Packed with fresh, juicy blackberries and hearty pecans, these Gluten-Free Blackberry Pecan Oatmeal muffins are so delicious you’d never know they’re healthier!
Can you believe it’s already AUGUST? Where on earth is 2016 going? Better yet, how is it even 2016? Life: slow down already!
To be honest, the saying “time flies while you’re having fun” is 1,000,000% true, so I really can’t complain about this year and these summer months flying by. They’ve been packed with many, many good things.
I guess the real reason I’m in a panic is because summer is by far my favorite fruit season – all of the berries!!!! – and it seems like there’s just never enough time to pack in all of the fresh fruit baking as I’d like. So many berries and so little time!
Ok, that and our baby boy is due exactly 2 months from today (eep!!). In that amount of time have a couple out of town trips planned, we’re closing on and moving into a new house here in Philly, we have a few pre-baby reno projects planned for the new house, and we’ve gotta squeeze in a few childbirth classes — not to mention full time jobs, work travel, and life in general. Phew! ← I need a nap just thinking about it.
Thankfully, baking is my #1 stress reliever, so while I should be packing boxes, I’ve been baking up a storm, and shoving berries into any and every baked good that I can (did you see my Paleo Berry Crumble Bars last week? HEAVENLY!).
I mean, I “need” to have a huge stockpile of frozen gluten-free blackberry pecan oatmeal muffins for 4am feedings once baby arrives. It’s basically medically necessary 😉 AND the yearly blackberry window is very narrow, so it’s bake now or bake never! That’s my excuse at least 😉
The only problem with baking in baby preparation, especially when plump, ripe blackberries are involved? Not many of them make it to the freezer. These muffins certainly have a way of disappearing in our house.
But can you blame us? ↓↑↓↑↓
They’re healthier (more on that in a minute!) and packed with tons of blackberries and pecans in every bite, which, if you’ve ever had a blackberry pecan muffin, you know is maybe the best thing to ever happen to a muffin. Yes, I said it. MOVE OVER blueberries – blackberries are in town.
Let’s talk about this “healthier” muffin business for a sec. While I love a good bakery style muffin (aka cupcake disguised a healthy breakfast option) I really only want those on rare and very special occasions. On a daily basis I much prefer a muffin that has a little more staying power, fiber, and nutrition. That is NOT to say I want my muffin to taste like cardboard or only be eating it for fuel – a girl still has tastebuds, no matter how healthy she wants to be – but I definitely want to feel good about what I’m eating while enjoying what I’m eating.
So how do these muffins achieve healthier status? The addition of buckwheat flour, generous amounts of fiber-rich oats, reduced sugar and oil, and unsweetened almond milk. Oh, and don’t forget those antioxidant laden blackberries and protein packed pecans. 💁
Yes, there is still refined sugar and oil in these muffins (see note above about TASTE) but the amount is seriously reduced from what you’d find in a standard muffin recipe. And get this – you won’t even miss it, thanks to the intensity of the blackberries crowding every bite and the almond milk that provides just the right amount of moisture without all the extra fat and calories.
So, yes. These gluten-free blackberry pecan oatmeal muffins are the ultimate. A healthy AND delicious grab-and-go breakfast, chalked full of the best that this season can offer — how can you possibly blame me for all the berry-packed procrasti-baking? 😜
Gluten-Free Blackberry Pecan Oatmeal Muffins
- 1 ½ cups certified gluten-free rolled oats
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- ¾ cup all-purpose gluten-free flour blend
- ¼ cup gluten-free buckwheat flour
- ½ teaspoon xanthun gum (omit if your blend contains it already)
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 Tablespoons oil (canola, vegetable, or coconut)
- 2 teaspoons gluten-free vanilla extract
- 1 cup blackberries
- ¾ cup chopped pecans
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray or line tins with muffin liners. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, heat almond milk until steaming hot, and then add oats, stirring well, and set aside to soak.
- In another medium bowl, combine flours, xanthun gum (if needed), cinnamon, and baking powder. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream together the sugars, egg, oil, and vanilla extract. After this, Add in the dry ingredients, mixing well. Once combined, add in the soaked oatmeal, mixing just until evenly combined.
- Gently fold in the blackberries and pecans, taking care not to crush the blackberries. Scoop muffin dough into the prepared muffin tins, filling almost all the way full.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden on top and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Enjoy!