apple, peeled, cored and finely chopped (about 1-1/4 cups)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 425 °F.
  2. Prepare your muffin pan by lightly greasing the bottom of each cup.
  3. Thoroughly combine the buttermilk and oats in a small bowl and set aside.
  4. Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon together in a medium mixing bowl.
  5. Whisk the egg and melted butter together in a large mixing bowl and stir in the buttermilk-oat mixture.
  6. Add the dry ingredients and combine thoroughly, then fold in the chopped apple.
  7. Fill the muffin tins about 2/3 full with the batter.
  8. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, or until the muffins are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  9. Remove the muffins from the pan and cool on a rack.

Notes

We happen to like our baked goods very lightly sweetened and this recipe definitely falls into that category. If you prefer your muffins a tad sweeter, you can feel free to increase the sugar from 2 to 3 tablespoons.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1 muffin
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 111Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 21mgSodium: 242mgCarbohydrates: 18gFiber: 1gSugar: 5gProtein: 3g

Note: Nutrition information is estimated and may vary from your actual results.

© Lynne Webb
Cuisine: American / Category: Baking Recipes