World’s Best Bran Muffins is not a title to be taken lightly. Once you taste these, you’ll call them by no other name! You will want to eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner!
These tasty little baked goods are inspired by a childhood favorite. We would often have them with dinner, and leftovers would be our breakfast the next day. Seems strange, I know, to have muffins for dinner, but as kids it was the best thing ever. Still is. Try it.
Another muffin I love at dinner is this Caper-Herb Corn Muffin.
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Muffins are quick-breads, so the recipe is really easy for kids to put together and bake. This was one of our dinner duties as kids, making muffins. Instead of plain bread and butter with dinner, it was something slightly sweet on the side of our main dish.
I like using a heavier gauge muffin tin, rather than a standard pan. I find it bakes my muffins more evenly. This gold version from Calphalon is great.
If you typically don’t use muffin papers, a good non-stick muffin pan like this one from USA Pan is a necessity. You still have to grease the cups, but it just takes a little cooking spray and your muffins pop right out with a little nudge.
How to make the best bran muffins:
For most people bran muffins are a boring breakfast food. Something slightly bland that goes down in the name of fiber.
In my recipe I kept the fiber. Kept the signature bran. Added some whole wheat flour, extra brown sugar, sweet raisins and poof! The World’s Best Bran Muffins are ten times better than any muffin you’ve ever had. One secret tip is to grind the raisins (currents or dried cherries if you want to sub) in the food processor with some of the All-Bran cereal. These small bits of dried fruit add sweetness, flavor and actually absorb a bit of the liquid to help the muffins stay moist and tasty, like cake. I love cake. But, not to get side-tracked…
World’s Best Bran Muffins are delicious anytime of day!
You can definitely call this a healthy breakfast. With 3 grams of fiber each and low-fat yogurt mixed in (adds a little protein), you’re not doing so bad. If you take my advice to heart, they really do make an amazing addition to dinner, lunch, or as a snack. It’s an all-day thing for me.
Oh who wouldn’t want to put a little butter and honey on that gem!? Best bran muffins for the win! Let me know how you like these, and how brunch month goes for you!
- 2¼ cups All-Bran cereal
- ½ cup raisins dried currants or dried cherries
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup whole-wheat flour
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter melted
- 2 large eggs
- 1¾ cups low-fat plain yogurt
- ¼ cup unsulfured molasses
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- Raw sugar crystals optional
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Heat oven to 400°F. In a food processor, finely grind half the cereal. Add raisins and blend until finely chopped. Transfer mixture to a bowl with remaining cereal, flour, whole-wheat flour, sugar, baking soda and salt; set aside.
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Combine butter, eggs, yogurt, molasses and vanilla. Stir together wet and dry ingredients until just combined. Do not overmix.
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Line muffin tin with baking cups; fill each just more than halfway. Sprinkle generously with sugar crystals, if desired. Bake until muffins spring back when touched, about 18 min. Remove from the tin and allow to cool slightly.
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You can store remaining batter in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
- Bran muffins are good for your heart, but too often they taste like cardboard. The challenge - to create a moist, delicious, satisfying bran muffin that still packs a healthy 3 grams of fiber. You will love what I came up with.
Try these other quick bread and muffin recipes too:
Pumpkin Walnut Whole Wheat Quick Bread
Recipe Tara Bench. Photographer Rita Maas. Prop Stylist Tiziana Agnello. Food Stylist Anne Disrude. Originally published in LHJ 03/09
