Easy Breakfast Home-Baked Muffins Make Wintry Mornings Extra Special

Nibbling on a warm muffin while reading the newspaper, coffee cup in hand, makes a wintry weekend morning extra special. Sure, you can bundle up and drive to the nearest bakery, but here’s a better idea: baking a dozen warm muffins, at home, in about half an hour (some to eat now, some to freeze for the week ahead).

Glazed honey-orange oatmeal muffins are a more healthful alternative to most bakery muffins, which tend to be high in fat. Whole-grain oats replace some of the flour to pump up the fiber, while low-fat buttermilk combined with just a few tablespoons of vegetable oil creates a tender texture. Honey and orange juice impart a citrusy-sweet flavor to both the muffin and the easy glaze.

Glazed Honey-Orange Oatmeal Muffins

Recipe from The Quaker Oats Co.

1 cup quick or old-fashioned oats, uncooked

2/3 cup low-fat buttermilk

1/2 cup plus 1 teaspoon orange juice

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons honey

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 teaspoons grated orange peel

1 egg, lightly beaten

1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup wheat germ or oat bran

2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Line 12 medium muffin cups with paper baking cups or spray bottoms only with cooking spray.

In large bowl, combine oats, buttermilk, 1/2 cup of the orange juice, 1/4 cup of the honey, the oil and 1-1/2 teaspoons of the orange peel; stir well and let stand 10 minutes. Stir in egg until blended.

In medium bowl, combine flour, wheat germ, baking powder, baking soda and salt; mix well. Add to oat mixture all at once; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. (Do not overmix.)

Fill muffin cups almost full. Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs clinging to it. Cool muffins in pan on wire rack 5 minutes; remove from pan. Cool 10 minutes.

Stir together remaining 2 tablespoons honey, 1 teaspoon orange juice and 1/2 teaspoon orange peel in custard cup. Quickly dip tops of muffins into honey mixture, allowing excess to drip off. Serve warm.

Yield: 12 muffins.

Nutrition information per muffin: 160 calories, 4.5 grams fat (25 percent fat calories), 0.5 gram saturated fat, 240 milligrams sodium, 20 milligrams cholesterol, 4 grams protein, 26 grams carbohydrate, 2 grams dietary fiber.