Recipe: Honey Bran Muffins

Living in Alabama, I have a hard time getting into the seasons like everyone else.  By the time everyone’s excited about spring, it’s been spring here for weeks and my allergies are already tired of it.  When people are blogging and tweeting about pumpkins and apples and the leaves changing, I’m still sweating through another high-80s day and wondering what to do with all the basil still on my plants.  As others get excited about snow men and cozy sweaters…well, you get the idea.

Even though it’s official fall, I’m really just not ready for super heavy stews, pumpkin desserts, or making applesauce.  That’s why I love these muffins.  They are a little heavier than your average muffin (great for cool mornings!) and have a wonderful taste of cinnamon, but they aren’t really a true fall muffin.  Call it a transitional season muffin, if you will. 🙂

Honey Bran Muffins
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1/4 cup wheat bran
3 tablespoons boiling water
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour*
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup milk (I used fat-free with great results)
1/4 cup honey
1 egg
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
Granulated sugar, optional

Preheat oven to 400°.  Grease a 6 cup muffin tin.

In a small bowl, combine the wheat bran and boiling water and set aside.  In another bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon together.  Whisk together the milk, honey, egg, and oil until well combined.  Stir in the wheat bran and gradually add in the flour mixture, mixing until just combined (I used a rubber spatula to gently fold it all together).

Divide the batter evenly among the muffin tins.  Sprinkle the tops with granulated sugar if desired.  Bake for 14-18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

-Adapted from Betty Crocker

*I know some of you will be tempted to use wheat or white wheat flour in place of the all purpose.  Usually I encourage experimenting and trying to make recipes healthier, but this is one recipe that wheat or white wheat just won’t work.  The wheat bran makes this recipe a little dense to begin with and adding wheat flour will just make the muffin tougher.

This post is linked to Tasty Tuesday, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, and These Chicks Cooked