Strawberry Oatmeal Muffins

I love strawberries in and on  anything; my morning oatmeal, salads, drinks, and baked goods of course. Once the California Berries are ripe, I go crazy with the strawberries. Of course local strawberries are the best, but we'll be waiting a couple of months for those, because it was briefly snowing again on Saturday, Grrr!  I added strawberries to my yummy Applesauce Oatmeal Streusel Muffin recipe with great results.

I made these gorgeous muffins to take to a friend's house for coffee. I made the Applesauce Oatmeal  Streusel Muffin recipe, minus the topping, and added about 1 cup of fresh strawberries. They were delish, bursting with loads of strawberry flavor. Last week I also tried to make Banana Strawberry bread, which was an epic fail.  I believe that I added to much Greek yogurt, and too many bananas. As I made these muffins, I held my breath, until they were out of the oven, and they were perfect. These muffins have more rolled oats than flour, and I stirred in the rolled oats, as is, because I like the texture they give to the muffins. in addition to the rolled oats, the muffins are healthy with applesauce and  coconut oil,  that makes them so moist,  which means there is no butter. Then I folded in about 3/4 cup of chopped strawberries, and topped with 1/4 c sliced berries, ripe red, strawberries that look like strawberries, smell like strawberries, and taste like strawberries.  Looks can be deceiving with strawberries sometimes. Do you smell the strawberries before you buy them,? I do.  enjoy!

 Strawberry Oatmeal Muffins:

• 1-1/2  cups rolled oats
• 1-1/4  cups all-purpose flour
• 1  teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4  teaspoon baking soda
• 1  cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2  cup fat-free milk  I used almond milk
• 1/2  cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 3  tablespoons vegetable oil  I used coconut oil
• 1  egg white, lightly beaten
• 1 cup fresh strawberries, divided 3/4c chopped berries; reserve 1/4 c. sliced berries

Directions:

Heat oven to 400°F. Line twelve medium muffin cups with paper baking cups or spray with cooking spray.

Combine oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon in large bowl; mix well. In medium bowl, combine applesauce, milk, sugar, oil and egg white; blend well. Add to dry ingredients all at once; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. (Do not overmix.)

Fold in 3/4 c chopped strawberries. Top muffins with reserved sliced berries.

Fill muffin cups almost full.

Bake 20 to 22 minutes or until deep golden brown. Cool muffins in pan on wire rack 5 minutes. Remove from pan. Serve warm.

I linked up my recipe to Brandie's The Weekend Potluck #115