Moist Bran Muffins

Bob's Red Mill Moist Molasses Bran Muffins

On our way home from Rangeley, ME a few weekends ago, we decided to stop in at Reny's in Farmington, ME. The ride from Boston to Rangeley can take anywhere from 4 to 5 1/2 hours depending on traffic and weather so its nice to get out and walk around at least once during the trek.

Reny's is what I like to describe as Ocean State Job Lot on steroids. A huge store filled with a little of everything, but at great prices. Though it's not somewhere I would ever buy a gift, you can find great deals on an assortment of random items. The intentions of this trip were to pick up a cheap dog bed to keep in the car for Tucker instead of always bringing the one from the house when traveling. 

In order to get to the pet section, I had to walk by the grocery items for sale. Nothing perishable of course, but aisles of soups, sauces, cereals, crackers, etc. That's when I laid eyes on the huge selection of Bob's Red Mill flours and grains. J & I are trying to eat healthier these days and this was the perfect place to stock up. I ended up buying steel cut oatmeal, wheat bran, whole wheat flour, barley, buckwheat, and semolina flour. J thought I was nuts but at prices averaging around $1.99 each, I couldn't resist.

On the back of the wheat bran is a recipe for Moist Molasses Bran Muffins. Having just purchased the whole wheat flour as well, I decided to bake up a batch that Sunday night for the week. Let me tell you, we were both pleasantly surprised with how good they were! They were a great breakfast on the go, and really held you over until lunch. Add a little peanut butter for some extra protein and they were even better.

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

1 cup wheat bran

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 cup raisins

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 cup milk

1/2 cup molasses (or honey)

3/4 cup applesauce

1/4 cup chopped nuts

2 Tbsp. oil

2 eggs, beaten

Preheat oven to 400F. Combine wheat bran, flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Stir in nuts and raisins. In a separate bowl, blend applesauce, milk, molasses, oil, and egg. Add to dry ingredients and stir just until moistened. Spoon into greased muffin tin and bake for 15-20 minutes. 

The recipe says it makes 12 muffins. I ended up with closer to 18. I also did not have molasses so used honey and since a brother-in-law with a nut allergy was visiting, I subbed in grated carrot for the nuts. So good! And so easy.

So easy, that I just pulled a second batch out of the oven this morning for this coming week -

Voila! Enjoy!