Bananas For Bran Muffins

I don’t share many recipes here but this one deserves a mention. My daughter asked for them this morning and it dawned on me that I haven’t made them in a while: bran muffins. (My husband’s going to be jealous when he reads this because he has a soft spot for bran muffins and I already convinced him to eat oatmeal with blueberries for his breakfast, LOL.)

I know what you’re thinking, bran?! Gah. You might as well eat cardboard, right?! Wrong. These puppies are scrumdiddlyumptious! Don’t believe me? Ask the dishes! They can sing, they can dance, after all, Miss, this is France, and a breakfast here is never second best … sorry, this is what happens when you’re a Disney girl at heart! 😊

Anyways, back to my muffins. Bran muffins soothe my soul because they remind me of being a kid. My mom used to make them all the time (still does, actually), so they feel like home to me. And it seems I’m passing that nostalgia on to my girl because as picky as she is when it comes to food—especially breakfast foods—these are one staple she will eat every time. I always say yes, too, because I’ve come up with a way to make them a little healthier. They’re still a baked good, of course, but they are full of fiber, protein, and healthy fats. Now, if you know me and my affection and strict adherence to family traditions, you may be surprised that I’ve changed up a recipe. But in this case, it’s justified because somehow, they taste even better! They’re moist, fluffy, and extra nutty.

So, without further ado …

My “Bananas For Bran Muffins” Recipe

Ingredients

2 cups All-Bran cereal (we usually use the original All-Bran, but recently I couldn’t find it, so I bought the All-Bran buds and OMG it was a bit of serendipity because we liked this cereal even better!)
1 1/4 cups milk
3/4 cup oat flour
1/2 cup almond flour
1/3 sugar (you can adjust this depending on how sweet you want them)
1 tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 large egg
1/4 cup coconut oil (you can use whatever you have on hand: vegetable oil, canola oil, even olive oil)
Cooking spray or oil (whatever you have on hand)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1) In a large bowl, combine the cereal and milk and let it sit for about 5 minutes to soften
2) In a small bowl, mix all dry ingredients
3) Add the egg and oil to the softened cereal mixture
4) Add the dry ingredients to the cereal mixture and mix well
5) Pour batter into greased muffin pan
6) Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes (they take approximately 18 minutes in my oven)

Note: I’ve never tried it but feel free to add any extra goodies to these, like chocolate chips, walnuts (or any nut for that matter), blueberries, chia seeds. The possibilities are endless!

There you have it! When they come out of the oven, I usually let them sit in the pan for about 10 minutes before removing them, so they don’t fall apart. The All-Bran buds tend to make them crumblier, but just mush those crumbs with butter and pop ‘em in your mouth—they are even more divine that way, in my humble opinion.

And the best part of making muffins—besides slathering them with butter and devouring them—is that they last for two breakfasts!!! What a tasty way to conserve, no??

I will leave you with a few pictures of these bad boys. Is your mouth watering yet? It should be. Leave me a comment if you decide to whip these up at your house. There’s no better time to give it a shot than on a cold, rainy Monday morning during this third week of quarantine. I promise you won’t regret it!

Happy baking!