Cranberry Oat Muffins - Crème Fraîche for Breakfast - Day 4 of 30 #CremeFast

Brown Sugar Oat Cranberry Muffins | From “Flour, Too” by Joanne Chang

Recipe Makes 12 muffins

Ingredients: 

• 3 1/2 cups rolled (not instant) oats
• 1 1/4 cups creme fraiche
• 1 cup whole milk, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
• 2 large eggs
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 1/2 cups frozen or fresh sweet or sour cherries, pitted and chopped
• 1 1/4 cups whole-wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

For brown-sugar oat topping:

• 1/4 cup rolled (not instant) oats
• 3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
• Pinch of ground cinnamon

Instructions:
In a medium bowl, stir together rolled oats, creme fraiche, milk and butter with a wooden spoon until combined. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs together and stir into the oat mixture. Add granulated sugar, brown sugar, and cherries, and continue to stir until well combined.

In a separate small bowl, combine whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and stir until well mixed. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet oat mixture. The batter will be gloppy. Transfer the batter to an airtight container and place in the fridge. Let the batter sit for at least 8 hours or up to overnight in the refrigerator.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees and place a rack in the center of the oven. Line the cups of the muffin tin with paper liners, coat liberally with nonstick spray, or butter and flour them. Spoon about 1 cup of the batter into each muffin cup, filling it all the way to the brim and way over. (It will seem like there’s too much batter for the tins, but if you want the characteristic muffin top you need to overfill them. You can make smaller muffins if you prefer and reduce the baking time by about 10 minutes.) The batter will be stiff and firm.

To make the topping: In a small bowl, stir together oats, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the muffins and place the muffin tin on a baking sheet to catch any drips. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until the muffins are golden brown on top and spring back when pressed in the middle with a fingertip. Let cool in the tin on a wire rack for 20 minutes and then remove muffins from the pan.

These muffins taste best the day they are made, but you can store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. If you keep them for longer than a day, refresh them in a 300 degree oven for 5 to 6 minutes. Or, you can freeze them, well wrapped in plastic wrap, for up to 1 week. Reheat directly from the freezer in a 300 degree oven for about 10 minutes.