Cranberry Oat Muffins – A Perfect Snack Food

These cranberry oat muffins are what I call everyday muffins – the ones you might eat for breakfast, grab for a mid-morning snack, pack for lunch and encourage the kids to eat after school. They’re super tasty and filled with nutrient rich ingredients like cranberries, walnuts, oats and whole wheat. These nutty cranberry muffins are a win all around.

Also read: Berry & Lemon Muffins, Seedy Rhubarb Oat Muffins, Saskatoon Lemon & Zucchini Muffins

Moist and delicious, made with whole wheat, large flake oats, walnuts and cranberries .Tasty ingredients that satisfy hunger and provide fibre, vitamins and minerals. That’s why homemade is best!

This recipe makes 12 nice, homemade sized muffins – not the gargantuan sized muffins you buy from large retailers or coffee shops. Just enough to hit the spot.

Are Muffins a Healthy Snack?

I think it’s a stretch to consider most store bought or restaurant bought muffins as healthy. They’re typically high in sugar, unhealthy fats, artificial flavors and preservatives. And they’re usually very large. Eat one of these muffins as your afternoon work snack, and you’re bound to feel sleepy soon after.

Even homemade muffins or organic, gluten-free super food muffins from a local coffee house may not be what you’re looking for in a healthy snack. Which of course begs the question – what exactly are you looking for in a healthy snack?  Once you’ve narrowed that down, look at the ingredient list and nutrition panel to help you decide what’s a good fit for you. If you’re baking your own muffins, it’s much easier to control what goes in your muffin.

For me healthy snacks offer a combination of food groups, are low (or lower than most) in sugar and are just the right size to satisfy a particular craving, usually sweet or salty. These muffins fit the bill for me.

Here are some more of my favorite snacks.

Recipe for Cranberry Oat Muffins

Print Recipe

5 from 4 votes

Nutty Cranberry Oat Muffin

An everyday muffin you can enjoy for breakfast or snack. We love the tartness of cranberries in this recipe, but you could use just about any fruit.

Prep : 10 mins

Cook : 18 mins

Total Time: 28 mins

Servings: 12 muffins

Author: Getty Stewart

Ingredients

• 1 cup large flaked oats
• 1 cup buttermilk *
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup brown sugar or honey
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 2/3 cup sliced fresh or frozen cranberries
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts or sunflower seeds

Topping

• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 Tbsp chopped walnuts

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Lightly grease a muffin pan or line with papers.
• In large bowl, mix oats and buttermilk*; let stand for 15 minutes.
• In separate large bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
• Mix brown sugar oil, vanilla and egg with oats.
• Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients until just combined. Add cranberries and walnuts.
• Spoon into muffin pan.
• Combine topping ingredients and sprinkle on muffins.
• Bake for 15 to 17 minutes until tops are firm to touch.

Notes

*To make a substitute for buttermilk place 1 Tbsp of lemon juice in a measuring cup. Add enough milk to make 1 cup; let sit for 5 minutes.

Try sour cherries and sunflower seeds – so good!

Use all-purpose flour, just add and extra tablespoon of flour, or add a tablespoon of flax meal to add more nutrients and fibre.

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Nutrition Facts (per serving)

Calories: 182kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 11g | Sodium: 180mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 11g | Iron: 1mg

Course: baking

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cranberries, fibre, oats, walnuts

Bring on the week, we’re ready!

We love these cranberry oat muffins, do you have a favorite every day muffin?

Sign up to get articles by Getty delivered to your inbox. You’ll get recipes, practical tips and great food information like this. Getty is a Professional Home Economist,  speaker and writer putting good food on tables and agendas.  She is the author of Manitoba’s best-selling Prairie Fruit Cookbook, Founder of Fruit Share, a mom and veggie gardener.