Honey Pumpkin Bran Muffins

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I still had the white balance settings wrong for this entire batch of photos and it’s annoying me because these muffins were really delicious and you can’t even see their true beauty. Trust me, they looked lovely.

I found these in the bottom depths of one of my Pinterest boards. Sometimes I just load the whole thing and scroll down that seemingly endless page to the bottom just to see what I’ve pinned and forgotten about. There are gems hiding in there and this recipe proves it.

I think part of the light texture of these muffins comes from the fact that the mixing is all done by whisk. Bran and pumpkin aren’t the lightest of ingredients, but these muffins were anything but heavy, so it has to be mixing method. And the whole thing was a one-bowl recipe, perfect for a busy weeknight.

I started by whisking together butter (only 1/4 cup), honey, and brown sugar (I used coconut palm, and put in slightly less than the 1/2 cup suggested).

I added the egg, whisked that in, then put in the pumpkin.

Next was the vanilla, baking powder, baking soda, and spices. I was a little concerned that the recipe didn’t call for salt, but I trusted it. (Good choice.)

It all whisked together very nicely.

In went the wheat bran.

I added the flour (whole wheat white) and milk, and whisked. I was sure I’d have to get out the spatula, but I soon saw there was no need for it.

Of course I did have to shake out the whisk a couple of times, and then once I was done, I somehow knocked it out of the bowl and onto the floor. Little bits of batter scattered.

I cleaned it up, as it was a pretty minor spill in my world, and got back into gear. I scooped the batter into muffin cups, piling it high. I sprinkled a little turbinado sugar on top.

These muffins get baked at a pretty low temperature, so they took over 25 minutes to bake all the way through. They smelled wonderful when they came out of the oven, warm and spicy. I let them sit in the pan for 5 more minutes.

I let them finish cooling on the rack.

When they were still warm, they stuck to the papers a bit, but not much, and by morning, they didn’t stick at all. And they were delightful. Light and fluffy, rich in flavor, warmed by the pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. The sugar on top was a good idea, gave them a tiny little extra bite of sweetness.

(And for the Weight Watchers crowd, they come in at 4 P+.)

HONEY PUMPKIN BRAN MUFFINS RECIPE (original)

My version of Honey Pumpkin Bran Muffins, adapted from Sugar Plum Blog)

(serves 12)

ingredients:
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup (scant) packed brown sugar (or coconut palm sugar)
2 tablespoons honey
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 heaping teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 heaping teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup wheat bran
1 1/2 cups whole wheat white flour
3/4 cup 1% milk
turbinado sugar, for sprinkling (about 2 teaspoons)

directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees, and line or spray a muffin pan. You’ll reduce the oven temperature when the muffins go in.

In a large bowl — the only bowl you’ll need — whisk together the butter, brown sugar, and honey until thoroughly combined. Whisk in the egg, pumpkin, vanilla, baking powder, baking soda, and spices until well mixed. Finally, stir in the bra, flour, and milk until just combined.

Scoop the batter into 12 muffin cups, and sprinkle lightly with turbinado sugar.

Reduce the oven temperature to 325, and bake for 25-30 minutes, until they look puffy and brown and a toothpick comes out clean.

Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then move to a wire rack.

These lasted a good 3 days for me in an airtight container. They are perfect breakfast muffins! Enjoy.