Make Ahead 10 Grain Berry and Nut Freezer Muffins
These multi-grain, honey-sweetened, dried fruit & nut butter-filled freezer muffins are easy to make and eat right away or freeze and bake up whenever a hot muffin is desired. You can leave the tops plain or choose a walnut-cinnamon crumb topping or a fun cashew glaze.
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Did you know that February is Hot Breakfast Month? Me either (ha!), but breakfast has always been one of our family’s favorite meals – both to eat out and at home – so I’ve decided to bring you hot breakfast recipes all through the month of February.
And while you all know that I love my weekday granola, the weekends (and occasionally even an evening), are all about waffles, egg scrambles, frittatas and other wonderfully satisfying hot breakfasts. So I’m happy to have this excuse to share more hot breakfast ideas with you all through the month of February!
So how about a muffin recipe? Though you’re probably like, “That’s a hot breakfast?”
Well, sometimes they are and sometimes they aren’t, right? But get this – this is a make ahead recipe, modeled after our family’s favorite Zucchini Make Ahead Freezer Muffins, which guarantees that they are always hot!
How? You freeze the dough, not the baked muffin, and pull out just the number of muffins you want which you bake from frozen – no needing to remember to get them out early to thaw! So you can always have a warm fresh-from-the-oven muffin whenever you want one!
See, they can be a hot breakfast, and easily.
But wait, it gets even better with two topping choices! A walnut-cinnamon streusel or a fun nut-butter and honey glaze. Of course, they’re good plain, but why not amp up the flavor a bit?
How to make 10 Grain Berry & Nut Freezer Muffins
The nice thing about muffins is that they are really easy to make.
These start with soaking the 10-grain cereal in buttermilk (I use milk with vinegar ever since I realized that store ‘buttermilk’ is full of junk…) before mixing up the rest of the ingredients.
You can use any nut butter you’d like- cashew, almond, peanut, even sun butter. This time I used cashew butter and I have to say I love the mild flavor of this nut butter! I actually haven’t tried cashew butter before- it’s a nice way of upping the protein content without giving a super distinct flavor like peanut or almond butter can.
Simply scoop the batter into baking cups like usual, but instead of baking, freeze them until firm in the muffin pan. Pop them out and package them in freezer bags to bake up at your convenience, when you can add the optional toppings or serve plain.
See why our family loves freezer muffins?
Freezer Muffins Optional Toppings
1. Walnut-Cinnamon Streusel:
- Mix some chopped, heart-healthy walnuts, a bit of cinnamon and raw sugar together.
- Evenly distribute with a tablespoon between six of the frozen muffins right before baking.
- Press down on the topping to encourage those walnuts to stick and bake as normal.
2. Cashew-Honey Glaze:
- Make a seemingly decadent ‘glaze’ from a couple tablespoons of cashew butter (or any nut butter), honey, vanilla, and milk.
- The cashew butter glaze I made was surprisingly mild (meaning, it didn’t taste strongly of cashews) and added a fun touch drizzled over the tops of the freshly baked muffins.
Ahh, but the walnut-cinnamon topping was so good, too. Choices…choices.
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Make Ahead 10 Grain Berry & Nut Freezer Muffins
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup 10-Grain cereal like Bob's Red Mill
- 1 cup buttermilk*
- 1/3 cup honey or maple syrup
- 1/3 cup butter or coconut oil softened
- 1/2 cup nut butter like cashew almond, or peanut
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 ½ cup whole wheat pastry flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup dried berries cranberries, blueberries, cherries, or a mix
OPTIONAL TOPPINGS
Walnut Streusel:
- 1/3 cup chopped walnuts
- 1 tablespoon raw sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Line 18 muffin cups with paper muffin liners.
- Combine 10 grain cereal and buttermilk in a bowl and let stand for 15 minutes.
- Add honey, butter, and nut butter to a large mixing bowl; mix until creamy.
- Beat in eggs and vanilla.
- Add flour, salt, baking powder, soda and 10-grain buttermilk mixture; mix gently until combined and then fold in the dried berries.
- Use a muffin scoop to divide dough between prepared muffin cups, filling about 3/4 full. Cover the trays with waxed paper and freeze until firm, about 24 hours. Remove from muffin tins and store in freezer baggies or containers in the freezer until ready to bake.
- When ready to bake: Remove as many muffins as you'd like and place in a muffin tin. Heat oven to 375 degrees.
For Streusel Topping:
- Mix all streusel ingredients together and divide between 6 muffins using a tablespoon. Press down on the nuts to help them stick to the frozen dough.
- Bake frozen muffins 22-25 minutes, until browned and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- For Honey Nut Butter Glaze:
- Mix all ingredients until pourable and drizzle onto warm muffins.
Notes
Nutrition
Disclosure: I received product and/or compensation for this post. As always, the opinions, thoughts, and projects are all mine and I will NEVER promote something I don’t love and think you will find helpful – promise! This post also uses affiliate links that earn commission based on sales, but doesn’t change your price. Click here to read my full disclaimer and advertising disclosure.
These look great. I didn’t realize you could freeze muffin batter raw. I’m excited to try that!
It was a great day when I realized that around here, Angi. 🙂
I love the glaze idea with the topping! And I’ve never thought to freeze muffins to bake later but that’s ingenious. I always have more time in the kitchen at dinner time as I’m wrapping things up than I do in the morning. I will try this soon!
These look great and incorporate other ingredients I have yet to try! Thanks for the recipe, Jami, and the idea of freezing for later.
I’ve been using apple cider vinegar soured milk since I was a kid because it is cheap and the exact amount can be made without left-overs from the pint or quart or whatever. Glad to read someone else does that even for different reasons.
Yes, I did, too, Andi, but always thought I was ‘cheating’ from ‘real’ buttermilk – until I started reading labels (remember the days we’d NEVER read labels? Some days I look longly back on them, ha!) and realized none of the store-bought stuff is real! So now I happily add vinegar to milk to create ‘buttermilk.’ 🙂
One of our kids is allergic to nuts. Can I use regular butter instead of nut butter? (I’d also eliminate the other nuts as well, of course).
I don’t think you’d need to replace it all with butter, Linda – I’d just do 1/2 c. butter total to make sure it wouldn’t be too greasy. I like to add nut butters for more protein, but understand if there’s an allergy involved!
How about sunbutter in place of nut butter?
That would probably be great, Hope!
I really need to try and freeze some muffin batter. These look great.
Oh, you should, Charlotte – it’s wonderful to have the ability to have fresh-baked goodness whenever you want!
I love a good muffin and yours look absolutely delish! Can’t wait to try the recipe since I already have all of the ingredients 🙂
Thanks, Lynda!