Not Your Grandma's Bran Muffins
Well I finally feel that I have gained your trust and that I can post this and not get the squinty eyed, you've got to be kidding, look. This muffins are FANTASTIC and my favourite healthier muffin alternative! Nutritional information is included. Give this recipe a try and together we can BRING BACK THE BRAN!
Well baking has been a bit slow over here and let me tell you why. I'm a pretty healthy eater...salads for lunch, cottage cheese or plain yogart for snack etc. But, I'm awful if there are temptations around. I usually leave a few muffins, cookies, or brownies at home for Cole and I but I take the bulk of it to work. I've been employed there for 5 years now and this has always worked out really well for both me and them lol. However, my whole team is suddenly is on a healthy eating and fitness journey. I mean we have even started 4x week lunch time workouts...including Beachbody CIZE with Shaun T... This is basically what I have always wanted to do at work so I'm extremely thankful but where does this leave my baking?? I can't be that person who sabotages others efforts. I'm excited that it's my coworker's birthday next week and that I can bake her a cake! I feel that I can bring some of these muffins into work for my team to enjoy and I have been craving them myself.
These muffins come from The Book of Helene the true origin is unknown but I have also adapted it to be my own. For as long as I can remember my mother has made these muffins. She used to put some chocolate chips in them for my brother and I. Now, I would never even dream of putting chocolate chips in these little beauties! These muffins are filling, very moist (I hate this word but it's the best description), and just sweet enough. To be honest, I had always assumed that THIS is what bran muffins are like. I remember being at a coffee shop years ago and ordering a bran muffin. When I got it and bit into it I was like WHAT IS THIS?? Did they leave it out too long? It was dry and needed butter slathered on it and it tasted far too healthy and grainy... Why did I order this?!? Since then, I have tried a few more bran muffins and have come to the conclusion that those muffins are probably normal bran muffins and that Helene has just always had this secret delicious bran muffins recipe....who knew.
Please feel free to replace raisins with chocolate chips if you prefer. I also want to mention that my pal makes these muffins too and has put fresh blueberries in them as well.
I want to point out a few things:
-I don't normally use whole wheat flour but I feel that you cannot taste the difference in these muffins so I use it. I also do not use ground flax very often. Because I do not normally use them I just go to Bulk Barn and buy what I need. It's much more cost effective.
-Why not just replace the oil all together? Baking needs some type of fat so that the texture does not change. I have tasted muffins without any oil and have not liked them.
-Molasses is something that I have bought specifically for these muffins. I do not use it for anything else. You don't need to add it but you will lose out on a tiny bit of flavour and the muffins will be lighter in color. It's up to you.
-Use WHEAT bran not OAT bran
For those of you who want to know the nutritional information I have that calculated. I had entered this recipe into My Fitness Pal because it is really the only baking that I eat when I am watching my diet. The information is based on 10 muffins and the recipe below:
Calories 172
Fat 5g
Carbs 30g
Protein 5g
Sugar 13g
Fiber 5g
So just to prove my point that it is a healthier alternative.... let's take a look at the
T. Horton's bran muffin info:
Calories 360
Fat 10g
Carbohydrate 65
Protein 6g
Sugars 37g
Dietary Fiber 6g
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup Wheat bran
1 cup buttermilk (or make your own with milk and vinegar)
1 Egg
1/3 cup + 2TBSP Brown sugar
2 TBSP Oil
1/4 cup (a generous one!) Unsweetened applesauce
1 TBSP Molasses
3/4 cup + 2 TBSP Whole wheat flour
1 tsp Baking powder
1 tsp Baking soda
1/2 tsp Salt
1 TBSP Ground flax seed
1/4 cup Sultana raisins
DIRECTIONS:
You are going to need three bowls. In the first bowl combine the bran and buttermilk then let it sit for 15 minutes.
In another bowl, and largest of the three, combine the wet ingredents - the egg, sugar, oil, applesauce, and molasses.
In the third bowl, combine the dry ingredients - the flour, baking soda, baking, powder, salt, and flax.
Note: I went to add my flax and realized that I did not have any! It happens to the best of us right?!?!
Once the 15 minutes are up, pour the bran mixture into the large bowl with the wet mixture and stir until combined. Then add the dry mixture to this bowl as well and mix. Next, add the raisins.
Line 10 muffin cups and lightly spray with Pam ( as we are not using much oil). Fill the muffin cups almost all the way full - more than 3/4.
Bake at 365 for 7 minutes and then reduce the temperature to 350 and continue baking for 13 more minutes. Alternatively you can bake them for 20-25 minutes at 350 but they may not dome as much.
These muffins freeze really really well. I usually wrap them individually in cling wrap then put them all in a zip lock freezer bag. In the mornings I cut up some cheese, put some berries in a bag, and grab a muffin for breakfast on the go!
Enjoy!!!