Goat Berry?
Don’t google it! Goat Berry Muffins don’t have goat berries in them. Goat berries are not a thing, a new variety of berry, or some strange new sister or close cousin of the gooseberry. This recipe is named for two key ingredients in these tasty muffins: goat milk and berries. You can use any berry of your choosing, but hubs and I really enjoyed the organic blueberries I used to test the recipe. Delicious!
Winter Blues
As winter settles in, the sun rises late, and the skies far too often boast fifty depressing shades of gray, I have a hard time rousing myself from bed. Sun sets early, and winter’s precocious darkness calls me to bed hours before I care to go. A good reason to get out of bed, though, is to grab a tasty muffin and enjoy some food full of health-promoting anti-oxidants, like blueberries.
I enjoy blueberries any time of year, but I am pretty sure I eat more blueberry muffins (thus more blueberries) in winter than in any other season.
Unbox That Muffin!
Ditch the mix box and stock up on ingredients for goat berry muffins. In fact, you could create a larger batch of dry muffin mix that only requires the addition of egg, oil, water, and blueberries when you’re hankering for a nice muffin. Easy as grabbing a box mix, but with scratch-made taste!
About Goat Berry Muffins
Wheat flour, cornmeal, and oats offer a nice flavor and a little heft. The muffins are as filling as they are tasty. A boxed mix’s canned berries can’t compete with fresh blueberries. You can also thaw frozen berries for the recipe with nice results. The muffins are dreamy enough to eat straight, but you could also spread a bit of butter or some jam on them for a little something extra.
Beyond blueberries, goat milk is the other magic ingredient in this recipe. It adds a richer flavor to the muffin. I can rarely score fresh or packaged goat milk, so I use powdered goat milk and reconstitute it. Using powdered milk is great for making that previously mentioned dry mix, too. You can use full, low or non-fat versions of goat milk in this recipe, but the lower the fat the more likely the muffins will stick to the liner. See recipe tips for ways to avoid “the big stick.”
If you don’t do dairy, you can use a nut or oat milk, just add a little more milk to the recipe. My test with nut milk yielded a slightly drier muffin. The mix should be thick, but stirrable. (It should not behave like a sticky bread dough.) Add milk until it softens a bit. You can also use chia seeds or another egg substitute for a vegan version: you just won’t get as much of a rise in the muffin. I used chia seeds for my egg substitute test, with decent results.
When to Eat Goat Berry Muffins
I was going to do a Dr. Seuss “Green Eggs and Ham” riff, but now I’ve put the thought in your mind, I bet you’ll come up with your own. But really, you can eat these muffins just about anywhere, any time. Whether you grab a muffin or two for breakfast or keep them handy as a quick snack, goat berry muffins will butt into your hunger like a billy goat into an unsuspecting backside. Get a power boost from this tasty and satisfying muffin.
Want another muffin idea? Try Magic Muffins. They magically make zucchini into something akin to a cupcake!
Goat Berry Muffins
Equipment
- 1 muffin tin recipe makes 12 muffins
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 C flour
- 1/2 C cornmeal mix
- 1 C sugar or substitute sweetener
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 C oats
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 C goat milk
- 1/3 C vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 C blueberries or other berry / berry medley
- 1/4 C chopped pecans (or walnuts) optional
Instructions
- In large mixing bowl, mix eggs, sugar/sweetener, milk, and oil.
- In a separate bowl combine flour, cornmeal mix, baking powder, salt, and oats.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Place liners in standard muffin tins.
- Gradually add dry ingredients to wet ingredient mixing bowl, mixing on medium setting until blended well.
- Fold in fruit and nuts.
- Fill muffin liners to top with mix.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes until pick comes out clean.
- Cool on baking rack and remove from tin.
- Serve or store cooled muffins.
Notes
Serving Suggestions
Perfect for a quick breakfast, as a side with a meal, or as a snack.Tips
- Did you know? Lower fat muffins are more likely to stick to liners. Spray a little non-stick spray on liners or use a pre-treated liner and allow muffins to cool completely before removing from liner.
Notes
- Calories shown reflect using sugar and whole goat milk. Use low cal sweetener and non-fat goat milk for lower calories.
- This recipe was tested using reconstituted, non-fat powdered goat milk and Splenda for a reduced calorie muffin.