I love breakfast. It combines everything I like in a single meal. Eggs. Cheese. Bacon. Carbs. Sweets. It can be warm and savory. It can be refreshing and simple. Many things that normally would not necessarily qualify as a meal find their way into breakfast. Smoothies, which are really just glorified frappes, become nutritious at breakfast. French toast, which we should all just admit is a vehicle for syrup and sugar, is a mainstay at any self-respecting breakfast establishment. It really is a surprisingly versatile meal. 

This makes Easter (which I recognize was a couple of weeks ago – I saved a recipe) my favorite holiday to prepare the meal for. We do a brunch, with french toast casserole, omelets made to order, fruit, ham, etc. But, as you can probably guess, brunch is a very carb-heavy meal. It seemed wrong not to offer muffins, but with so many other carbs on the table, I was worried that people wouldn’t eat them.

So I turned to a trick I’ve used before – make them mini. Everyone likes mini baked goods. And I figured that with all of the other options, people wouldn’t feel as bad picking up a mini muffin as compared to its regular-sized counterpart. Alas, my theory was only partially correct – I think more were consumed than regular sized would have been, but there were still a lot of leftovers. Luckily, Easter is on a Sunday, so my mom was able to bring them into work, where I am told they disappeared quickly.

Regardless, these are really easy and pretty healthy mini muffins, which, obviously, could be made larger if you weren’t serving them alongside the carb options I was.

First, combine the milk and oats in a bowl and set aside for 10 minutes.

In the meantime, mix together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and light brown sugar, making a well in the middle.

Add the eggs, butter, vanilla extract, and oats mixture. Stir until just combined.

Line a mini muffin tin with paper. Fill each about 2/3 full.

Bake at 400°F for 10 to 12 minutes or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Muffins are one of those baked goods that really should be served same day. If you are planning on keeping them around, store them in an airtight container at room temperature. Alternatively (and this works with lots of muffin/biscuit/roll recipes), you can let them cool completely, put them in a big ziploc bag, and store them in the freezer. Then, whenever you need a muffin, you can just pop one in the microwave for 30 seconds and its done!

Enjoy!

Oatmeal Mini Muffins

Ingredients:

• 2 cups old fashioned oats
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Combine milk and oats in a medium bowl and set aside for 10 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and brown sugar. Create a well in the middle.
3. Add eggs, butter, vanilla extract, and oatmeal mixture. Stir until just combined.
4. Line a mini muffin tin with paper cups. Fill each about 2/3 full.
5. Bake at 400°F for 10-12 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool 5 minutes in pan before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.