Healthy Cinnamon Apple Oatmeal Muffins
These muffins are great for quick grab-and-go breakfasts and snacks! They’re really moist and tender with the perfect balance of natural apple sweetness and warm cozy spices. Leftovers will keep for at least one week if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, and they also freeze really well!
Ingredients
- ¾ cup (75g) instant oats (gluten-free if necessary and measured like this)
- ½ cup (120g) Stonyfield organic plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 1 cup + 2 tbsp (270mL) Stonyfield organic nonfat milk, divided
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups (240g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 1 tbsp (8g) ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground allspice
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tbsp (7g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
- 2 large egg whites, room temperature room temperature
- 1 ½ tsp liquid stevia
- 1 ½ cups (187g) finely diced Fuji apple (see Notes!)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and coat 12 muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray. (If using liners, then line 12 muffin cups with liners and coat them with cooking spray.)
- In a medium bowl, stir together the oats, Greek yogurt, 6 tablespoons of milk, and vanilla extract. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a third bowl, whisk together the butter, egg whites, and liquid stevia. Stir in the oat mixture, mixing until no large lumps remain. Alternate between adding the flour mixture and remaining ¾ cup of milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, and stirring just until incorporated. (For best results, add the flour mixture in 4 equal parts.) Gently fold in the apples.
- Divide the batter between the prepared muffin cups. Bake at 350°F for 22-25 minutes or until the top feels firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
IMPORTANT MEASURING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: It's extremely important to measure your oats and flour correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. Too much of either will make your muffins turn out dry. This is especially true of the oats because they act like sponges and soak up lots of moisture from the batter.
IMPORTANT MIXING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: Do not use an electric mixer to mix up the batter. This will result in dense or tough muffins. Use a whisk where instructed, and use a fork for everything else.
OATS NOTES + ALTERNATIVE: Instant oats are also known as “quick-cooking” or “one-minute” oats. They’re smaller and thinner than old-fashioned rolled oats, and they're sold in containers right next to the old-fashioned rolled oats. (They only have one ingredient: oats!)
In a pinch, to make your own DIY instant oats out of old-fashioned rolled oats, add ¾ cup (75g) of old-fashioned rolled oats to a blender or food processor, and pulse until they’re ⅛ to ¼ of their original size.
FLOUR ALTERNATIVES: Whole wheat pastry flour, regular whole wheat flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted in place of the whole wheat flour.
EGG WHITES NOTES: The muffins require 2 full egg whites. The whites contain the majority of the protein in eggs, and that protein is required to ensure the muffins maintain their shape and texture while cooling. Without both egg whites, the muffins may collapse while cooling and turn out much denser.
If you prefer to use whole eggs, then use 2 large eggs, and decrease the milk by 1 tablespoon to compensate for the added volume from the yolks.
APPLE NOTES: I love Fuji apples because they’re naturally sweet and have a great texture for baking. Most good red baking apples should also work. I leave the skin on, but you're welcome to peel your apples first, if you prefer.
For the best results, dice the apples to be no larger than the size of chocolate chips to ensure your muffins bake evenly and that the apples soften enough while baking.
GLUTEN FREE OPTION: For the gluten-free flour, use the following: 1 cups (120g) millet flour, ½ cup (60g) tapioca flour, ½ cup (60g) brown rice flour, and 1 ½ teaspoons xanthan gum. Most store-bought gluten-free flour blends (like this one!) will work as well, if measured like this.
ADDITIONAL SUBSTITUTIONS + INFORMATION: For more substitutions, please see the Nutrition Information below.
STONYFIELD PRODUCTS: To find Stonyfield products near you, use their store locator here. (You can actually search by the exact product you’re looking for in stores! So handy!)
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low sugar}
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I'd love to hear what you think of it in a comment below! If you take a picture, tag @amys.healthy.baking on Instagram or use the hashtag #amyshealthybaking.