Bran Mini Muffins

Once a month or so, when I am all fired up, I manage to whip up a batch of bran muffins to be consumed as a healthy morning breakfast.

I started making mini bran muffins, about two dozen at a time, as one mini muffin seems the right portion for my toddler Ana's breakfast, along with a glass of milk.

And, of course, D and I end up gobbling two each for breakfast so that the whopping two dozen mini muffins are gone by the end of the week :)

The recipe is fairly standard, nothing spectacular. It can be varied to incorporate fresh seasonal berries or even other dry fruits like prunes and cranberries (which are my favorites).

Optionally, I like to add a tablespoon of flaxseed meal to the batter, if handy - and it is usually handy in my kitchen as I try to sprinkle it on our meals about once or twice a week, especially for Ana :)

Ingredients

dry ingredients 1½ cup all purpose flour 1 cup bran 1/3 cup brown sugar 1 tsp cinnamon powder ½ tsp baking soda 1 Tbsp baking powder ½ tsp salt

wet ingredients ½ cup milk 1 cup unsweetened applesauce 1 ripe banana, mashed 1/3 cup vegetable oil 1 egg ½ cup raisins ½ cup chopped walnuts

Preparation

1. combine the dry ingredients in a bowl and make a well in the center
2. mix the wet ingredients together and gradually pour into the well made in the dry ingredients, gently folding them all together with a spatula till well incorporated; do not overmix
3. pour into mini muffin pans - the ingredients here makes 24 mini muffins
4. bake in a 375°F oven for about 20 minutes or till done - a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean