Apple Oatmeal and Goat Cheese Muffins with browned butter and a streusel top are fun, 100% whole grain and delicious! Keep reading to hear all about some awesome new photography props and otherwise scroll down for the recipe and see what the other fabulous members of #MuffinMonday made!
Guys!!!!! I am so excited!!!! I feel funny even talking about it, like whatever props I use for my food photography should be kept a careful secret, such that my readers just believe I have 8 billion different tables to photograph my food on, but whatever, I am sharing because I am excited! So a few years back, I decided to really step up my game photography wise. I found a good spot in the house (by a French door for lots of natural light), bought a folding table to live nearby as well as a tripod, and eventually invested in some vinyl “wood” tabletops. Now I am not knocking on the vinyl. First, often it is all a blogger can afford. Second, while it does look fake, I personally believe it only looks fake to those who study it. I have tons of family and friends “in real life” who were convinced I had purchased new tables–and excited to see them! But over time the fact that *I* could tell they were fake started to get to me. So I started investigating real wood photography props (essentially large slabs of wood, varnished or painted or distressed in some way). Great idea but holy moly the cost! So I asked my parents if they could help me purchase the wood for my birthday–sure, but when my mom heard the cost she nearly fell over laughing in disbelief.
You see my mom is an artist. She came to it late in life and will no doubt feel funny that I have called her such, but she is. Her paintings hang on my walls, and not just because I am trying to make her feel good about an empty nest hobby. I love her paintings and have asked for one more than once. All of the kids in my family–and their spouses!–have, as a matter of fact. Each of us likes different things. With the exception of a mixed media very abstract painting of a blizzard that hangs in my bedroom, most of what I like are her representational yet stylized animal paintings. She volunteers at the Columbus Zoo and does a fantastic job with animals. On the opposite end of the spectrum, my sister in law Katie likes her more abstract paintings–my mom has done a few different interpretations of the Chicago skyline for her. So anyway, after she stopped laughing, my mom said why don’t I just do them for you?
Super squee! She came up with the first set for my birthday last Friday, and I am over the moon at playing with these. I think they are gorgeous on their own! It is funny because she is still perplexed at the cost of the boards commercially available–but I tell you, I could not have done this! It takes skills I don’t have–I am about the least crafty person I know and my hands are completely lousy. Sorry Mom, you will just have to accept that you have talent worth a lot!
You may notice that one one or two muffins in the middle have the paper tulip cups. That is because they take awesome pictures when they are unpeeled, but are otherwise wasteful to my mind. I prefer the fugly (that would be fun but ugly) silicone wrappers, thanks.
OK about these muffins. I adore them. John loves them. But they are not for everyone. If you don’t like goat cheese, these muffins are not suddenly going to persuade you otherwise (that would be Sammy). And Alex, reacting possibly to the introduction of any savory element into her muffins, found them “weird.”
Whatever, kid.
So if you have kids *of that age* (you know what I mean if you have one), maybe they are not the best choice. But if you love goat cheese and apples and have sent the hooligans to the grandparents for the weekend? These are heavenly.
- 1 cup (140 g) white whole wheat flour
- 1 cup quick cooking oats (or take 1 heaping cup of rolled oats and blitz in the food processor for a few seconds and then measure)
- 1 T baking powder
- 1/2 t fine sea salt
- 2 t Ceylon cinnamon
- 1/2 t allspice
- 1/2 cup browned unsalted butter, slightly cooled
- 2 T full fat sour cream
- 1/2 cup +2 T 2% milk
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup raw Demerara sugar
- 1 large apple, peeled, cored and diced
- 70 g (2.4 oz) soft goat cheese, crumbled, placed in freezer to wait until needed
- 1/3 cup rolled oats
- 1/3 cup raw Demerara sugar
- 1 T white whole wheat flour
- 1 pinch fine sea salt
- 2 T browned unsalted butter, slightly cooled
- 60 g (2.15 oz) soft goat cheese, crumbled
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Preheat the oven to 400F. Line a 12 cup muffin pan with paper or silicone liners. Lightly spray the insides of the cups and top of the pan with oil spray and then set aside.
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Whisk together the flour, oats, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and allspice in a large bowl. Set aside.
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Brown 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter. Remove 2 tablespoons and set aside for use in the topping. Set the remaining 1/2 cup aside to cool.
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Whisk together the sour cream, milk and raw sugar. Whisk in the egg. Whisk in the 1/2 cup browned butter.
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Fold the liquid mixture into the flour mixture. Fold in the diced apple and then fold in the goat cheese crumbles from the freezer.
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Now make the topping: In a new bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, salt and oats. Pour the browned butter over this mixture and mix until everything is evenly moistened with butter.
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Divide the batter between the muffin wells. Then divide the crumbled goat cheese over the tops of the batter. Then divide the oat topping over that--pressing lightly to adhere the oats.
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Bake 15-18 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the biggest muffin comes out clean or with only a few crumbs attached (it could also come out smeared in melted goat cheese). Let the baked muffins sit in the pan for 5 minutes, before lifting each one carefully by the edges to sit on a cooling rack.
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It is hard to resist warm muffins--and these are delicious at either temperature--but they will hold together better once cooled.
#MuffinMonday is a group of muffin loving bakers who get together once a month to bake muffins. You can see all of our lovely muffins by following our Pinterest board. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about Muffin Monday, can be found on our home page. Unlike my other groups, this one will not have any themes other than ones I might impose on just myself–so expect a smörgåsbord of choices each time! Keep on reading to see what everyone baked for September!
- Apple Oatmeal and Goat Cheese Muffins from The Spiced Life
- Apple Oatmeal, A Whole Grain Muffin from Farm Fresh Feasts
- Apple Zucchini Muffins from Love and Confections
- Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins from Food Lust People Love
- Cornbread Bacon Muffins from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
- Peach and Pumpkin Muffins from Passion Kneaded
- Pumpkin Applesauce Muffins from Making Miracles
- Pumpkin Butterscotch Muffins from Kelli’s Kitchen
- Pumpkin Spice Muffins from A Day in the Life on the Farm
And for those who love collages:
thank you, honey
I love this post! Especially the tribute to Mom and her art! Love the photo props! You make beautiful food art ?
Your mom is very talented–as are you, though your talents lie in the kitchen not the studio. Or your studio is your kitchen. Or you eat your work. Pick your analogy.
My kids are past that stage, and would actually make approving noises while eating these muffins–they look yummy!
Thanks!
How lucky for you to have such a talented Mom. She could probably start a second career for herself if you were to market these to other bloggers. Unfortunately I am the only goat cheese lover in my house so I will just have to imagine how delicious they are.
These look like a fantastic “grown up” treat! 🙂 That is awesome to have something hand made by your mom like that – super special!! <3
Dang! Why did we not have this discussion earlier in the summer? I could have asked my daughter to paint me some boards too! Your mother is truly talented, Laura. Your board is gorgeous!
And I love the goat cheese in your muffin! The daughter of a certain age would not be keen but her father and I would be!
My mom worked fast–I only had this conversation a month ago! She has blown my mind! 😀 And hey you still could, it might just be a bit before she could get them to you I am guessing? And I fixed the typo for you.
Those are beautiful and you have a lovely mother to do those for you! The muffins look delicious and I really like the addition of goat cheese – it’s one of my faves so in any muffin I would love it!
That looks great! Your mom did good! Your muffins look yummy too =) I laughed out loud at your comment on the collage!
I never liked the vinyl either… the work your mom does is beautiful!
these muffins sound GOOD – with or without! perhaps the kids would like cream cheese in the middle? 🙂
I love what your mother did! Gorgeous! I tried goat cheese for the first time two weeks ago. I liked it. The brand that I tried didn’t have a strong flavour. Love the idea of adding it to muffins.
If you can find Silver Goat, that is my favorite, but any of the goat cheeses sold in a vacuum packed log should work ok.
I love the goat cheese in these muffins. You pictures are gorgeous!
Oh these muffins look heavenly!
LOVE the wood boards!! I am SO jealous. I have some of the vinyl ones but don’t use them as much as I used to. Maybe it’s time I just invest in the wood! Adding goat cheese to sweet things is one of my favorite “twists”. These muffins sound great!
love love love that you added goat cheese! they sound delicious
How cool that your mom could make such gorgeous boards for you! I am totally impressed. Those muffins sound yummy. I heart goat cheese, but sadly I am the only one in my family, so I’d have to eat them all myself {sigh}.
I have never tried putting goat cheese into a muffin before. What a delicious recipe.
Love your story of the crafty mom. I’m in the same boat – my mom did beautiful ceramics but most of my crafty projects look like they were done by a 5 year old. I’m still trying to decide how I feel about these muffins with streusel, but I know I would love them without. Maybe I could turn the streusel a bit more savory says your always-tinkering-with-recipes-friend.
This sounds amazing!!! I LOVE goat cheese so these muffins sound perfect 🙂
Hello! I’ve included this recipe in my list of oat-tastic recipes to check out in my Saturday round-up. Don’t worry: it’s simply a link that takes my readers to your fantastic blog. 🙂 Check it out! http://bit.ly/1G4rexE
Have a great weekend!
Lauren / The Oatmeal Artist
I was a bit worried when I heard the goat cheese in the muffins! But I looked at the photos and was awestruck! They look so delicious! I’m sure the goat cheese will add a delicious tart and creaminess!
LOL my kids definitely agreed! When I was making them I said I will either think I am a genius or be mortified when I am done. I am happy to say I vote genius! 😉
These sound so good I’m making some today! Did you really mean a tablespoon of baking powder? 🙂
Yep! 🙂