Gluten Free High Fibre/Protein Oat Muffins

Did you know less than 50% of people get their recommended 25 grams of fibre a day? And did you know that besides what we all associate fibre with (helping you go poo!) it can also lower cholesterol, help control your blood sugar levels and help control your weight (by making you feel full). So, why the heck are people not eating more fibre?

These muffins are packed full of fibre, but not in a gross cardboard kind of way. They are moist and not too dense. Also, because they are made with oat flour they have a nice toasty flavour. Typically “bran” muffins are made with oat bran or wheat germ. I find both of these to have a very strong taste which I’m guessing is why bran muffins are usually also overly sweet. These however are quite low in sugar.

Lately I’ve switched to oat flour for most of my baking. Not only is it gluten free, but it offers a lot more nutrition. “The entire oat is used to make oat flour, so it boasts the nutrition of whole grains. A serving of oat flour is ¼ cup. It contains 110 calories, 3 grams of fibre, 4 grams of protein, calcium, iron, potassium, thiamin, and riboflavin. Overall, oat flour offers significantly more nutritional benefits than white flour.”

Muffins really can be the perfect snack when they aren’t laced with a ton of sugar. They are easily portable and a fairly balanced meal. This one for instance has, 8 grams of protein and 5.5 grams of fibre.

Gluten Free High Fibre Oat Muffins – makes 9

• 3/4 cup ground flax seeds (you could also substitute in a bit of chia seeds, sesame or poppy seeds, or pumpkin seeds)
• 3/4 cup oat flour, choose one that is gluten free if you prefer
• 3/4 cup oatmeal, not instant or quick oats
• 1 tbsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup of any kind of milk, I like buttermilk
• 1/2 cup of maple syrup, honey, brown sugar or coconut sugar, or less if you like
• 1/2 cup of melted coconut oil or butter (I use a combo of both)
• 4 large eggs
• 2 tbsp molasses, optional, but I like that it makes the muffins look darker
• 1 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350F. In a good size bowl add the dry ingredients and mix. In another bowl mix the wet ingredients. Combine the wet mixture into the dry, stirring until incorporated well. I like to let it sit for about 10 minutes, so the oatmeal has a chance to soften up. Line a muffin pan with paper cups and add the muffin batter. Bake for 14-16 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. I like to serve mine with peanut butter and honey. Enjoy.

Note: I usually put 4 in the freezer and store 4 in the fridge and microwave them for 20 seconds before serving 🙂