I modified this recipe to be compliant with Phase 2 of the South Beach Diet (low sugar and "good" carbs). I substituted 1 1/2 Cups unsweetened applesauce for the shortening Splenda for the sugar and used whole wheat flour in place of the all purpose flour. I added 3 Tbsps Smart Balance butter to enhance the taste since fat is a flavor transfer. In addition I reduced the baking soda to 3 tsps and added 3 tsps of baking powder. Due to my preference I used 3 Cups Raisin Bran and 3 Cups of All Bran. The muffins came out excellent! Next time (and there will be a next time!) I will add 1 Cup of raisins as others have suggested. Enjoy!
These are good but I'd like to suggest a couple changes. #1 - use All Bran cereal for all of it. It improves the texture. You can always add raisins too. #2 - I substitute 1/2 the sugar amount with molasses. It adds moisture a touch of extra sweetness (these are not super sweet muffins) and we love the molasses flavor! You can also add a basic muffin topping to them for added appeal - just mix melted butter flour and brown sugar until crumbly and add to the muffin tops. Yum!: )
These bran muffins are absolutely wonderful and simple to make. I scaled the recipe down to make only 9 muffins and they still came out incredibly well. We'll surely make these regularly in the future for a quick breakfast on the go. Also for a great variation we added a spoonful of raspberry jam near the middle of the muffins as we were filling the cups with batter. The cooking time is the same but you end up with a sweet surprise in every muffin.
BEST TIP: Put muffins under a glass cake saver on your kitchen counter. Family will see the "pretty muffins" and choose a visible easy-to-grab healthy snack over other junk foods. Also freeze well so bake all freeze extras and put note on freezer door to remind family to microwave a muffin. Yum! I can't leave any recipe alone so made the following changes: For a healthier version skip the raisin bran (too much sugar) and just use all bran flakes. Substituted fresh-ground whole wheat flour for the white flour. (Can substitute up to 1/3 other flours such as oat soy etc. for the wheat flour. Can also substitute a cup of slow-cook oats for the flour as well.) Substitute molasses for up to 1/3 of the sugar and also just plain reduce sugar by 1/3 (They're still plenty sweet). Substitute applesauce or pureed beans for the shortening. Substitute 1/3 of the baking soda for baking powder. Reduce salt. VARIATIONS: Spices to add: pumpkin pie spice cinnamon nutmeg. Fruits & vegetables to add: apples blueberries raspberries cranberries raisins craisins grated carrots or zucchini. Other fun add-ins: jelly in the middle chocolate chips nuts.
This recipe is at least 40 years old! At that time they were made with 2 cups 40% Bran Flakes and 4 cups All-Bran cereal. Fond memories of eating them buttered hot out of the oven before heading off to school. Thanks Mom! Checked my family recipe and like others said the sugar should be 2 cups. Mom always added tons of chopped dates walnuts and raisins. (You can add these or not at baking time to please all family members) Thank you Tammy I'm headed to the kitchen to make up a batch now!
This recipe makes moist surprisingly light muffins. I cut the sugar back to two cups they were still plenty sweet. I also used all Raisin Bran cereal then added extra raisins. I also added 3 tsp. vanilla. These would be terrific with chopped nuts and other goodies but then my kids wouldn't eat them!
I just loved this recipe... I make it often. The muffins are delicious. I did change one thing I instead of using the two different bran cereals I just used plan bran cereal and added my own bakers rasins. Thanks so much.
Made this recipe and it is just fabulous. I used the extra large muffin tins and filled them half full. Then I put 4 frozen blueberries and 3 frozen raspberries in each one. I then fill the muffin cups up to 3/4 full and baked them for 30 min. at 375 deg. They are outstanding!!!
This recipe is great! I halfed the recipe and used all raising bran and added 1/2 cup dry oatmeal reduced the sugar as well. My daughter absolutely loved these! I will be making these REGULARLY.
Good flavor but the texture didn't turn out so good - a bit rubbery and I was careful not to stir too much. Seems to be too much baking soda -- 5 tsp is an awful lot for this size recipe and you can taste it in the final product. I would cut back to 4 tsp. I added shredded carrots for an additional tasty touch and used part whole wheat flour for nutrition.
