30-Day Bran Muffins

My Mom made these for us over the holidays and I've been craving them ever since! These high-fiber muffins make a great breakfast or snack, the muffins freeze well and the batter stores in the fridge for up to 30 days! My Mom often makes a few at a time so they are fresh and hot out of the oven. What's not to love about that? I love them with raisins, but I have one child who prefers them without. We love them with butter and honey. Either way, they are delish! 

There are SO many very similar recipes online.  My Mom uses one from the Favorites cookbook. 

This recipe (below) makes about 8 dozen muffins (use the biggest bowl you have to mix!), so if you'd like to make a half batch, here's the recipe for 4 dozen: Spark People

4 cups Kellogg's All-Bran cereal (looks like little sticks)
2 cup boiling water
1 cup margarine
2 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs, beaten
5 cups flour
5 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoons salt
4 cups (1 quart) buttermilk
2 cups Bran Flakes cereal (such as Post Bran Flakes)

1 (15 oz. box) seedless raisins, optional (or dried cranberries. Fresh blueberries would be great too!)

Combine All-Bran and boiling water in a large bowl. Cream margarine and sugar, and add to bran. Add eggs. Mix dry ingredients, and add alternately with buttermilk, then add Bran Flakes. Stir in raisins (or dried cranberries or fresh blueberries) if desired just before baking.

Keeps up to 4 weeks in the refrigerator. I use a large cookie scoop to get just the right amount of batter.

Bake in muffin cups at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Nutritional information per muffin (without raisins): 134 calories, 2.5 grams fat, 3.5 grams protein, 27 grams carbohydrate, 2.8 grams dietary fiber, 18.5 mg. cholesterol, 251 mg. sodium

Pumpkin Protein Muffins

 I make these at least once a week. They are my go-to post workout snack and my kids gobble them up. I actually have to hide them or they are gone in a day. 

1 cup	Canned pumpkin
1/2 cup	Applesauce
1/2 cup	Plain lowfat Greek yogurt (I like Chobani)
3	Egg whites
1 3/4 cup	Old Fashioned Oats
1/4 cup	Protein powder (vanilla)
1/2 cup	Baking stevia OR 1 cup sweetener of choice that measures like sugar
1 tsp	Baking soda
2 tsp	Baking powder
1/4 tsp	Salt
1 1/2 tsp	Cinnamon
1/2 tsp	Pumpkin pie OR Apple pie spice (If you don't have this just add a couple dashes nutmeg instead)
Optional	Add-Ins: 1/4 cup of chopped walnuts, pecans, or almonds, mini chocolate chips, raisins or dried cranberries.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine all ingredients in blender or food processor. Blend until oats are ground and mixture is smooth. Pour batter into paper-lined muffin tin and bake for 15-20 minutes. Makes 12 muffins. 

*Note: This batter is very moist and a toothpick may not come out clean. They are done when the tops are golden brown. 

Quick and Easy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

I am loving Fall this year! The cooler temperatures, the soccer games, the cute pumpkins everywhere we go, and the amazing colors of the leaves as they change. With all the Fall spirit in the air, I have been craving a good pumpkin chocolate chip something or other. I found this recipe and was thrilled! You only need three ingredients (that I had in my house all ready), 25 minutes to cook, and they taste just as good as they smell. Happy Fall baking!

1 box Spice Cake Mix

1- 15 oz. can pumpkin

1 small bag of chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 2 muffin tins with paper liners. Combine cake mix and pumpkin in a medium bowl and mix for about 30 seconds on low speed and then for about 2 minutes on medium speed. Stir in chocolate chips (these can be omitted if you are looking for a healthier alternative). Using a large cookie scoop, fill each muffin cup about 2/3 full and smooth out the batter. Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of one cupcake comes out clean. Allow to cool slightly and then enjoy!

** This recipe makes about 24 muffins but can easily be doubled. These muffins will freeze well and would make a great snack to pull out of the freezer and pop into a school lunch. They would be thawed and delicious by lunch time!

Whole Wheat Dinner Muffins

I LOVE LOVE LOVE these muffins! They are whole wheat, but do not have yeast, so they are quick and easy to make. They are perfect to dip in a soup or stew or are delicious with butter and honey or jam. Recipe makes 16 muffins, but I got 21.* Recipe originally from The Williams-Sonoma Cookbook, adapted by Mel's Kitchen Cafe.

2 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
4 tablespoons yellow cornmeal
6 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
4 eggs, separated
6 tablespoons butter, melted, or olive oil
2 cups buttermilk
4 tablespoons sour cream or plain yogurt
3 tablespoons sesame seeds for sprinkling

Preheat your oven to 350° F. Grease 16* standard muffin cups; fill the unused cups one-third full with water to prevent warping during baking.

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, cornmeal, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another bowl or a large liquid measuring cup, whisk together the egg yolks, butter, buttermilk, and sour cream until blended. Stir the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture just until evenly moistened. Don’t overmix! The batter will be slightly lumpy.

In a clean bowl, using a mixer with spotlessly clean beaters on medium speed, beat the egg whites just until they form soft peaks. Using a large rubber spatula, gently fold the egg whites into the batter until blended, again, taking care not to overmix because that will result in tough, dry muffins.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each cup nearly level with the rim of the cup. Sprinkle the muffins with the sesame seeds. Bake the muffins until they are golden, dry and springy to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 18-20 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the muffins cool for 5 minutes. Unmold the muffins and serve warm or at room temperature with butter and/or jam, if desired.

Pumpkin Bread

This is a moist and delicious pumpkin bread recipe that I got at a church activity when we lived in California. The butterscotch or peanut butter chips are a nice surprise that make this bread taste very special. It makes a lot, but the leftovers freeze well...

1 (15 oz.) can pure canned pumpkin
1/2 cup water
1 cup canola oil
4 eggs
3 cups sugar (can sub. half for sugar substitute)
2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
3 1/2 cups flour
1 bag (2 cups) butterscotch chips -or- peanut butter chips

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. 
2. Blend the pumpkin, water, oil, eggs and sugar until smooth. 
3. Add the dry ingredients and mix well. 
4. Stir in the butterscotch or peanut butter chips. 
5. Pour batter into prepared pans. Follow baking times below, depending on size of pan:

• 2 large lightly greased and floured loaf pans. Bake for 55-60 minutes.
• 8 lightly greased and floured mini loaf pans. Bake for 20-30 minutes.
• 44-48 paper-lined muffin tins.  Bake for 12-18 minutes.

Zucchini Bread

This is a favorite that our Mom has made since we were little.....

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 Tablespoon cinnamon

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. baking powder

3 eggs

1 cup sugar*

1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed*

1 cup vegetable oil*

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups zucchini, grated

1/2 cup nuts, chopped (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 325° F. Grease and flour 2 large loaf pans (or 8 mini loaf pans or 24 muffin tins). Set aside.
2. Stir flour, cinnamon, salt, baking soda and baking powder together in a bowl. Set aside. 
3. In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, sugars, vegetable oil and vanilla. 
4. Stir in flour mixture. Blend in zucchini and nuts, if desired. 
5. Pour into prepared pans and bake for 60 minutes for large loaves, about 20-25 minutes for small loaves or 15-20 minutes for muffins. Bread is done when centers are set and bread is slightly brown.*
6. Let cool in pans for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the edges of the pans. Turn bread out of pans and cool completely before wrapping in tin foil or placing in an airtight container.

*Less sugar, less fat recipe: Decrease white and brown sugars to 3/4 cup each. Substitute half of the oil for applesauce or non-fat vanilla yogurt.

*High altitude recipe (above 4000 feet): Add a 1/4 cup sour cream to the batter before baking and mix well. Decrease total sugar by about 1/3 cup. Decrease baking times by about 5 minutes.

Banana Muffins

These muffins are frequently requested at my house and make a fabulous after school snack.

1 c. sugar

1/2 c. applesauce (I use one of the individual cups that I buy for the kids lunches)

2 eggs

3 ripe bananas- mashed

1 c. flour

1 c. wheat flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and spray bottoms of two muffin tins. (Do not use paper liners!) Cream together sugar and applesauce. Add eggs and mashed bananas and beat well. Add dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Scoop into muffin tins and bake for 18-20 minutes. Makes 18 to 24 muffins.

*adapted from "Favorites"

Mom's Banana Bread

This recipe uses less fat and more bananas than most Banana Bread recipes. It's a classic!

1/4 cup shortening

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

3 ripe bananas, mashed

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup pecans, chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 300〫F.  Beat together shortening, sugar and eggs in a large bowl. Mix in mashed bananas. Beat in salt, baking soda and flour until smooth. Stir in nuts, if desired. *I sometimes add 1 tsp. Rum extract too. Pour into 2 greased and lightly floured loaf pans and bake for 1 hour, or until centers are set.  Makes 2 loaves.*

*Can make 8 mini loaves or 24 muffins instead.  Cooking times will need to be decreased.

Nana Jackson's Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

2 cups raisins- Soak in 1 cup boiling water

1 cup shortening

2 cups sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

3/4 cup milk

4 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. allspice

1- 12 oz. package chocolate chips

1/2 to 1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease muffin tins or line with paper baking cups. Soak raisins and set aside to cool. Cream together shortening and sugar. Add eggs and beat well then add in vanilla and milk. In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients and slowly add to the mixture. Drain raisins and stir in along with chocolate chips and nuts if desired. Fill muffin cups about 2/3 full and bake for 15-18 minutes or until tops are lightly browned. Makes about 3 dozen.

My grandmothers original recipe says "No need to frost. They stay moist and freeze well."