Morning Muffins

Morning Muffins with Cottage Cheese, Banana & Blueberries

Makes: 10–12 muffins
Prep Time: 10–15 mins | Bake Time: 20–25 mins

Ingredients:

• 1 cup spelt flour

• ½ cup rolled oats

• 1½ tsp baking powder

• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

• Pinch of salt

• 200g cottage cheese

• 2 eggs

• 1 ripe banana, mashed

• ¼ cup butter melted

• ¼ cup maple syrup

• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste

• ½ cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)

  Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced) and line a muffin tin with paper liners or lightly grease with butter or spray oil. This helps prevent sticking, especially with fruit-heavy batters.

2. Mash the banana in a large mixing bowl using a fork until mostly smooth with just a few small lumps. The riper the banana, the sweeter and more flavourful your muffins will be.

3. Add the cottage cheese, eggs, melted butter, maple syrup, vanilla paste, and cinnamon to the bowl.
   Whisk or stir until everything is well combined. It will look a bit lumpy because of the cottage cheese — that’s okay! It adds moisture and protein and melts into the muffins as they bake.

4. Sprinkle in the dry ingredients:
   Add the spelt flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and rolled oats directly to the wet mixture.
   Use a spatula or wooden spoon to gently fold the ingredients together until just combined — do not overmix, or the muffins can turn out tough. The batter will be thick and slightly lumpy.

5. Fold in the blueberries:
   Gently stir through your fresh or frozen blueberries. If using frozen, add them straight from the freezer to avoid streaky purple muffins. A light dusting of flour over the berries can help prevent them from sinking.

6. Fill the muffin tin:
   Use a spoon or ice cream scoop to divide the batter between the muffin cups, filling each about ¾ full. You can top with a few extra oats or berries if you like a bakery-style look.

7. Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until the tops are golden, domed, and spring back lightly when pressed. You can also insert a toothpick — it should come out with just a few moist crumbs (not wet batter).

8. Let the muffins cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. This helps them firm up without going soggy in the base.

Optional Add-ins:

• 1 tbsp chia or flaxseeds for added fibre

• Zest of 1 lemon for brightness

• Swap blueberries for chopped strawberries, raspberries, or diced apple