Strawberry Oat Muffins

  Wedding season is upon me and this weekend has been busy with baking, filling and icing layer after layer of spongy cake with creamy frosting.  I've never been so busy, which is a great feeling!

Vanilla cake with sliced Strawberries and Lemon Buttercream

  I had quite a few leftover strawberries after making this simple cake, so I threw together these muffins for a late breakfast treat. 

Strawberry Oat Muffins

2 cups         Rolled oats

2 ¼ cups     AP flour
2 T              baking powder
1 cup          brown sugar
½ cup          sugar
1 ½ t           salt
1 t               powdered ginger
2                 eggs
2 cups         milk
1 cup          butter, melted
2 cups         strawberries, chopped

Yield: 2 dozen

  Muffins need very little mixing so I opted to stir by hand in a big bowl- I figured my poor overworked KitchenAid needed a much-deserved rest anyway.

1.  Chop strawberries and sprinkle them with some sugar to macerate.  You can use frozen berries if you need to, just allow them to drain a bit before chopping them.

2. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl and stir with a whisk to break up lumps.  Mix milk, eggs and melted butter in another bowl. 

3.  Pour liquids into dries and stir until just combined, then allow the mixture to stand for 5 minutes to let the flour absorb the liquids.  Stir in the strawberries and scoop batter into lined muffin pans.  Top each muffin with a strawberry slice, then sprinkle more sugar on top and bake at 350° F for 20-25 minutes until the tops are golden brown.

  

 The smell of these muffins baking is filling my apartment with the aroma of Strawberryland, and I can hardly wait to crack one open...