Oatmeal Blueberry Muffins

When I was craving Lemon Poppyseed Muffins, I asked my grandma to see if she had a good recipe.  Her recipe cabinet looks like this!

So, I just knew she would have something for me in that stash!  Ask and you shall receive!  She sent me this really cool "basic batter" page from a 1991 edition of Ladies Home Journal.  It has 16 variations of muffins on one page!  There are bran and corn ones, even oatmeal and plain types.  I already had a Lemon Poppyseed Muffin mix in my cabinet but I will definitely try the homemade version from this sheet next time!

Here are the Oatmeal Blueberry ones and how to make them:

Oatmeal Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter, melted

1 cup milk

1 large egg

2/3 cup old-fashioned oats

1 1/3 cup flour (I used 1 cup whole wheat and 1/3 cup all-purpose white.)

1/3 cup sugar

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries, tossed with 1 Tablespoon flour

For topping:

1 Tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Grease twelve 2 1/2 inch muffin pan cups.

In a medium bowl, whisk together wet ingredients:  melted butter, milk, egg, and oats.  Let stand 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients:  flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and nutmeg.

Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients just until combined.  Fold in the blueberries.

Spoon batter evenly into prepared muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full.

Combine topping ingredients and sprinkle over muffins.  Bake 15-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Cool in pans on wire rack for 5 minutes.  Remove from pans and serve warm.  Or cool completely, wrap well and freeze up to 1 month.  To reheat, loosely wrap each muffin in a paper towel and microwave for 15-20 seconds.

Enjoy!

Oatmeal Toffee Cookies

Yes!  Finally!  Ask and you shall receive! :)

These cookies are always a hit and they go way back.  I would make these occasionally all the time when I was in high school.  I loved to bake even back then.  My friends and family never complained.  :)

I have to give a BIG shout out to my beloved high school girlfriends.  All 8 of us are still very close and try to get together a couple times a year even though we are spread across 5 states.  When we reunited, it's just like old times.  There is something deep about those friendships you make early on in life and have made a commitment to maintain over the years.  I love each of you very much and miss you everyday.  We have so many spooner memories I will cherish forever.  I hope you make these cookies and think about all the school days, weekends, and summer nights we spent living, exploring, and growing together.

Here is how to make them:

Oatmeal Toffee Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened (not melted)

2 eggs

2 cups brown sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 cups old-fashioned oats (not quick-cooking or instant)

1 package of Heath toffee bits (8-10 oz.) *You can usually find these near the chocolate chips at the grocery.

Directions:

Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Grease a cookie sheet.  Beat butter, eggs, brown sugar, and vanilla together.  Add the dry ingredients.  Add the oats and toffee bits.  Drop rounded tablespoon size balls onto the greased cookie sheet.  Bake 8-10 minutes.  I usually take them out after 9 minutes even though they don't look quite done.  Cool 1 minutes on the baking sheet then remove to a wire rack.  I use a thin, metal fish spatula to get them off the tray easily.  The toffee can be sticky until it cools to a chewy consistency so you may need to wipe the spatula off after each cookie removal.  Makes about 36 cookies.

Enjoy!