Not so Good Banana Coconut Raisin Bran Muffins

I got inspired to buy some new ingredients for my cupboard, all in the name of the perfect muffin. Of course I had to give bran a try. I followed the directions on the bag, with some modifications, and it was a bust-- wrapper didn't peal easily from the muffin (my husband's pet-peeve) and just blah. It has potential though. In the name of posting failures as well as successes along the way, here's the link to the original recipe from Shiloh Farms and below is mine, with the changes, which maybe what ruined it! Any recommendations for turning this from blah to a fabulous muffin recipe are welcome.

My take away from these muffins was to add bran to other recipes (the bran bag suggests replacing 1/4 cup flour with 1/4 cup bran), but not to try Bran Muffins. But really, I think I want to try this recipe again sometime, perhaps soaking the bran in juice or milk instead of water and adding some butter.

Preheat over to 350

In a small sauce pan mix:
1 cup bran
1 cup boiling water

In another bowl mix:
1/4 cup honey
2 eggs
1/2 cup applesauce
1 cup plain yogurt
2 mashed bananas


In another bowl mix:
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Mix all three bowls together, along with:
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup shredded coconut

Pour into 12 buttered or lined muffin pans and cook for about 25 minutes.

Healthy Pumpkin Applesauce Muffins

Another fabulous yet even healthier muffin made with pumpkin and applesauce and no oil or butter.

Preheat oven to 375

Whisk together in a large bowl:
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

In another large bowl whisk:
2 eggs
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 can organic pumpkin
1/3 cup organic applesauce

Pour the wet into the dry, before mixing add:
1/3 cup walnut pieces
1/2 cup dates

Mix and pour into 12 lined or buttered muffin tins.  Cook for about 25 minutes.

Extra Delicious Oatmeal Banana Muffins

Quite possibly THE PERFECT MUFFIN.  Lots of healthy ingredients and simply delicious.

This recipe makes more than 12 muffins.  So I poured the rest of batter into a buttered cake pan.  The result was an extra large muffin top (or soft cookie)!

Preheat oven 375

Whisk in a large bowl:
1 1/2 cup oats
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon baking powder

Melt 1 cup unsalted butter in a large glass bowl and add:
3 well mushed ripe bananas
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/2 plain yogurt
1/4 cup apple sauce

Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients, before mixing, add
1/4 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup butterscotch chips
1/4 cup chopped dates
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Mix everything together, but not too much, and pour into buttered or lined 12 muffin pan, pour remaining batter into buttered cake pan or more muffins.  Cook about 25 minutes.

The First of the Muffins

The book 'Muffins' by Elizabeth Alston provided a great start to healthy and yummy muffin discovery process.  I started with Brown Sugar Oatmeal Muffins and Whole-Wheat Applesauce Date Muffins.  I've made both of these several times and they are wonderful and wholesome. The Dark Carrot Raisin Nut Muffins were also a big success and I may post modified versions of these later. But what I'll post next are my own creations.  Hopefully pictures will be soon to follow as well.

Why Warm Oven

School was about to begin for my kids and I wanted to bake something special to mark their first day going to new schools.  It had to be healthy and yummy and something I could bake the day before, so muffins seemed like a good choice.  Now, at least once a week, my oven is warm and my kitchen smells good from my new muffin experiments.  I'm on a quest for the perfect muffin-- healthy, delicious, and easy.  The perfect muffin will be something I feel good about giving my kids for breakfast or snacks, and that they want to gobble up.

Now that the weather is cool, there is additional motivation for baking muffins-- it's a fun thing to do inside with the kids, and a warm oven makes for a warm  kitchen and home.

When I was a teenager, my parents gave me a book called 'Muffins' by Elizabeth Alston.  My mother wrote on the first page:

Your assignment for 1989-- bake one recipe each month.  I love you.

As a teenager, I was not so thrilled by this gift and the book was put on the bookshelf and forgotten.  But somehow the book managed to stay with me through all my moves.  Needless to say, the book has now been rediscovered, the mission of 1989 surpassed, and it is one of the inspirations for my muffin recipes.

Other recipe inspirations come from the 'Joy of Cooking', the 'Splendid Table' podcasts, and countless websites and blogs, including these two favorites: Simply Recipes & For the Love of Cooking

I suspect, my muffin obsession will soon wain, so eventually the Warm Oven may be full of other sweet or savory quests... but for now... the quest for the perfect muffin continues...