Raisin Bran Muffins

As I sit here sipping on my favorite coffee, Red Rooster from Floyd, VA, I think about how perfectly tranquil Sunday mornings are. They are most often the only time of the week where we can enjoy peace and quiet, before the world starts again on Monday. In our house, Sundays are reserved for sleeping in, drinking specially prepared coffee, doing laundry, grocery shopping and then spending the evening in the kitchen preparing our food for the week. Throw in a piano lesson, rehearsal and yoga class, and you've got the full scope. With how busy and varied our lives can be (particularly due to the all the events, lessons and gigs I have "after hours"), Sundays are kept as our time to unwind, decompress and prepare to keep chugging along. They are probably my favorite day of the week because they mean the only sliver of relaxation that we've built into our busy lives.


These muffins are part of a typical Sunday evening! We had some leftover buttermilk at one point and were trying to figure out what to do with it. We were also trying to determine what our breakfasts/lunches would be for the week. When we cracked open the King Arthur Flour Cookbook and started perusing the muffin section, we landed on these. Only challenge? Finding wheat bran. But even sleepy ol' Williamsburg managed to finally produce a grocery store with wheat bran and we now have what feel likes a lifetime supply. These muffins are fantastic. They are so filling but without being overly dry or trying too hard to be healthy. They don't taste quite like a raisin or wheat bran muffin you get at a coffee shop because they retain their moist, fresh-out-of-the-oven muffin flavor for at least a week. We were very impressed with the quality of these muffins and were even more impressed that they held us for a few hours each morning, before we even started to feel the least bit hungry. These are a fantastic recipe for muffins that I recommend everyone try! It is worth buying the buttermilk and wheat bran, just for these.

Baking Notes: We chose to use golden raisins instead of regular raisins, just for the extra touch. We also baked on the higher end of the recipe at 18 minutes.

Raisin Bran Muffins (adapted from King Arthur Flour; makes 1 dozen)
1 cup buttermilk (or milk)
1/3 cup veggie oil
2 large eggs
1/4 cup molasses
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup wheat bran
1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 cup golden raisins

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the milk, oil, eggs, molasses and brown sugar. Add the bran and oats. Set aside for 15 minutes to allow the bran/oats to absorb some liquid and get soft. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and lightly grease your muffin tin(s).

After 15 minutes (or more, if bran/oats need it), whisk the remaining dry ingredients together in a small bowl, making sure there are no stray lumps of baking powder. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring until *just* blended. Spoon batter into 12 muffin cups, filling each cup almost to the top. Bake for 14-18 minutes or until they spring back when lightly pressed in the middle or a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to sit for 5 minutes, then remove from muffin tin and allow to cool completely on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container and enjoy for up to a week! These freeze nicely, as well. Enjoy!