Receta Delicious Bran Muffins...
Two nuns walked into a bar and ordered a delicious bran muffin... as if...now that would be a great start to a joke if only delicious and bran, two words as opposite as they come, went together! Bran is dry and tasteless with "regulating" abilities, and it appeals to practically no one in their right mind, unless they need "regulating." Bran is also, according to Wikipedia, "... rich in dietary fiber and essential fatty acids and contains significant quantities of starch, protein, vitamins AND dietary minerals!" And that ain't no load of #@%$! (which is what you'll get if you eat too much!) but, if you'll pardon my symbols, turns out that delicious and bran CAN be combined...and this recipe proves it!
Greg Atkinson, a Seattle Super Chef, had a recipe in last Sunday's paper for Molasses and Raisin Bran Muffins, and it caught my eye because he said simmering raisins in water and then pureeing them would "elevate these bran muffins above the commonplace." Well, I'm all about elevating and practically ran to the kitchen to begin my ascent! Was it possible to have delicious and bran at the same time?!? I was going to find out - however, I didn't have wheat bran, which his recipe called for, instead I used Kellogg's Bran Buds...hard-pellet-shaped bits of bran that reminded me of what bunnies leave behind...I thought they would dissolve and melt into bran-nirvana. I was wrong. Those little Bran Buds held their shape - so the muffins were lumpy and very chewy...but the flavor of these muffins was undeniable! Sweet and light on the inside and crispy-chewy and BURNED on the outside! Only the top half was edible but I wanted the full bran Monty - so off to the store I went in search of wheat bran, I was determined to make the right the second time around.
Alas, wheat bran was no where to be seen...and I didn't feel like driving to Whole Paycheck Foods so I was forced to make another substitution, this time I used Bran Flake Cereal but I ground it up first...clever, no? Well I thought so. And while I was thinking I also thought I'd change a few other things in Greg's recipe (so much for making it right!)...so I simmered my raisins in orange juice...and I added in some dates, too! And then, I got really crazy and tossed in some Maraschino Cherries! I carefully watched how long they baked, reducing the time Greg suggested by FIVE minutes - burning the first batch proved to be fortuitous because it led me to the second BETTER batch, but I didn't want to push my luck so I watched the time like a hawk!
The end result is a muffin that is sweet and chewy, almost nutty. The bran taste, which is not my favorite, is there, but it's not the dominating flavor and neither is the molasses, which gives just a hint of richness - and you'd never guess there were raisins, dates or cherries in these muffins - just wholesome goodness in every bite. These muffins are great the next day, too, in fact, they were almost even better. I couldn't get the boy to eat them though, he turned up his nose claiming an allergy to bran and instead reached for a Hostess Ding Dong...his day of reckoning will come... and the mister will only eat them if there's ice cream on top - he's having a bit of difficulty staying on his diet. What I don't eat in the next day I'll freeze - and when I'm rushing to get out the door in the morning I'll grab one to eat on the run - healthy, filling and dang good my friends, especially if you don't burn them!
- Delicious Bran Muffins - Adapted (heavily) from Greg Atkinson
- 3/4 cup raisins
- 1/4 cup pitted dates
- 1/4 cup Maraschino cherries
- 1 cup orange juice
- 1/2 cup canola or corn oil
- 1/2 cup sugar4
- 1/2 cup molasses (I used mild molasses and not the full-body variety)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 egg
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups Bran Flake Cereal, finely crushed (about 4 1/2 cups cereal will yield 2 cups crushed)
Line muffin tins with paper liners. (18 liners needed.) Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put cereal in a plastic Zip-lock style bag and crush it by rolling a rolling pin over the bag or put the cereal in a food processor and process until very small bits remain. Set aside. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the raisins, dates and cherries in the orange juice and bring to a boil. (In the picture above you'll notice that I did not add my cherries to the orange juice but added them with the sugar and oil. Either way is fine, I just didn't want you to get hung up on the photo!) Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Transfer mixture, including liquid, to a food processor and process until the mixture becomes a rough puree. With the motor running, stream in the oil, sugar, molasses and the egg.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, then stir in the crushed bran cereal. Add the orange juice/fruit mixture all at once to the dry mixture and stir just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Do not overmix. Fill baking liners about 3/4's of the way and bake until the muffins are browned on top and springy to the touch, about 15 to 17 minutes. Do not over bake! Cool the muffins on a rack for at least 10 minutes before serving. Makes 18 regular-sized muffins.
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