Our conditioning is to think that bran muffins are “healthy”.
The truth is there just isn’t much to look forward to in a “healthy” muffin. If
you make it “healthy”, you just end up taking out all the things that could
make it delicious. Healthy muffin is a crime against good taste. What matters
in a muffin is the “mmm” factor.
Let’s face it, comparatively speaking muffins are high in
calories, even the “low fat”, “no fat” “egg free”, “dairy free”, “whatever
free” muffin is higher in calories than a jelly donut. If you have to watch
your intake, have an egg, but don’t have an inferior muffin. In the bakery,
well... there are better things in the bakery than “healthy” muffins. I think I
will have that lofty fruit explosion with the cream cheese filling.
Replacing real food with fake stuff is not healthy.
Sometimes it horrifies me what fake ingredients people put in their foods to
stay “healthy”. Those highly processed substitutes mess with the hormones.
Avoiding processed foods should be the first step toward eating “healthy”. That
is why I cannot phantom putting bran flakes into a homemade bran muffin. Why
would you even bother baking?
Red Cottage Chronicles had the right idea. I would have liked
to add raisins plumped in rum, but I wasn’t allowed. I have to admit that these were very nice, even
without the rum plumped raisins. They were soft and light as all muffins
should be. I think I will have one. Ah there it is... “mmm...”.
BRAN MUFFINS
3 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 cup plus 4 teaspoons molasses
1-2/3 cups milk
2 cups natural bran
1-2/3 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup raisins soaked in rum, optional
- If using place the raisins in a small bowl first and cover with a little bit of rum for an hour.
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- Spray the muffin cups with cooking spray or line with parchment muffin liners. If using paper lines, lightly spray the liners with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, oil, sugar, and the molasses until well blended.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the bran, flour, baking powder, baking soda and the salt.
- Add the flour mixture and the milk alternatively to the egg mixture and stir until just combined.
- Stir in the rum soaked raisins last.
- The batter will be a bit runny so spooning or scooping will make a mess. Transfer the batter to a small jug with a good spout. My large one litre-measuring cup has the best pouring spout.
- Distribute the batter in the prepared muffin tins filling them almost to the top.
- Place in the preheated oven and bake until firm to the touch.
- I had some leftover batter, enough for one extra large muffin. I sprayed a small ovenproof bowl with cooking spray and baked it alongside the muffin tins. The muffins in the tins needed 20 minutes; the extra large muffin took a bit longer to bake.
- Serve these with butter.
- Muffins are best on the first day so freeze the leftovers and for best texture thaw them at room temperature.
