Blueberry oat muffins

Name: Blueberry oat muffins
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 12 muffins
Ingredients: 100 g (1 cup) plain rolled or quick oats; 100 g (¾ cup) plain (all-purpose) wheat flour; 1½ tsp baking powder; 2 ripe bananas; 2 eggs; 100 ml (scant ½ cup) water, breast milk or formula; 60 ml (¼ cup) vegetable or olive oil; 150 g (1 cup) fresh blueberries

Soft oat muffins sweetened only with ripe banana and squashed blueberries, with no added sugar or salt. Contains egg and wheat: offer them once your baby has had each of these on its own.

From: 6 months
Time: 40 min
Makes: 12 muffins

Contains eggContains wheat

Ingredients

100 g (1 cup)plain rolled or quick oatsno added sugar or salt
100 g (¾ cup)plain (all-purpose) wheat flour
1½ tspbaking powder
2ripe bananasyellow with brown speckles
2eggs
100 ml (scant ½ cup)water, breast milk or formula
60 ml (¼ cup)vegetable or olive oilplus a little for the tin
150 g (1 cup)fresh blueberriessquashed flat before they go in (see step 2). Frozen ones need cooking first

Steps

1Wash your hands. Heat the oven to 180°C (350°F), or 160°C fan, and lightly oil a 12-hole muffin tin. Rinse the blueberries under running water, pat them dry, and pick out any stems and soft or moldy berries. Rinse the bananas too, even though you'll peel them.
2Squash every blueberry flat with a fork or between your thumb and finger until the skin splits (for a baby of 9 months or older, you can cut large, firm berries into quarters instead). Using frozen blueberries? Frozen berries are safest cooked for babies: simmer them from frozen with a splash of water and let them bubble for at least a minute, then mash them and let them cool before they go in.
3Blend the oats until they look like fine flour, so there are no dry flakes left. Mix them with the wheat flour and baking powder in a large bowl.
4Mash the bananas in another bowl until smooth, then whisk in the eggs, the water, breast milk or formula, and the oil. Stir this into the dry mixture until just combined, then fold in the squashed blueberries. Look through the batter and squash any berry that's still round. Don't add sugar, honey, syrup or salt: the fruit sweetens them.
5Don't taste the raw batter: raw flour and raw egg can carry germs. Spoon the batter into the tin, filling each hole about three-quarters full, then wash your hands, the bowls, utensils and work surface with warm, soapy water.
6Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, until risen and golden and a skewer pushed into the middle comes out clean, with no wet batter. If you use a food thermometer, the center should reach 160°F (71°C).
7Let them cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then on a rack. Break one open and squash the middle between your thumb and finger: it should be soft. Trim off any crisp edges, and check they're only just warm before serving.

How to serve it by age

6 months+

Once your baby has had egg and wheat each on their own without a reaction, cut a muffin into strips about the size of an adult finger, roughly 6–8 cm long and 2 cm wide (2½–3 × ¾ in). Each strip should squash easily between your thumb and finger. Check each strip and squash any blueberry that's still round.

9 months+

Cut muffins into pieces no bigger than about 1 cm (just under ½ inch) for pincer-grasp practice, or keep offering soft strips to bite. Check the pieces for any round blueberry and squash it flat or quarter it.

12 months+

Cut into narrow strips or bite-sized pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch) rather than handing over a whole or half muffin. Serve with soft fruit in pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch), or with plain yogurt once dairy has been introduced on its own. Keep squashing or quartering the blueberries in every batch and on the side: the CDC lists uncut berries as a choking hazard for young children.

If your baby reacts

This recipe contains egg, wheat. Introduce one new allergen at a time, mixed into a food your baby already eats, before serving it in a dish with other new foods. Contact your pediatrician, GP or health visitor if you notice mild signs after eating, such as a few hives or a little vomiting. See signs of a reaction.

Call 911999your local emergency number (such as 112 in Europe or 000 in Australia) now if your baby has trouble breathing, wheezing, can't cough or cry, has lips, mouth, tongue or throat that suddenly swell, or becomes pale, bluish, floppy or unresponsive. Also call if hives come with repeated vomiting.

Leftovers and the rest of the family

Storing it

Cool leftover muffins completely and keep them in a covered container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days, or freeze them for 2 to 3 months (freeze them in a single layer, then pack them together once frozen solid). Thaw them in the fridge and use them within 24 hours of thawing, or warm them from frozen. Reheat only once, until steaming hot, 165°F (74°C), then let them cool and check they're still soft before serving. Throw away anything left in your baby's bowl. Don't leave muffins at room temperature for more than 2 hours, or 1 hour if it's hotter than 90°F (32°C).

For the grown-ups

Older children and adults like these with breakfast or in a lunchbox. Add chopped nuts only to muffins for adults and children aged 4 and over: the CDC lists whole or chopped nuts as a choking hazard for young children.