Whole Wheat, Oatmeal, and Raisin Muffins

I'm staying in an Airbnb and have very limited ingredients, but this managed to work for me with several substitutes. The sugars became a banana. The wheat germ and wheat bran became ground flaxseed. The baking soda became 1 Tbsp of baking powder. No cinnamon or vanilla extract. No dried fruit at all. Buttermilk made with milk + lemon juice. So basically, it was totally different, but solely based on your recipe haha. And they turned out fine! Not exactly sweet, but a nice breakfast sort of muffin that would be great with jam. :)

I just finished using this recipe and the muffins are delicious.  They're so moist and, since I halved the amount of sugar, they were just sweet enough with blueberry preserves.  Am looking forward to breakfast tomorrow.

Not overly sweet either.  Easy to make.  Love the cranberries.  (And the way to keep muffins from sticking to the liners are to spray the inside of the liners with a little non-stick olive or canola oil.)  Will make again.

I don't know why so many people liked this recipe. I've got other muffins recipes from this site that are better. And to make matters worse, I used those paper cupcake liners instead of greasing the tin and the muffins stuck to the paper liners -- a real pain. I definitely won't be making this again.

These are delicious!  I added dark chocolate chips and dates.

Excellent recipe and easy to make!

We all loved it! I did not have dried dates, I increased the raisins and cranberries. Also, I did not have wheat bran, thus I doubled the wheat germ. I would cut the salt half next time, but definitely there will be next time.

I've been on a mission to find a super healthy muffin that tastes great and this is it! I read through the reviews and made changes: substituted sugar free applesauce for the oil and skim milk+1tablespoon white vinegar for the buttermilk. It made 12 beautiful muffins. (Reduces calories/fat to about 150/1-2. Then I added one cup of crushed walnuts, which put things back up to about 200/5.). Simply magnificent. LOVE that the fiber content is modest, so not to cause stomach upset. I imagine they will become a staple in my diet. Thank you so much for the great recipe!

These muffins are sooo good and I like that they are healthier than most muffins! I followed the recipe and wouldn't change anything really. You could maybe do just a little less sugar since the raisins, craisins and dates give it a lot of sweetness.

I followed this recipe exactly as directed. These muffins were very moist, flavorful and delicious. I was a little doubtful that these would taste good but boy was I wrong. I made these for Christmas breakfast. My relatives really enjoyed them and took some home. I think these muffins taste even better the day after.

What an amazing recipe. Normally 'healthy' muffins with whole wheat flour are like hockey pucks but these were soft, fluffy and delicous. I slightly adjusted the recipe for things I had, I didn't have oatmeal so I used whole grain granola instead. As well I only used raisins for the dried fruit. The recipe made 15 muffins. I will def make this again!!

Wonderful muffins--so easy and you certainly could vary the fruits, add nuts, seeds, whatever. I used half whole wheat and half unbleached flour for a slightly lighter muffin, as is our preference. I also added 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1/4 tsp. cloves, and cut the cinnamon to 1/2. I like this combination of spices, as I think plain cinnamon lacks the little pop necessary. We always have toasted wheat germ in the fridge, so I used it and prefer the nutty taste it gives. The boiling water thing is odd, but it works--don't skip it. One of these and some cottage cheese kept me full all morning long.

Fantastic muffins, I add 1/3 cup chopped walnuts to this. They are delicious and last for several days without freezing. Also freeze well.

Love these muffins and make them every week. Not too sweet and they have lots of good stuff in them. Hubby and I take one in every day to work to have with our morning coffee. Better and cheaper than buying them. Makes about 18 muffins and are great for a mid-morning snack.

LOVE these muffins! Eat them just about every morning for breakfast. I always make a double batch. They freeze great. I pop them in the microwave for 25-30 seconds after taking them out of freezer. Or they will defrost on counter after about 45 minutes. I follow the recipe but often don't have the wheat bran or wheat germ and therefore leave it out.

This is an excellent recipe -- easy to make, delicious, & healthy. My husband loves them for a quick breakfast. I agree with the earlier review that any dried fruit should be rehydrated in water prior to mixing & baking. I'm going to use this as a base recipe & try different fruits & nuts in future batches, & maybe applesauce in place of oil.

Yum! I added grated orange rind and about 1/4 cup of chopped toasted pumpkin seeds as well. Added more raisins in place of dates and cranberries. These are tasty and healthy!

I LOVE these muffins! They are super easy to make and stay moist for at least a week. They make the perfect breakfast and keep me full till lunch time.

Wow, were these good! I made as directed, and these were a big hit in our household. Small, tender and some-what dense, but not heavy.. excellent flavor. Can already see that these will become a staple for us. Update: Have made these dozens of times in the last three months. They freeze well, thawing either on the counter or with a quick zap in the microwave.. I always keep some in the house. As part of breakfast or a mid-day snack, these little muffins are deceptively filling. Several of the ingredients were not things I usually kept in the house, but I do now, and happily so! I've lost count of the number of times I've been asked for this recipe, and know of at least three others who also now bake these muffins regularly. One of the best, and certainly the 'most made' recipe of the many I've tried on Cooking Light.

These are the most delicious & nutritious muffins I've made for my family. My 8 year old son loves them, which is the real taste test. Here are a few modifications to this recipe I've made: 1) soak the dried fruit in water for 15 minutes prior to adding, which makes the fruit more plump and juicy. 2) reduce sugar by only including 1/8 cup of brown sugar. The fruit adds so much flavor, the extra sugar isn't needed. My diabetic father-in-law can now each them as well. 3) add a 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts. 4) add a 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder to make them more fluffy..

These muffins are wonderful! I used 1/2 c. brown sugar, 3 thawed bananas, and dried figs instead of dates. I also added 1 T. wheat germ, and a sprinkling of sweetened coconut. I was able to make 12 large muffins, and 12 mini-muffins from one recipe. My 17 month old gobbled them up. I'll also be wrapping and freezing these to make for easy breakfasts. Will definitely make again.

Delicious, fiber-filled, with perfect level of sweetness and texture. This was a big hit with my household, and it was SO easy to make. I love that there's no butter or heaviness in the ingredient list. I swapped canola oil for grapeseed, dried plums (chopped) for dates, and didn't have buttermilk so I fashioned my own out of a few tablespoons of cream cheese and water. Turned out great!

I absolutely love this muffin recipe! It's become a new weekly staple in my home and makes the perfect breakfast. Since I wanted a bigger muffin, I made these in larger muffin tins, reducing the amount of muffins to 8. I also substituted dried blueberries and chopped walnuts for the raisins and dates - the walnuts really make a nice addition!

I have made this recipe many times. I add different dried fruits each time - whatever I have on hand and these muffins are always perfection. I've used smashed banana, walnuts, raisins, craisins, and pecans. Always have the other ingredients on hand. I never thought about freezing these, so I'm thankful for reading the reviews, because this makes a lot of muffins for just two of us! Also want to try the applesauce one day. Sounds interesting. Thanks readers, and cookinglight.com!

Muffins had an odd tastes and texture, surprisngly bland for all of the ingredients, may try again with cutting the whole wheat flour with white flour.

I've made this many time. Instead of white sugar I use Brown Rice Syrup. I also use 1/3 choc chips, 1/3 cup chopped walnuts and 3 tlbs of Flax seed. I make them in cupcake size instead of muffin size. I freeze them and take them out as I need. Shorter baking time is use when making them in cupcake pans.

Amazing! Just had one out of the over and I would have never guessed that they would taste as good as they do. I didn't change a thing with the recipe though found it really hard to find untoasted wheat germ.

Great! Used golden and regular raisins. Will definitely make again.

Easy, satisfying, and delicious! I left out the dates because I'm not a big fan. Also subbed ground flax for wheat germ; it's what I had on hand. Froze most of the muffins and now I pop one in the microwave for 30 seconds and it tastes fresh from the oven. So convenient. I will definitely be making these again.

I have made these muffins several times and they are delicious! I'm thinking about substituting the dates next time for some other dried fruit since so many others have had great success! Thanks cooking light for another great recipe!

I made a few adjustments to use what I had on hand and they came out great! I used yogurt instead of buttermilk, applesauce instead of oil, and extra bran (no wheatgerm). I added chopped walnuts and dried peaches to the raisins and cranberries (no dates). I baked them in a mini-bunt-style muffin pan - so cute! Husbeast says they may be the best muffins he's had.

Delicious! I just ate my first one out of the oven. Had to make a few substitutions, as I live in a remote area. Combined 1Tbs. white vinegar with the 1C. milk for the buttermilk(and let stand while I prepared the other ingredients), used all raisins for the fruit, and as wheat bran/germ are unavailable here, used crushed All Bran plus cereal as a replacement. A great healthy snack, will be making these over and over again I'm sure!

I made these muffins immediately upon receiving my January 2006 issue of Cooking Light and have made them in various forms - no exaggeration - at least 50 times since (I make muffins every 2 weeks and these are the ones I make most often). I do shake things up a little, varying the fruits, grains, and spices - my favorite combo is one cup of oats and 3/4 cup bran for the grains, and 2/3 cup dates and 1/3 cup craisins for the fruit, and fresh or powdered ginger added with the cinnamon. These are so hearty and healthful, you can't go wrong with these.

This is a great muffin recipe! The only things I did different were to add double the wheat bran since I did not have the wheat germ. Also I used only dried cranberries and raisins - no dates. These are very moist and flavorful! Will make again and again!

I absolutely love this recipe!!! I've used it TONS of times. I substitute the dried raisins and dates for fresh blueberry and raspberries sometimes adding blackberries or apples and they turn out amazing. I use a little less oil and the muffins turn out moist and delicious!

Adults and kids love these muffins. They are moist and taste even better a couple of days after being made. You don't have to like dates or raisins to like these. You'll never know they are in there! No need for substitutions. I make these often. My grandchildren ask for them. And, they're healthy!

Very healthy, and not too sweet. Substituted ground flaxseed for the wheat germ, apple sauce for the oil and splenda for the white sugar. Best healthy muffin recipe I've found yet!

These were excellent! Will make again, often. I used applesauce instead of canola oil, and I used some dried blueberries and cherries in addition to the dried cranberries and raisens (no dates).

We loved these muffins. They are easy They keep you full for a very long time We replaced the dates with other fruit. Very easy to make and travel with. Making them again asap.

Great morning muffin before or after a long training run. Paired with a glass of skim milk, it's the perfect refueling snack my body needs after working out.

I make these muffins almost every week as a Sunday morning treat--with coffee and the newspaper, they can't be beat. I was impressed with the healthy ingredients--while there is sugar, these muffins are not cloyingly sweet. I double the recipe so there are always some on hand in the freezer if we have to eat a rushed breakfast or need to hit the road early.

I have made this recipe countless times and always get rave reviews, even my kids love them. I did switch the raisens for currants and make the batter the day before and let it sit in the refridge until I am ready to bake. I find the batter is thicker and all the ingredients are well blended. Once made these freeze really well.

This recipe is fabulous! Very moist, tasty muffins...wouldn't change a thing!

Fantastic! I'd been looking for a healthy snack bread - and this does it for our family! I make it as a loaf and cook in a shallow loaf pan (11x7) for ~ 30 mins. I then cool and cut the loaf in half length wise and wrap and freeze each section. We unfreeze a section when we want - it's usually gone in a day or two! Also I did not have untoasted wheat germ on hand, so I just used the toasted - works fine.

Delicious! I added 1/4 tsp of nutmeg and replaced the egg with 1 tbsp of ground flaxseed and 3 tbsp of water. This will be a staple in our household from now on.

This is the best muffin recipe I have ever tasted. We do not like dates, so I used dried figs instead. DELICIOUS! Will make again and again!

This is a truly outstanding recipe: easy to make, flavorful, and healthy! I used regular oats, substituted applesauce for the oil, Splenda for the granulated sugar, used regular unbleached flour (it's what I had on hand), dried cranberries, cherries and raisins and they're delicious. I also spiced them up a bit--added allspice, nutmeg, ground cloves and black pepper (yes, black pepper!)--so flavorful! Be sure to let the batter sit as directed...it's key to making them moist!

I used a mini muffin pan and now they are the perfect healthy snack for my toddler. Genius!

These are wonderful. I didn't have wheat germ so subbed with more bran. I'm doing Weight Watchers so I was happy that each muffin has a serving of healthy oil. I will definitely make these again. I like it that they are not overly sweet. I used cranberries, cherries and raisins. I have a new muffin pan that makes square muffins that I love.