I love a good bran muffin. They don't have to contain fruit or nuts, but they have to be made with a combination of wheat and oat bran, taste a little sweet with a slight hint of molasses, tender and moist.
I always gravitate towards muffins with fruit like cranberries, blueberry, and raspberries, unless there is a bran muffin on offer. I have a natural tendency to gravitate towards foods that are whole grain. You'll rarely find a loaf of white bread or white sugary pastries in our house, unless Brent has made a trip to the grocery store hungry. He has no impulse control when it comes to baked goods, especially cinnamon buns and cheese bagels, but for the most part, he also prefers whole grains, and so far, Sebastian also prefers whole grains, but that's really because he doesn't have a choice in the matter.
I have had a many love affairs with bran muffins over the years. The grocery store raisin bran muffins my mom used to buy when I was younger. The jumbo blueberry bran muffins I used to purchase hungover at 7:00 am before a morning class at our University cafeteria, that would keep me going for at least 5 hours. I'm sure there were at least 500 calories in those things. The bran muffins from Tim Hortons I used to get on my way to work. And now the bran muffin that they serve at the coffee shop just down the street from my house. I feel like I have really honed in on what I love about a bran muffin.
This bran muffin recipe is probably my favorite one I’ve ever made. I'm ashamed to say that I've had it tucked away for years and never shared. I thought that over the years I would tweak it, making minor adjustments, but to be honest, nothing ever turned out quite as good as the original. So instead of trying to mess with something that's good, I finally just let it be.
These muffins are so moist and substantial. They have a hint of molasses flavor, which I think is key to a really great tasting bran muffin. I like to add tiny little frozen blueberries instead of fresh, because I find the consistency and taste better. I’ve also experimented with raisins which is also delicious. I've tried to make them into little muffins for Sebastian, but they didn't quite work as well. They are absolutely perfect as is.
BLUEBERRY BRAN MUFFINS
SERVES: 12 muffins | DIFFICULTY: EASY | PREP TIME: 20 MIN | BAKING TIME: 20 MIN
INGREDIENTS
• 2 cups wheat bran
• 1 cup oat bran
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 2 large eggs
• 2/3 cup whole milk
• 2/3 cup greek yogurt
• 1/3 cup mild-tasting oil (canola or avocado)
• 1/3 cup sweet molasses
• 1/3 cup honey or maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups frozen blueberries
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
2. Grease a muffin tin or line with 12 baking cups.
3. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients.
4. In a separate bowl, combine the wet ingredients.
5. Add the wet to the dry and combine with a spatula. Fold in the frozen blueberries.
6. Divide the batter between 12 muffin cups. Don’t worry if they appear too full, the batter will not rise much while baking.
7. Bake the muffins for 18 - 20 minutes.
8. Once done, let the muffins cool for 10 minutes and then transfer them to a wire rack to completely cool.
9. The muffins can be stored in an airtight container for a week or in the freezer for 3 months.
