Apple-Raisin Bran Muffins

This winter I've been paying more attention to what I eat - guess it's time to get more "mindful" about such things.  So there's been less pie and more high fiber/nutritious food being made around here.  My favorite breakfast lately has been a bran muffin.  Gosh, I must be getting old!  I have been making and freezing the Raisin Bran muffins I posted a few months ago, which I can grab and quickly microwave in the morning.  Then I found another muffin version which is my new favorite.  The original recipe came from a box of Western Family brand Raisin Bran cereal.  These also freeze beautifully and microwave from frozen to "oven fresh" in about 30 seconds.

Apple-Raisin Bran Muffins

Makes about 18 muffins

1 1/2 cups raisin bran cereal (if you don't like raisins, use plain bran cereal)
2 cup milk
1/4 cup canola oil
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large or 2 small apples, peeled and chopped finely (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup chopped nuts
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray muffin pans with nonstick spray.  Combine the cereal, milk, oil, eggs and vanilla and let stand for 10 minutes.  Stir to break up the cereal, then stir in the apples and nuts.  In a separate bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon.  Add the cereal mixture all at once to the flour mixture and stir just until moistened, it will be a thick batter.  Spoon into the muffin pans and bake 16 minutes.  Remove from pan and cool on rack. 

Delicious Bran Muffins

Somehow I accumulated a few boxes of Raisin Bran.  I guess it was because it kept going on sale....then I got tired of eating it.  Several times I thought about using the cereal to make muffins, but my past experience with bran muffins hasn't been all that positive.  In an effort to make them extra healthy, most of the bran muffins I've been served were made with whole wheat flour - which left them kind of heavy and dry.  I finally decided that since the bran is providing a good dose of fiber, there would be no sin in making them with regular all purpose flour and they might turn out better.  I was right!  These were so moist and delicious that I had to fight off my 10 year-old son so that a batch of  muffins wouldn't be gone in one day.  Now he has started asking for these because he likes them so much.  I put them in a plastic bag in the freezer and we have a fast and easy breakfast on hectic mornings (30 seconds in the microwave thaws and warms them beautifully).  I make the muffins in standard muffin tins, for one dozen muffins.

Raisin Bran Muffins

2 cups Raisin Bran cereal

1 1/3 cups milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup canola oil

1 egg

1 1/4 cups flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Grease the BOTTOMS ONLY of 12 standard muffin cups with shortening, or spray with cooking spray.

Crush the Raisin Bran - I do this by putting it in a bowl and mashing it with a potato masher.  You can also put it in a bag and run a rolling pin over it several times.  Mix the crushed cereal with the milk and vanilla.  Let stand for 5 minutes.

Mix in the egg and oil with a fork.  Then stir in the remaining ingredients just until everything is moistened.  Be sure not to overmix so that your muffins will be nice and tender.

Divide the batter among the 12 muffin cups, then bake for 20 minutes.

Let stand in the pan for a couple of minutes, then run a knife around the edge of each muffin and tip out of the pan.  These are delightful served warm!