Raspberry Oatmeal Muffins

This recipe comes from a friend who made mini raspberry muffins.  The original recipe, found below, calls for blueberry muffins.  I made these with raspberries and strawberries, but they would be good with any kind of fruit.  Yum!

Maid Marian's Blueberry Oat Muffins

Ingredients:
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup buttermilk or soured milk
1 cup all-purpose flour (I use whole wheat)
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup melted butter
1 cup fresh blueberries

Directions:
Combine oats and buttermilk. Let stand.
Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and brown sugar.
Add beaten egg and melted butter to oat mixture. Mix well.
Add oat mixture to dry ingredients. Fold in blueberries.
Fill well-greased muffin cups 3/4 full.
Bake @ 400F for 15-22 minutes.


Makes 1 dozen muffins.

I found a really great way of adding fruit to muffins without crushing the fruit of discolouring the muffins. I used to find that when I added frozen blueberries to the muffin mixture, it turned the muffins mixture a purply grey colour - not very appealing. Now I add 1/2 the mixture to the muffin tins, place the frozen fruit on top, add the remaining mix, then add additional fruit on top. I push some of the fruits down so it mixes in well with the batter. Works perfectly! and no weird purple colour any more.

Notes:

To "sour" milk or make buttermilk, stir in 1 Tbsp white vinegar to the milk.
I added about 1/4 cup of ground flax seed to the mixture.
I use half Agave Syrup and half brown sugar. Agave Syrup is a natural sweetener, much healthier for you than sugar.
I used frozen raspberries to half the mixture and frozen straweberries, cut, to the other half.
You could easily substitute any fruit for this - mango, peaches, etc.