3 Reasons I Bake Bran Muffins!

Three Reasons Bran Muffins are Healthy

1. Apparently flaxseed is so good for you, that had my muffins existed approximately 600 years ago, it would have been illegal not to eat them!

Haha I'm not even kidding! I found this on like three different sites! And they're not even all flaxseed vendors!

This is like the opposite of banning large drinks in New York...

Apparently, as if by divine inspiration, Frankish emperor Charlemagne predicted the health benefits of flaxseed and required it consumed by all his subjects!. If you don't believe Charlie, WebMD also agrees.

(original) image courtesy of thehistoryprofessor.us

2. They're NOT cookies!

Image courtesy of okmagazine.com

You'll have to decide for yourself if that's a plus or a minus.

3. Bran muffins = sleep. 

Portable bran muffins --> I can eat breakfast in the car or at school instead of at home --> I can wake up later --> MORE SLEEP!

Image courtesy of clipartpal.com

Those reasons sound good enough for me! 

Healthy Bran Muffins

These  muffins are sweet, dense, and hearty, but the tartness of the cranberries adds a little zing. They're perfect for a quick and tasty breakfast with lots of fiber. 

Ingredients
3 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups toasted bran flake cereal / oat bran 
1 cup ground flaxseed*
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups buttermilk
1 cup orange juice
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup molasses
2 cups dried cranberries**

*You can also use whole flaxseeds (for a different texture), or toasted wheat germ. 
**These muffins are so sturdy you have a lot of liberty with the type of fruit you use. I've even dumped cups of apple sauce and other pulverized fruit into my batter before, with no adverse affects on the texture!

Instructions: 

1. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl: wheat flour, bran, flaxseed, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt.
2. Combine the wet ingredients in a medium bowl: buttermilk, orange juice, eggs, vegetable oil, honey, and molasses. 
3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until combined. 
4. Add the dried fruit.
5. Cover your dough with plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator for about four hours (I typically leave it overnight) to give it a chance to cool down. (If the dough is cold, the muffins rise in a much more beautiful, uniform shape. You can make muffins without refrigerating the batter first, but I won't guarantee the results!) 
6. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
7. Scoop the batter into paper-lined muffin tins. It doesn't matter if you have really irregularly sized lumps of batter; they will smooth out while baking.
8. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.
9. Enjoy fresh from the oven or as a quick and healthy snack for your busy week! 

Here's what flaxseed power looks like! It pretty much looks like sand. 

And oat bran pretty much looks like oatmeal!

All the dry ingredients

All the wet ingredients

Here's what the batter should look like (before you add the dried fruit)

Here's what the batter should look like after it's been cooled. It will probably be very thick and lumpy; that's ok!

P.S. Let us know in the comments if you prefer a cookie or a bran muffin!