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
- combine the dry ingredients in a bowl and make a well in the center
- 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
- pour into mini muffin pans - the ingredients here makes 24 mini muffins
- bake in a 375°F oven for about 20 minutes or till done - a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean
I am waiting to get an appe pan so that I can try these out!
ReplyDeleteThese look great, I like all the ingredients in them, like the banana, raisins and walnuts!
ReplyDeleteI daresay it's a little early for your toddler, but in a year or so you might want to add in whole flaxseeds instead of the ground flour. I use them all the time, and they add the most satisfying crunch --- subtly nutty yet not quite as assertive (or expensive) as sunflower seeds or the various tree nuts or peanuts.
ReplyDeleteThanks nags, meese and rodosee!
ReplyDeleteand, you are right, flaxseed (whole) does add a nutty crunch and i use it whole sometimes; but, everything I've read so far indicates that to get full benefit (especially the fiber), it is best to grind it up...