Favorite Bran Muffins

Total Time: 35 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients

• 1 cup whole wheat flour (all-purpose flour is fine, too)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (if using salted butter, omit this)
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar (either light or dark)
• 1 egg, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup sour cream (or pureed cottage cheese or tofu, with a tsp. or so of lemon juice)
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1 cup natural bran (not bran flakes cereal!)

Recipe

• 1 butter and flour muffin tins (you can use leftover flour in the next step if you are feeling quite economical) sift flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon into a bowl (if using whole wheat flour, you have to dump in the little flakes- they will not sift through the sieve) in a large bowl, cream softened butter on moderate speed for about 2 minutes or until creamy.
• 2 beat in brown sugar and beat one minute, or until combined.
• 3 blend in egg and vanilla and beat for one minute.
• 4 on a lower speed, blend in sour cream and molasses, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula to keep the batter even.
• 5 by hand, stir in sifted dry ingredients, blending just until flour particles have been absorbed.
• 6 fill muffin tins 2/3 full and bake in a 400 degree oven for about 13-15 minutes for a medium muffin tin, 10 min for mini muffins, and 15-18 for large muffins, or until the batter starts to pull away from the sides and a pick inserted into the middle comes out clean and dry.
• 7 let cool in tin for about 45 seconds, then remove to a wire cooling rack.