Bookish Baking: Blueberry Orange Muffins

Not the greatest picture, but they taste good!

Turning on the oven in the middle of August may sound like crazy talk, but hear me out. If your summer is going like mine, there’s a ton of stuff happening: weekend getaways, book club meetings, or lazy Sunday brunches. Meanwhile, it’s the height of berry season and I keep compulsively buying giant 2-lb. boxes of blueberries that I have to use up. These muffins make a big batch for gatherings, and with oatmeal, whole wheat flour, and fresh fruit, they’re not too bad for you, either. And the oven only has to be on for 15 minutes! Give them a try for your next party, or freeze half and enjoy them for breakfast later.

Blueberry Orange Muffins

Makes 24 muffins

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked oatmeal
1 cup orange juice
3 cups all-purpose flour (you can use 1 cup whole wheat flour)
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
Turbinado or sparkling sugar, if desired

Directions:

1. Combine the oatmeal and orange juice. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, soda and sugar. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add oatmeal mixture, oil and eggs. Stir just until ingredients are moistened.

2. Carefully fold in berries and orange peel. Spoon batter into greased muffin tins, filling about 3/4 full.

3. If you like, sprinkle sugar over muffins. Bake at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes or until muffins test done. Remove from tins and serve warm. They will keep for several days in an airtight container.