Blackberry, Oat & Yoghurt Muffins

The end of summer/start of autumn is a great time of year for fresh blackberries. You may find them in supermarkets and farm shops, and some farms will let you pick your own. Best of all though is that they grow plentifully in the wild in hedges in public places and country parks, and can usually be picked free of charge.

Nutritionists will say that they are good for our overall health in various ways, such as being a source of Vitamin C and antioxidants, which protect our body cells.

I recently went on a walk to pick some in a nearby country park. I have included a photo of my haul of two filled plastic containers. My Fitbit told me afterwards that I had earned 52 active zone minutes from the exercise, which shows how blackberries can be good for our health in more ways than one!

There are many ways to use blackberries. A favourite of mine is as a topping on muesli.

I have also used them recently in a blackberry, coconut and almond traybake.

Probably my favourite though is the muffins, shown in my main photo, where they are combined with rolled oats and natural yoghurt, The muffins can be enjoyed for breakfast, as a lunchtime snack, a picnic dessert, or indeed at any time.

Servings

Ths will make 12 muffins.

Timings

15 mins to make, 25 mins in the oven at 180C.

You Will Need

• 200g plain flour
• 1 and a half tsp baking powder
• half tsp salt
• 85g rolled oats
• 240 ml natural yoghurt
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 egg, beaten
• 120g light brown sugar
• 90ml milk
• 90ml vegetable oil
• 140g fresh blackberries

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C and prepare a muffin tray/container. I use a flexible silicone plastic mould that requires no greasing. This makes it especially easy to pop out the muffins when they are baked.
2. Wash and dry the fresh blackberries. Lay them on a dish.
3. Weigh out the flour and sprinkle a few tablespoons over the blackberries, turning them so they are coated in the flour. This will help stop them sinking to the bottom of the muffin mixture as they are baking.
4. Mix together the rest of the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl.
5. In a separate bowl, stir together the oats, yoghurt and bicarb of soda. Let this stand for a minute, then add the beaten egg, sugar, milk and veg oil.
6. Pour the oat/yoghurt mix into the flour mix and stir to combine. Add the flour-coated blackberries in the final few strokes.
7. Spoon the combined mixture into the muffin tray and bake for 25 mins.
8. Remove from the tray/mould when the muffins have slightly cooled, and let cool fully on a wire tray.

Customise it!

Missed the blackberry season? Don’t worry – substitute another fresh berry, such as raspberry or blueberry, and the muffins will be nice also.

If you do venture into the countryside to go blackberry picking, here’s a topical track from The Farmer’s Boys to get you in the mood.