Blueberry Ginger Granola Muffins (Gluten-free!)

Something about Saturdays and Sundays make me want to have a special breakfast. Something that involves carbs and baking. These Blueberry Ginger Granola Muffins came together quickly and are stupid good. Plus, they’re packed full of healthy grains and healthy fats.

Another perk of these is that they are great for clearing out your pantry. I had a bunch of glass jars that were 1/3 way full with random assortments of nuts and seeds. I found had a jar with 5 dried cherries left in it. What is wrong with me? Why did I leave 5 dried cherries in the jar? Probably because I hoard those delicious little things. Well, I ate those 5 lonely cherries this morning. Anyway. On to the recipe!

Th simple description is first and then photo & some tips are underneath because I hate when photos interrupt a recipe when I just want to get down to business and actually make the damn thing. 🙂

Blueberry Ginger Granola Muffins

Makes 12 muffins. Approximate nutrition stats per muffin: 215 calories, 11 g fat, 27 g carbs, 4 grams protein.
Adapted from Runner’s World Granola Muffins

• 1.5 cups quick-cook oats
• 1/2 cup Trader Joe’s Ancient Grain & Super Seed Oatmeal
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
• 1/2 cup chopped crystallized ginger
• 1 heaping teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup frozen blueberries
• 2 flax eggs (or 2 regular eggs)
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
• 1/2 cup water
• zest of two oranges (I bet lemon would be great too! I’ll try that next time)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350* and liberally grease a muffin tin.

2. Combine all your dry ingredients – oats, walnuts, seeds, ginger, cinnamon, salt. Mix well. Add your blueberries and gently toss to coat them.

3. Combine your wet ingredients – eggs, honey, oil, water, zest. Pour into your dry ingredients and mix well.

4. Evenly divide the mix into the muffin pan. Using the back of a spoon, press the mixture firmly into each muffin tin.

5. Bake for 20-25 minutes until slightly browned. Let cool in pan for 5-10 minutes.

6. Place a wire rack on top of your muffin pan, and then flip it over so the muffin pan is resting on top of the wire rack. Tap the back of the muffin molds to help release them. Gently remove the pan and enjoy.

Ingredient Notes:

• I bet you could use old fashioned oats instead of quick cook and it’d be just fine.

• If you don’t have that Trader Joe’s oatmeal mix, just use extra oats in place of it.

• I used flax eggs because my body has suddenly decided it’s allergic to eggs which is freaking stupid. To make 1 flax egg, combine 1 tablespoon ground flax with 3 tablespoons water and let sit for 5-10 minutes before adding in with the wet ingredients. So I did 2 T flax + 6 T water to replace 2 eggs. We’re good at math here.

• The nutrition stats are based on flax eggs, not chicken eggs.

• If you want it to be 100% vegan, use maple syrup instead of honey.

• This recipe can easily be tweaked to your preference and pantry items. Use whatever dried fruit you have on hand in place of the ginger or swap up the nuts. If you try any particularly delicious variation, please share!

Mix yo’ dry ingredients.

Add your blueberries and gently toss to coat them. Be gentle with these little things. (Only for now.) I add blueberries to the dry mixture instead of folding into the wet+dry mixture like many blueberry muffin recipe tell you to because the dry coating helps them not all sink to the bottom of your muffin. If you want a base of blueberries in your muffins, that’s on you. Do your thang.

Combine your wet ingredients, pour into your dry ingredients and mix well. I mean it – mix well. There’s not a lot of liquid to go around.

It’s not going to look like a batter. It’s going to look like… well, like this. Wet oats and nuts basically.

Evenly divide the mix into the muffin pan. They look all lovely with the mixture just gently placed in there. But don’t leave them like this! You’ll regret it if you do.

Using the back of a spoon, press the mixture firmly into each tin. Don’t skip this step! You’ll think, but my blueberries are popping! Sorry. It must be done. I don’t make the rules here. Actually, I do. Mash! Press those babies in there! While you’re at it, ignore the fact that this picture is blurry. Thanks.

Bake for 20-25 minutes. I took Maizey on a walk to distract me because I’m very impatient when things are baking (Exhibit A: whole wheat flax bread). Let the little beauties cool in pan for 5-10 minutes; this helps ensure they don’t fall apart. The coconut oil is a major factor in holding these together and it helps when that cools. The mashing of the mix into the tins is crucial for helping them not fall apart.

After they have cooled, place a wire rack on top of your muffin pan, and then — holding it together, use some coordination here! — flip it over so the muffin pan is resting upside down on top of the wire rack. Tap the back of the muffin molds to help release them. (Remember this trick we learned with our lava cakes? Same concept.)

Gently lift up the pan and voila!

They’re super cute upside down. Or you can flip them over to serve. They aren’t very tall since there aren’t any leavening ingredients, but they are delicious all the same. I think some peanut butter would be an excellent topping for these.

Enjoy!