(Low-fat) Oatmeal Muffins

Mini Experiment #4

Low-fat Oatmeal Muffins

Hypothesis: The usage of Almond Milk instead of regular milk will cause the muffins to taste and have the same shape while cutting down the amount of fat, cholesterol, calories and sugars and increasing the amount of vitamins.

Null hypothesis: There will be no difference in the amount of fat, cholesterol, calories, sugars and vitamins. The muffins will taste different and have a different shape because of the almond milk.

Independent variable: Almond milk

Dependent variable: Vitamins, minerals, cholesterol, fat, sugars, taste and shape.

Standardized variables:
- The amount of ingredients
- Oven temperature
- Size of cooking pan
- Time cooked (20 min)
- Room temperature
- Time the batter sat (20 min)








Ingredients:

TOPPING
1/2 cup (1 1/2 ounces) old-fashioned rolled oats
1/3 cup (1 2/3 ounces) all-purpose flour
1/3 cup pecans, chopped fine
1/3 cup packed (2 1/3 ounces) light brown sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

MUFFINS
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus 6 tablespoons melted
2 cups (6 ounces) old-fashioned rolled oats
1 3/4 cups (8 3/4 ounces) all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/3 cups packed (9 1/3 ounces) light brown sugar
1 3/4 cups Almond milk
2 large eggs, beaten


Experiment:
FOR THE TOPPING:
1. I had to combine oats, flour, pecans, sugar, cinnamon, and salt in bowl.
2. Drizzle melted butter over mixture and stir until it is combined. Then set aside until the the batter is made.

Topping

Golden oats

FOR THE MUFFINS:
1. Grease and flour 12-cup muffin tin.
2. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add oats and cook, stirring frequently, until oats turn golden brown and smell of cooking popcorn, 6 to 8 minutes.
3. Transfer oats to food processor or if you don't have one like my case, blend it into fine meal.
4. Add flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda to oats and blend until combined.
5. Stir 6 tablespoons of melted butter and sugar together in bowl until smooth. Add milk and eggs and whisk until it is smooth.
6. Using whisk, gently fold half of oat mixture into wet ingredients, tapping whisk against side of bowl to release clumps.
7. Add remaining oat mixture and continue to fold with whisk until no streaks of flour remain. Set aside batter for 20 minutes to thicken.
8. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees.
9. Using ice cream scoop or large spoon, divide batter equally among prepared muffin cups (about ½ cup batter per cup; cups will be filled to rim).
10. Evenly sprinkle topping over muffins (about 2 tablespoons per muffin).
11. Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 18 to 25 minutes, rotating muffin tin halfway through baking.
12. Let muffins cool in muffin tin on wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove muffins from muffin tin and serve or let cool completely before serving.

Results:
The oatmeal muffins made with almond milk resulted just as firm and tasty as the ones done with 2% milk. To gain credibility, I entered in a work sheet a table of the nutrition facts of both used products (Almond milk vs. 2% Cow's milk)

In comparison to 2% cow's milk, almond milk is by far the healthier choice. It contains a wide variety of the vitamins and minerals that your body needs to function.
2% cow's milk contains a lot more calories and fat than almond milk as it is shown in the table above and graphs below, making almond milk the better choice for those on a diet like my case. As it is visible, cow's milk also contains saturated fat and cholesterol; almond milk is free of both saturated fat and cholesterol, making it a healthier choice, mainly for those with heart problems.
Here are the graphic comparisons of calories, grams, milligrams and nutrients of both:

Calories compared

Elements measured in grams compared

Elements measured in milligrams compared 

Other nutrients compared

The hypothesis was supported because in both experiments the difference in shape and taste of the cupcakes are almost imperceptible. However, the amount of calories, sugars, fat and cholesterol were greatly reduced. It was amazing to see how much those things affect your body without even knowing.

Compared cupcakes
Cow's milk (left) Almond milk (right)

Problems:
It was very hard and challenging for me because this was the first time I bake something. First problem I faced was not having a food processor, but I used a blender instead and that helped me getting the job done. The batter ended up being a little thicker than expected but it worked fine anyway.
Besides those two problems it is possible to see that the cupcakes are both firm and have the same height, thickness and moist. The taste was very similar as well.


Sources:
http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/nutrition/healthy-eating/the-healthier-choice-almond-milk-vs-milk.html#b
http://www.totalmommyfitnessonline.com/cows-milk-almond-milk-healthier/









Pictures of the experiment:

Baked low-fat oatmeal muffins

Before baking the muffins