Not Your Grandma's Bran Muffins

I have been hesitant to try this recipe as I always envision bran muffins to have the texture of a hockey puck and the taste of cardboard. The carton of buttermilk sitting in my fridge just waiting to go bad gave me the inspiration to broaden my horizons. I was able to make some WW-friendly tweaks without losing the amazing whole grain goodness of these babies!

Original inspiration: Super Natural Every Day
Serving Size: 12 muffins
WW: 4 pointsplus per serving






Ingredients: 

• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup buttermilk or plain yogurt
• 2 Tablespoons melted, unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup unprocessed wheat bran (I bought mine for 10 cents in the bulk bins at Whole Foods)
• 1.5 cups (4 ounces) plain, unsweetened bran cereal (I used lightly sweetened Nature's Path Organic SmartBran cereal, because that is all I could find at my grocery store)
• 1 cup (4 ounces) whole wheat pastry flour 
• 3 Tablespoons natural cane sugar 
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 ounce chopped walnuts (optional; other nuts or dried fruit would also work well)

Method: 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Either butter a standard 12-cup muffin pan or place paper or silicone liners in the muffin cups. 

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, apple sauce, melted butter, and maple syrup. Sprinkle the wheat bran and cereal across the top of the bowl, stir, and let the mixture sit for 5 minutes. 

While the wet ingredients are sitting, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl. After the five minutes has elapsed, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Immediately fill each muffin cup almost to the brim. If you are adding nuts, top each muffin with the chopped walnuts before you put them in the oven. 

Bake until the edges of the muffins start to brown and the tops are set, which should take between 18 and 22 minutes. Let the muffins cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then cool the rest of the way on a wire rack. Delicious served warm with butter or jam!