Wild Blackberry Muffins

We will be leaving Umbria soon and returning to North America for six months, so I am working hard at emptying my freezer before we leave. I had gone picking wild blackberries in the valley behind our property a month or so ago, and now have four bags of blackberries I need to use up in just over three weeks. I can see lots of smoothies in my future! I decided to bake some muffins for our farmhouse guests, and pulled a recipe from my files for a basic muffin. I made a few changes to rebuild the recipe to add more nutritional value, but wanted to make sure the muffin stayed moist and tasty. I genuinely like the texture oat flour gives to baked goods, so I substituted oat flour for half the all-purpose. Next time I make these muffins, I’ll use whole wheat pastry flour as well as oat flour and skip the all-purpose flour altogether. I used low fat buttermilk, and reduced the amount of sugar called for and was very pleased how the muffins turned out. My wild blackberries have both a tart and sweet flavor that truly made these muffins come to life although you could substitute fresh or frozen blueberries or raspberries in place of the blackberries.

• Oat flour is packed with nutrients including protein, fiber, B vitamins, antioxidants, and trace minerals (iron, zinc, copper, and magnesium).
• Using low fat buttermilk in place of regular retains moistness but reduces fat calories significantly.
• Blackberries are high in dietary fiber and antioxidants.