October 25, 2010

Mini Pumpkin Bran Muffins with Chocolate Chips

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I am part of a small subset of society, a rather exclusive club, that actually really likes bran muffins. For me, it’s not an acquired taste or something I choke down because they are good for me. I’ve always liked them, ever since I was a kid. The ones my mother used to make were actually from a packaged mix (sorry, Mum, if I am giving away one of your trade secrets!). But they were heavenly straight out of the oven and slathered with butter. And while in grad school in Tempe, Arizona, I fell in love with the honey bran muffins from the Coffee Plantation. I could never quite figure out how they got the bottom of the muffin soaked in honey like that, but it was a mystery I was quite happy to leave unsolved as long as I could simply pay a few dollars for one.

The problem with so many bran muffins, and the reason why so many people don’t like them, is that they are often as dry as sawdust. Many is the time I have bought a bran muffin, thinking it would be the healthier choice, and ended up just throwing it away. Bran needs a lot of moisture to make it palatable, a fact which woefully escapes many commercial muffin-makers. Fortunately for me, I found a great recipe several years ago in my favourite basic reference cookbook, The America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook. With both buttermilk and applesauce to offset the bran, these muffins are anything but dry, and the deep flavour from brown sugar and molasses is wonderful.

I wanted to make something for the kids to have as a healthy snack at school, and the crisp fall weather had me thinking pumpkin muffins. But my daughter wasn’t a fan of the last pumpkin muffins I made, so I knew I had to shake things up a little. I wanted them to be healthful, but to feel like a treat to the kids. So I decided to take the basic bran muffin, swap pumpkin puree for the applesauce, reduce the sugar and sub in whole wheat for all-purpose flour. And then I tossed in a handful of mini chocolate chips, to lure my willful daughter into eating them.

The Results: From the mouths of babes: “yummy”! These little muffins got rave reviews yesterday morning, and both kids requested them this morning as school snacks. Score one for Mummy! My husband quite liked them as well, and devoured two of the larger ones after his morning run. I am told that the pumpkin flavour goes well with the bran, and that they are incredibly moist. And the little taste of chocolate doesn’t hurt either, I am sure.

I found that there was too much batter for my 24 cup mini-muffin tin, so I also managed to make 6 regular-sized muffins. Perfect for all your family members, large and small!

Mini Pumpkin Bran Muffins with Chocolate Chips

1 1/4 cups buttermilk (I use buttermilk powder and water)
1 cup unprocessed wheat bran
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup raisins or dried cranberries (optional)
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (optional)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg
4 tbsp butter, melted and cooled
2 tbsp light molasses
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 375F and generously grease 24 mini-muffin tins and 6 regular muffin tins. Or use just the 12 larger muffin tins.

In a large bowl, stir buttermilk and bran together and let sit for 5-10 minutes. If you are using buttermilk powder, simply add 5 tbsp to the bran and then stir in 1 1/4 cups of water. Whisk in pumpkin, raisins, chocolate chips, brown sugar, egg, melted butter, molasses and vanilla.

In a smaller bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt. Gently fold flour mixture into the bran mixture with a rubber spatula until just combined.

Spoon batter into prepared tins, to just the top of each tin. Bake until tops are set and a tester inserted into the middle comes out clean, about 14-18 minutes for mini-muffins, and 20-24 minutes for larger muffins.

Let muffins cool in pan for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool another 10 minutes before serving.

Makes 24 mini muffins plus 6 regular muffins, or 12 regular muffins.

Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.

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