Bran muffins

Elaine's bran muffins; healthy and amazing

I've always loved bran muffins for the molasses. There's something about that added flavour that makes bran muffins my #1 choice every time. 

If you're a muffin lover as well, don't be fooled by some of the products prepackaged in the grocery store. Many are way too sweet and way to full of fat to make them still qualify as muffins. You may think you've chosen a healthy snack to take to work but that little calorie bomb may be worse than a piece of cake with icing. 

Making muffins yourself isn't a ton of work. All you need is a fork, 2 bowls, the muffin papers and the pan. When you find a recipe you like it's easy to double it, throw the extras in the freezer and have a supply of great snacks to get you through the week. And choosing a muffin to have at night is much smarter than going for the container of ice cream and the chocolate syrup.

I believe in healthy but I also believe in flavour. Recipes that use all whole wheat flour or that have very little sugar in them and very little fat end up tasting awful in my opinion. This recipe is a modification of Jane Brody's Best-of-Bran Muffins (New York, 1985. p.596). The first time I made them, I followed her instructions faithfully and the results were pretty darn bad. If you want to look up the original, you can, but here is her recipe with enough modifications for me to almost call it my own;

Bran muffins
In a large bowl, combine
3 c shredded bran cereal (All-Bran, Fibre First, etc)
1/2 c vegetable oil (use your Becel)
1 c raisins
1 c boiling water

In another bowl, combine
2 1/4 c all purpose flour
1/4 c white sugar
2 1/2 tsp soda
1/2 tsp salt

Now that the cereal mixture has cooled down a bit, use a fork to stir in
2 eggs
2 c buttermilk (I use vinegar + milk rather than buy buttermilk itself)
1/4 c molasses

Add the flour mixture to the cereal mixture, stir to combine. Heat the oven to 400F and get the pans ready. I like large muffins so I fill the papers to the top. Bake for 20 to 25 mins. Check at 20 mins, you want the muffins moist rather than dry. I hope you like them!