Cooking Lesson #519: Honey-Molasses Bran Muffins

…from the Perspectives’ Bakery

How you doin’? In case you haven’t noticed, I’m a bit of a sweet freak. I like to start the morning with a treat—healthy if possible—and end the night with just a touch of sugar. These Honey-Molasses Bran Muffins are a great head start on the day. This recipe bakes up deliciously tender muffins that feature wheat bran and whole wheat flour for flavor and fiber, and raisins, honey, molasses and applesauce for sweetness and texture.
 
In the area where I live, Vons Markets hot bakery sometimes has pretty darn good bran muffins, but they usually run out before I get there. So now I just put on my best baker’s apron and get the big bowl and wooden spoon out and in less than a half an hour I’ve got fresh, healthy morning muffins.
 
Prep time:  10 minutes
Bake time:  15-20 minutes
Yield:  12 to 15 medium-size muffins
 
Ingredients 
1 cup wheat or oat bran (I prefer Bob’s Red Mill brand)
1-1/2 cups Whole Wheat Flour (for this recipe I used King Arthur brand)
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup roasted and chopped pecans
1/2 cup raisins
3/4 cup applesauce (I used No Sugar Added)
1 cup milk
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup honey
1-1/2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 large beaten eggs
2 tablespoons demerara sugar (raw sugar)
 
Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 400° F and center a rack in the oven.
2. Spray a 12-cup muffin tin (Pam) or line with paper or foil baking cups (or both).
3. In a large bowl, combine wheat bran, flour, cinnamon, baking soda and baking powder.
4.  Stir in nuts and raisins.
5. Add in the applesauce, milk, molasses, honey, vanilla extract, oil and eggs and stir just until moistened.
6. Scoop into prepared muffin tin.
7. Sprinkle a little demerara sugar on top of the batter and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean.

ChefSecret: This is a basic bran muffin recipe to which you can easily add other ingredients—substitute dried cherries, cranberries or chopped prunes for the raisins. You can use straight honey or molasses instead of the mix. If you really have a sweet tooth add dark brown sugar in place of the other sweeteners. You can use almond extract in place of the vanilla. You can make it your own and change it up every time you make them.

Quip of the Day: “Why is a baseball team like a bran muffin? They both depend on the batter."
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America and/or American Red Cross. 

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                                                   ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2022

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