Oatmeal muffins. Winter is such a good time for them. And recipes galore abound. But frankly it can be hard to find a recipe that actually results in a pretty, taste-filled, moist, and not gummy oat muffin—a muffin you can be proud of.

(Image Source: Beyond the Chicken Coop)

The reasons for this are explained by chef Dan Souza, of Culinary Institute of American and America’s Test Kitchen (ATC): “Oats are dry and tough, making them difficult to incorporate into a tender crumb. And what chance does their mild, nutty flavor have of shining through when it is clouded by loads of spices and sugar?”

This challenge became the topic for one of his research projects. He met the challenge and found success. Read on for his solutions and expert advice.

One of his first conclusions: The real problem with most oatmeal muffin recipes is the oats themselves. The most common approach was to toss a few handfuls of the old-fashioned typed of oats (ATC’s preferred choice) into a quick bread-style muffin batter. Following the usual practice of separately combining wet ingredients and dry ingredients, then blending the two mixtures together and baking, the result was muffins speckled with dry, chewy oats featuring raw white centers.

It was clear (over and over no matter the recipe tried) that simply stirring raw oats into the batter wasn’t enough to sufficiently hydrate and cook them. And recipes calling for quick cooking oats had other issues (gone were the dry, uncooked bits flecking the crumb, but with that went any trace of oat taste). So Dan decided to stick with the old-fashioned oats, determined to find the best way to ensure that they would cook through.

What he discovered after several different approaches to hydrating the oats was that when they’re hydrated and heated, they release gobs of starch (good news for a bowl of porridge, but BAD news for muffin batter). Oat starch ends up trapping some of the moisture in the batter, thus preventing the flour from evenly hydrating. The result: thick, gummy patches in the baked muffin.

In the interest of space and knowing you just want to know what he discovered that makes for success, I’ll cut to the chase. After all sorts of other technique experimentations, Dan discovered how you can retain the subtle taste of oats and turn out a fluffy, moist, and pretty oatmeal muffin. It takes 4 steps:

1. Toast your oats in butter. Browning them in butter develops a rich, complex flavor and aroma.

2. Then grind the buttered oats into a fine meal. This ensures they’ll absorb your recipe’s liquid.

3. Mix the ground oats into your batter (more on HOW TO DO THIS in a minute).

4. Let everything sit for 20 minutes so the oats fully hydrate into the batter.

Now, about mixing your ground oats into the batter. Even finely ground oats create lumps. T0 minimize lump size without overworking the oat starch and gluten (thus toughening the crumb), don’t use a spatula for folding. Instead, draw a whisk gently down and then up through the batter. Tap the whisk against the bowl to release clumps.

With technique down, it’s time to do our own experimenting. Here’s Dan’s wonderful recipe for superb oatmeal muffins. I’ll admit up front that this takes more time than your typical muffin recipe. But Cook’n cooks are all about constant improvement and stellar results, so the extra effort goes with the territory, right?

AMERICA’S TEST KITCHEN OATMEAL MUFFINS (yield: 12 muffins)

TOPPING

½ cup old-fashioned oats

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup finely chopped pecans (walnuts can be substituted)

1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

1 ¼ teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

MUFFINS

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus 6 tablespoons melted

2 cups old-fashioned oats

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

1 ½ teaspoons salt

¾ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon baking soda

1 1/3 cups packed light brown sugar

1 ¾ cups milk

2 large eggs, beaten

1. TOPPING: Combine oats, flour, nuts, sugar, cinnamon, and slat in medium bowl. Drizzle melted butter over mixture and stir to thoroughly combine; set aside.

2. MUFFINS: Grease and flour 12-cup muffin tin. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add oats and cook, stirring frequently, until oats turn golden brown and smell of cooking popcorn, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer oats to food processor and process into fine meal, about 30 seconds. Add flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda to oats and pulse until combined, about 3 pulses.

3. Stir 6 tablespoons melted butter and sugar together in large bowl until smooth. Add milk and eggs and whisk until smooth. Using whisk, gently fold half of oat mixture into wet ingredients, tapping whisk against side of bowl to release clumps. Add remaining oat mixture and continue to fold with whisk until no streaks of flour remain. Set aside batter for 20 minutes to thicken. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees.

4. Using ice cream scoop or large spoon, divide batter equally among prepared muffin cups (about ½ cup batter per cup; cups will be filled to rim). Evenly sprinkle topping over muffins (about 2 tablespoons per muffin). Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 18 to 25 minutes, rotating muffin tin halfway through baking.

5. Let muffins cool in muffin tin on wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove muffins from tin and serve or let cool completely before serving.

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