If you love Oatmeal Raisin cookies, you will love my late Mom’s Old Fashioned Oatmeal Raisin Muffins! They are chock full of wholesome ingredients but they are real comfort food.
Mom’s Old Fashioned Oatmeal Raisin Muffins have been a favourite of mine since I was a child. I was thrilled to find the recipe in my late Mom’s recipe box. It’s where I found so many of her wonderful muffin recipes.
Mom’s recipe box is one of the resources I am using to write my first cookbook of family recipes, a labour of love I have been working on for many years now. In addition to Mom’s recipe box I also have my Mom and Dad’s recipe books (complete with handwritten notes and additional recipes stuck inside), a recipe book put together by my mom and I and tons of recipes shared by kind family and friends for this purpose at my request.
Anyway, as I go through looking for the many recipes I want to include, I often stumble on one that I just can’t wait to share – and this was the case with my Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Raisin Muffins. It was one of my favourites when I was a kid. Like nearly all of my family recipes, this one has a story behind it.
My Mom’s Story
My Mom was one of the first generations of what were then referred to as ‘career girls’. She had a job as a home economist with her local Public Utilities Commission in Ontario before I was born.
It was Mom’s job to visit folks who had bought new appliances from the Public Utilities Commission and teach them how to use them. (Wouldn’t it be nice to have that service now, instead of only receiving a book you have to search through just to find the instructions in your language?) Mom also had a radio show on the local station, sharing recipes and homemaking tips. I believe this recipe may have been from that era as it had ingredients typical to the period – including margarine. Back then, margarine was believed to be a healthier alternative to butter! It’s hard to imagine that now.
Adapting My Mom’s Recipe for Oatmeal Raisin Muffins
I remember Mom making these Oatmeal Raisin Muffins and they were one of my favourites. So, I had a play with the recipe to make it a little healthier without losing its originality. The first step was to replace the margarine. I did try using melted butter but in the end I found that mild olive oil (not extra virgin) was the alternative I preferred. I also reduced the sugar and salt and added a little bit more spice. Less sugar + more spice=healthier muffins that still taste amazing!
Vintage Recipes Connect Across Time and Space
I love working with recipes like this because it makes me feel close to my Mom, who has been gone for ten years now, and who I miss like crazy. She loved cooking and entertaining and was great fun to be with in the kitchen. She was also very into healthy eating so I know she wouldn’t have minded me making the changes that I have. The muffins still tastes just as I remember it when Mom made them.
Mom used to get a few more muffins per batch than I do (muffins were smaller back in the day). However I find that the batter is absolutely perfect for 12 muffins and as all my muffin pans have 12 cups it works out just right. For UK readers, I’m referring to a larger ‘American’ muffin pan here – if you are using pans without the deeper cups you will have more muffins but you should reduce the baking time slightly.
Old Fashioned Oatmeal Raisin Muffins – Printable Recipe
Old Fashioned Oatmeal Raisin Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup plain flour plain flour is also known as all purpose flour
- 1 cup rolled oats
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1½ teaspoons cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup mild olive oil not extra virgin as the flavour is too strong
- 1 cup juicy raisins or sultanas
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C or 170° for a fan oven).
- Line a 12 cup muffin pan with paper baking cups.
- In a large bowl, mix together the flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the egg, buttermilk, vanilla and oil.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir just until mixed.
- Gently stir in the raisins or sultanas.
- Scoop the batter into muffin cups – I use a quick release ice cream scoop or a ⅓ cup measure to do this.
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of a muffin comes out clean.
- Cool in the tray for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
- Muffins taste best slightly warm but they reheat well the next day.
did you make this recipe?
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Comments & Reviews
Hi April ,
Thanks for sharing that about your Mom’s job . I knew she was a Home Economist but that was about it . I never knew she had a radio show either . That’s a lovely picture of your Mom , she is missed . Just the other day I was going through my pictures and found one of your Mom and Grandpa up at the cottage . She looks like a teenager , they are standing on the dock holding up a string of fish . I was going to send it to you if you don’t already have it .
Good Luck with the cookbook , can’t wait to see it !
Ruby
Hi Ruby, I’d love the photograph if that’s okay – I know they had a lot of fun up at Crow Lake. Thank you for the good wishes – I’m feeling really excited about it all! If there are any recipes you’ve got that you think I should consider including, please do send them 🙂
Absolutely adore this! 🙂
Also, I didn’t know British muffin tins were different. I learn something new every day.
Thank you so much, Sarah 🙂 They didn’t really have muffin tins in England when I first arrived 20+ years ago, just little cupcake tins (or fairy cakes as they were called). Muffins as we know them in North America are a relatively new thing in the UK. When they first started to appear in the shops about 15 years ago they were very much like cupcakes. Even now it’s rare to find a muffin in a UK shop that has bran or oatmeal in it, muffins tend to be super sweet here. I love a good cupcake but I like a muffin that is a bit healthier 🙂 Anyway, now you can find ‘American style’ muffin tins with larger muffin cups in UK cookware shops- I often point out they are Canadian style too 😉
Fairy cakes? Oh my goodness I LOVE IT!!! Everyone else has the coolest terms for stuff. American’s are so boring!!! I found out last year that Australians call cotton candy “fairy floss”. And I was like… oh my goodness that is the best term ever!
I hadn’t heard about “fairy floss” – I love that, Amanda! What a wonderful thing to call candy floss!
These look delicious.
Thank you, Peter 🙂
April, I wish you all the luck and joy in the world with all the recipes and memories and hopefully when you complete your first recipe book it will surely be one of the very best tributes you could give to your parents. I am sure they (and your grandparents too!) would be so very proud to have their recipes live on for so many more people to enjoy and also cherish.
Good luck and have lots of fun making it too!
Mary
Thank you so much, Mary! That is exactly what I am hoping for 🙂
MMMMmmmm, these muffins look and sound fantastic April. Nice and hearty with that oatmeal and raisins!
Thank you, Cindy 🙂
Your mom had a cool job!! I love these muffins too!
She did, Tara 🙂 In fact, I think I would have enjoyed having a job like that myself if I had been around then! And thank you so much!
What a beautiful post on your mom, April! I love her photo and that you still make her recipes. I bet this one would be easy to make gluten free, too. 🙂
Hugs,
Shirley
Thank you so much, Shirley! Please let me know if you do make it gluten free, so many of my readers are gluten free it would be great to link to 🙂 Hugs
God Bless you in this venture!
Thank you so much, Patty!
April, I am so excited for you and wish you the very best with your cookbook. I am still in the decision making process as to whether I should dig my heels in and finally make one of my long-standing dreams come true. You have given me much needed courage and inspiration and I thank you my friend! And…your muffins look fantastic!
Thank you so much, Linda! And I’m so glad I’ve inspired you 🙂 I really appreciate your support!
Dear April, what a beautiful post. I wish I had my mom’s recipes. I have only a few recipe cards from my mom and grandmother. They were such wonderful cooks and inspired me to do what I do today. These muffins sound wonderful. I wish you all the best with your cookbook dear. xo, Catherine
Thank you so much, Catherine. I’m so lucky to have all these wonderful links to the past 🙂 And thank you for the compliment and good wishes as well! xo
I love classic recipes like this. Reminds me of my childhood. I can’t wait to make these – such a hearty and comforting breakfast!
Thank you so much, Chrissa. There’s just something about old fashioned recipes, that is for sure 🙂
These definitely sound delicious!
Thanks for joining Cooking and Crafting with J & J!
Thank you, Jess!
Hi April,
What a lovely tribute post for your Mom, such a beautiful photo of her, I can see the strong family resemblance in you. These muffins look delicious, a muffin that we would really enjoy, family recipes are so special. Hope you are having a great week and thanks so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday.
Come Back Soon!
Miz Helen
Hi Miz Helen, Thank you so much! I’m so glad you enjoyed the post and liked the recipe too 🙂 Wishing you a lovely week!
So excited to hear you are taking steps towards a cookbook! And what a terrific way to carry on family traditions and honour your Mom. I bet she’d be thrilled.
Thank you so much, Pauline 🙂 As you know, it’s something I’ve been wanting to do for years!
How wonderful that you mum had the same job that Mary Berry started out doing when she was younger:-) Your muffins look fabulous and bet they are great with a cup of tea!
I didn’t realise that was Mary Berry’s job too! Wow, that is really cool, Camilla. Thank you for telling me that 🙂 Thank you for the compliment about the muffins – they really are delicious with a cup of tea 🙂
April: I just love old fashioned oatmeal cake and I am sure these will be just as delicious. Thank you sharing at the Recipe Swap.
Thank you, Kathy 🙂
Hi April,
I love that you are working on a cookbook and the story of your mom. I know it will be a lot of work and with you success with it.
Thanks so much for sharing this muffin recipe with us at Cooking and Crafting with J & J.
Enjoy the rest of the week.
Julie xo
Thank you so much, Julie! I hope the rest of your week goes well too 🙂 xo
What a heart felt post April! Gorgeous photo and story of you mum! I could go for one of your muffins right now!
Thank you so much, Joanne 🙂
I loved reading about your Mom, April, and your exciting project – I can’t wait to follow your progress!
As for the muffins – YUM!
Congratulations – you are our Friend Of The Week at Friendship Friday at Create With Joy!
You’re one of the first bloggers I remember connecting with when I began my blogging journey and I am SO glad that you are still going strong! 🙂
Thank you so much, my friend, and thank you also for the very kind feature! I’m on my way over to visit now 🙂 You are one of the first bloggers I ‘met’ as well – I’m trying to think how long it is ago now. October marks my 13th year on the web! Thank you so much again. x
Loving this and I’m drooling! You are so talented. Thanks for sharing this at our party. Pinned and tweeted. I hope to see you on Monday at 7 pm, so we get to party with you again! Lou Lou Girls
Thank you so much, and thank you for sharing too!
Yummy! I love muffins for breakfast- oatmeal raisin has to be one of my favorites!
Thank you, Jessica 🙂
What a wonderful journey that you are taking, I’m sure the memories flood back. I enjoyed reading about your mum, thank you for sharing. The muffins look delicious, Id love one right now. Im going to check out your guest post on adapting recipes to gluten free and the recipe for Carrot Walnut Bran Muffins!!
Pinned to share.
Hope you have a lovely week!
Thank you so much, Karren, they really do! I’m so glad you enjoyed the posts, and thank you so much for pinning. I hope your week is wonderful too!
Yummy. Can I come over and enjoy those muffins with you?
That would be lovely! And thank you 🙂 Have a wonderful week!
April, I too love family recipes and food traditions. Your mom sounds wonderful, and there should still be a place for careers like hers.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the post, Jean, and thank you 🙂
These look and sound delicious April, yummy. My Daughter has been making gluten-free cupcakes lately and I was just saying to her this morning we should love for a recipe for muffins with oats in. I will have to try and make these for her with gluten free flour 🙂
Thanks so much for sharing your post with us at Creative Mondays. Have a great week and we hope to see you soon.
Thank you so much, Claire! I haven’t tried it, but I am sure the recipe will work with gluten free flour. Do be sure to get oats that are certified gluten free 🙂 I hope you have a wonderful week as well!
I made these today with Old fashioned (thick) oats and gluten free flour. I added a bit of coconut oil (melted) in place of some of the olive oil as well as about 1/3 C. of unsweetened coconut. I used 1/2 C. yogurt and 1/2 C. Milk in place of buttermilk. And half coconut sugar to replace half of the brown sugar.
They turned out divine!
Thank you so much for letting me know, Carol! I haven’t tried a gluten free version of these and it will help so many readers. I’m really grateful to you, and I am so glad that you enjoyed them 🙂
Dear April,
Looking for an old-fashioned oatmeal raisin recipe and found your’s adapted from your Mum’s. Just made them and they are absolutely delicious. They do taste like oatmeal raisin cookies! I have been trying many oat muffin recipes to find a soft flavorable one that rose fairly high. Perfection, finally, with this recipe!! My husband loves them as I do. Thank you so much for working on this labor of love and posting the recipe. BTW I, too, love my Grandma’s old recipes and especially her 1927 Pillsbury booklet/cookbook to cook and bake from—and feel close to the ones that have left us. I find they use pared down ingredients, are no fuss, and a winner every time.
Dear Dawn,
Thank you so much for your lovely comment! I am so glad that you and your husband enjoyed my Old Fashioned Oatmeal Raisin Muffins so much 🙂 They are definitely a favourite amongst our family and friends. I really appreciate your kind words. I always love to share family recipes. How wonderful that you have your Grandma’s Pillsbury booklet/cookbook. It’s so interesting that it is 1927 as that is the year my late Mom was born! Thank you again 🙂
Thank you so much for giving this mother of five a sweet holiday breakfast treat. I did not have the following nutmeg, buttermilk, vanilla extract, olive oil and a 12 muffin pan.🤔 However I did have yogurt, almond extract, canola oil, 24 heart shaped silicone pan and I lefted out the nutmeg. They came out like yummy raisin cakes and my children kept telling me “Thank you momma, they are so yummy!”
You saved my morning🤗
Oh Isabelle, I am so pleased you and your family enjoyed the muffins. Your variation sounds perfect, and the heart shaped muffins would be extra special. Your lovely comment has started my day off on such a wonderful note, thank you 🙂
I substituted the recipe with almond milk and unsalted butter. They were delicious and my family loved them!
I’m so glad you all liked them, Drucilla! It’s great to know that non-dairy milk works well. I’m a big fan of unsalted butter for baking too. Thank you so much for letting me know!
Made these today. They are yummy and a good consistency! And I love the mug in the photo. Is it a certain brand that I can find it somewhere?
I’m so glad you like the recipe, Carol! Thank you for letting me know. The mug is Cath Kidston. Unfortunately the company was forced into insolvency during the pandemic so there are only a few of her pieces available online now. It’s worth having a look though 🙂
I’ve been trying to find a good oatmeal muffin recipe and I’ve tried several and this is by far the best one I’ve tasted. Truly old fashioned muffin taste. Added a pinch more nutmeg because I love it, otherwise followed recipe exactly, highly recommend.
I am so glad you like the recipe, Janice! Thank you for your very kind comment. I agree, more nutmeg could definitely be a delicious addition!