Sourdough Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins

How to Make Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins (with Sourdough!)

Howdy Kneaders!

I have a really scrumptious and fun recipe for you today! Your favorite oatmeal chocolate chip cookie in ultimate muffin form! These muffins came about from a desire to use up ingredients…and also a bit of boredom. The combination of flavors is both nostalgic and delicious. The oats add texture, the sourdough discard adds the perfect tang balanced by the rich chocolate. And, the sourdough itself supports gut-health and digestion!

You may be thinking…”I had no idea you could use sourdough in baking!” And I was once that lost soul without this golden knowledge. But, you can use it for LOTS of things. We’re talking crackers, desserts, biscuits, cookies and more. One of my favorite things to use it for is homemade cornbread. There will be a plethora of recipes coming your way that make use of what would otherwise be thrown out! And, we LOVE not wasting ingredients!

These morsels of goodness are oh-so-fluffy and chocolate-y, you’ll want to make them over and over again. Get ready to have this recipe on rotation for your family!

To keep these muffins fluffy and tender, I soaked the oats in a mixture of buttermilk and sourdough discard for about 15 min. This step isn’t super necessary but it does allow the oats to soften and break down so that they almost disappear into the batter.

If you want to skip this step, that’s totally fine just keep in mind that your muffins will have more texture.

Here at AKFB, we love a good ole EASY recipe! Although the ingredients list is a teensy bit long here, it’s all basic pantry ingredients (for the most part).

I did splurge a bit by adding the extra pizazz of coarse sparkling sugar sprinkled (liberally) on top before baking. This is a crucial part of elevating these muffins to bakery status! The sugar creates the best crunchy topping that’s slightly caramelized, which is a nice complement to that soft and tender interior.

If you don’t have coarse sugar, just use regular sugar or omit the sugar topping altogether!

I originally made this recipe with regular semi-sweet chocolate chips but found that the mini chips are SO much better here. It really does make a difference in the final product but as always if you don’t have any, it’s totally fine. We use what we have!

This recipe comes together quickly and easily. We simply mix the wet ingredients, separately mix the dry ingredients and then combine the two! This batter gets poured into muffin tins and baked. This recipe is super straight forward and hard to mess up!

Sourdough Starter & Discard

This recipe really stands out because of the sourdough starter we’re using for extra flavor. If you don’t have a sourdough starter, it’s easy to make one but it does take a few days to get it stable so you can begin baking with it.

The cool part is that in maintaining your sourdough starter, you have to remove some of it to make room for new flour and water – that’s why it’s referred to as “discard”. But, it’s hardly waste and can be used for so many things!

The discard does not taste any different than the active starter and the fermentation has created an amazingly concentrated flavor that compliments sweet and savory dishes alike. It’s also really good for supporting gut health so that’s a win/win!

How do I start a Sourdough Starter?!

A sourdough starter is typically equal parts water and flour. Although experienced bakers will play with this water/flour ratio, which is referred to as hydration, it’s easiest when starting out to just do a simple one-to-one ratio in my opinion.

I highly recommend using organic, unbleached flour and filtered/purified water. Although it really does not matter what kind of flour you use, you’ll want to avoid self-rising flour as you don’t want the extra salt or rising agents. Fun fact: direct contact between salt and yeast will actually kill the yeast! So, avoid this at all costs.

Examples of flours you can use:

• All Purpose Flour
• Whole Wheat Flour
• Mixture of All Purpose and Whole Wheat
• Italian 00 Flour
• Einkorn Flour
• Rye Flour

You’ll want to clean, sterilize and dry a mason jar and then add 1 cup each of filtered water and unbleached (organic if you can) flour. What we are doing is creating a space where we can capture wild natural yeast that exists in flour (and all around us) and allow it to thrive (multiply) by feeding it. This is a LIVING ORGANISM, which is why it’s important to consistently feed it and feed it the good stuff (like filtered water and unbleached organic flour!) Give it a brief mix until it goes from shaggy to smooth and is homogenous. Leave on the counter overnight to begin bubbling up.

What’s happening is the little yeasty boys are consuming the flour and then farting up a storm, which creates gas. This gas then ferments and all of that bacteria and fermentation is crazy good for our gut health. It’s a hilarious yet astute explanation. Yeast are living organisms and we rely on their gases to make bread, yogurt, kombucha and BEER among other things we consume in our every day lives.

For more detailed information on getting started with sourdough, check out my full post on how to Make Your Own Sourdough Starter!

How Do I Make These?

First, preheat your oven to 400F/180C and grease your muffin tins with baking spray, butter, or neutral oil OR line the muffin tins with paper liners.

In a medium bowl, add 1/2 cup of your recently fed starter. It should be bubbly and smell of bread. Add the sugar, buttermilk and oats. Give it a good mix and allow to sit at room temperature for 10-15 min. This process of soaking the oats is going to help them break down a bit so they can dissolve into the batter. You can skip this step if you want and the muffins will still be delicious. The only real difference is the final product will have a little more texture.

In a separate bowl, mix the all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices. I use a combination of cinnamon and cardamom for spice, which elevates the chocolate flavor. But, feel free to use nutmeg instead or whatever combination of warm spices you prefer. Bake with your heart!

Into the first bowl with the soaked oat mixture, add 1 large egg and any neutral-flavored oil (canola, vegetable, avocado, etc.). Give that a quick mix and then add in your dry ingredients. Fold in your mini chocolate chips. I used semi-sweet mini chocolate chips and I think the mini makes a big difference! But, use what you have.

Use an ice cream scoop to evenly scoop batter into your greased muffin tins.

Optional but highly encouraged: add coarse sparkling sugar to the tops before baking. Regular sugar would work too if that’s all you have! The coarse sugar gives a nice caramelized crunch to the tops and gives the muffin an elevated “bakery look”!

Bake these bad boys for 20-25 minutes but keep an eye on them. Rotate your pan halfway through baking and take them out when a toothpick into the center comes out clean. They’ll be nice and golden brown on top with a beautiful sparkle from the sugar!

Allow to cool for a few minutes before removing onto a cooling rack. Store in an airtight container at room temperature. You can also freeze them! When you’re ready, take them out to thaw and microwave to warm them up! So easy and so delicious!

Can’t wait to hear how you like these delicious, fluffy, gut-healthy muffins. Here at AKFB, we have bakery muffins at home!