Discover the ultimate breakfast or snack with our incredibly easy and delicious Bran Muffins recipe! These hearty, moist, and subtly sweet muffins are a true comfort, boasting the nutty, earthy flavor of bran perfectly balanced with a hint of warm cinnamon and the chewy sweetness of optional raisins. Whether you're seeking a quick grab-and-go breakfast, a satisfying addition to your brunch spread, or an afternoon treat, these homemade bran muffins are your answer. Bake a batch today!
Here's a breakdown of the ingredients that come together to create these Bran Muffins.
Bran Cereal: The key ingredient that gives the muffins their characteristic "bran" flavor, texture, and name.
Milk: It hydrates the dry ingredients (especially the bran cereal and flour) contributing to the overall moisture and tenderness of the muffins.
Vegetable Oil: Oil contributes significantly to the muffins' moisture, tenderness, and a soft, rich crumb. It also helps keep the muffins moist for a longer period compared to solid fats like butter.
Egg: Acts as a binder, helping to hold the ingredients together.
All-Purpose Flour: Flour gives the muffins their shape and structure.
Brown Sugar: A sweetener that gives these muffins a rich flavor profile.
Baking Powder: When mixed with liquid and then heated, it creates tiny bubbles throughout the batter. These bubbles expand, making the muffins rise and become light and fluffy.
Cinnamon: A spice that adds a warm, sweet, and aromatic flavor, complementing the bran, brown sugar, and raisins.
Other Ingredients You’ll Need: Cooking spray, raisins (if desired), vanilla, and salt.
Here are the steps to make these delicious Bran Muffins, with important tips for success. See the full recipe below for all the details.
Crushing your cereal thoroughly is crucial. Don't just break it up; aim for fine crumbs. This allows the bran to absorb the milk more effectively. A food processor works wonders here if you have one, otherwise, the bag and rolling pin method is effective.
Stir cereal, milk, raisins, and let it stand for about 5 minutes. This is important so the cereal softens and absorbs most of the milk, making your muffins moist. Then add the oil and egg.
It's important to measure correctly in this step. Spoon your flour into the measuring cup and then level it off with a straight edge (like a knife). Scooping directly from the bag can compact the flour, leading to too much flour and a dry, dense muffin. Alternatively, make sure you pack your brown sugar, it should hold its shape when inverted. Make sure all your dry ingredients are mixed well before moving onto the next step.
Pour the dry flour mixture into the wet cereal mixture. Once you combine the wet and dry ingredients, stir just until the flour is moistened. The batter will be lumpy, and that's exactly what you want!
Divide the lumpy batter evenly among your 12 prepared muffin cups. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, checking for doneness at the low end of the range using the toothpick test.
If you used paper baking cups, take the muffins out of the pan right away and put them on a cooling rack. If you sprayed the pan, let them sit in the pan for about 5 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack.
Here's how to store your Bran Muffins to keep them fresh.
Once completely cooled, store the muffins in an airtight container. You can place a paper towel on the bottom of the container and another on top of the muffins to absorb any excess moisture, which helps prevent sogginess. They will stay fresh for up to 3 days.
Store them in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
This recipe is perfect for freezing! Place cooled muffins in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze for about 30 minutes until firm. Transfer the frozen muffins to a resealable plastic freezer bag or an airtight freezer-safe container. Remove as much air as possible from the bag to prevent freezer burn. Store for up to 3 months.
Thaw muffins at room temperature then warm them gently in the microwave for 20-30 seconds at 80% or place them in a 300°F oven for 5-10 minutes until heated through.
Heat oven to 400°F. Place a paper baking cup in each of 12 regular-size muffin cups, or spray just the bottoms of the cups with cooking spray.
Place cereal in a resealable food-storage plastic bag; seal the bag. Roll over cereal with a rolling pin or bottle, or press with the bottom of a small saucepan, to crush cereal into fine crumbs.
In a medium bowl, stir the crushed cereal, milk, raisins, and vanilla until well mixed. Let stand about 5 minutes or until the cereal has softened and most of the milk has been absorbed. Beat in the oil and egg with a fork.
In another medium bowl, stir the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon until well mixed.
Stir flour mixture into cereal mixture just until the flour is moistened (batter will be lumpy).
Divide batter evenly among muffin cups.
Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If muffins were baked in paper baking cups, immediately remove from pan to a cooling rack. If muffins were baked in a sprayed pan, leave in the pan about 5 minutes, then remove from the pan to a cooling rack. Serve warm, if desired. Makes 12 muffins.
To make Date-Bran Muffins, omit the raisins and stir in 1 cup chopped dates with the flour mixture in step 4.
| Food Component / Nutrient | Amount | % , Daily Value* |
|---|---|---|
| Total Fat | 6g | 9% |
| Saturated Fat | 1g | 6% |
| Trans Fat | 0g | % Value Not Available |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 1&½g | % Value Not Available |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 3g | % Value Not Available |
| Omega-3 | 0g | % Value Not Available |
| Cholesterol | 20mg | 6% |
| Sodium | 210mg | 9% |
| Total Carbohydrate | 26g | 9% |
| Dietary Fiber | 3g | 13% |
| Soluble Fiber | 0g | % Value Not Available |
| Insoluble Fiber | 3g | % Value Not Available |
| Sugars | 10g | % Value Not Available |
| Protein | 3g | % Value Not Available |
| Vitamin D | Value Not Available | 4% |
| Calcium | Value Not Available | 15% |
| Iron | Value Not Available | 8% |
| Potassium | 80mg | 2% |
| Vitamin A | Value Not Available | 0% |
| Vitamin C | Value Not Available | 0% |
| Vitamin E | Value Not Available | 4% |
| Thiamin | Value Not Available | 10% |
| Riboflavin | Value Not Available | 8% |
| Niacin | Value Not Available | 6% |
| Vitamin B6 | Value Not Available | 4% |
| Folic Acid | Value Not Available | 8% |
| Vitamin B12 | Value Not Available | 4% |
| Pantothenic Acid | Value Not Available | 2% |
| Phosphorus | Value Not Available | 8% |
| Magnesium | Value Not Available | 2% |
| Zinc | Value Not Available | 4% |
| Manganese | Value Not Available | 6% |
| Selenium | Value Not Available | 8% |
| Copper | Value Not Available | 0% |
| Beta-Carotene | Value Not Available | % Value Not Available |
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. | ||
