For the Love of Bran

So perhaps I'm surmising here, but I have an inkling that if you are following this blog, you may have an affinity for whole grain goodness.  Generally, when I bake, I try to opt for a cohesive blend of healthy and yummy.  There should be no reason why you can't have both, after all.  However, this recipe may tip the scales a little closer to healthy.  

I tried it because I have a little girl who needs some help in the regularity department, and was given the recipe for these branny beauties from a public health nurse I know.  Perhaps you just spent an exciting weekend away eating rich restaurant food and now feel the need to cleanse yourself out a bit.  Perhaps you, like I, have a darling daughter taking large doses of vile iron in solution and this poor little girl, who already had constipation issues, is having more trouble pooping than ever.  Perhaps you want to take offensive action on the possibility of colon cancer later in life.  Whatever your situation, these are a good item to have in your healthy baking arsenal.  The name leaves little to the imagination but lays it all out there loud and clear:

Very Effective Bran Muffins

3 cups bran

2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 tbsp baking powder

1 cup raisins

2 eggs, beaten

2 cups buttermilk

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup molasses

Whisk dry ingredients together in large bowl, then mix in raisins.  In separate bowl, mix wet ingredients until well blended.  Pour wet ingredients into dry and stir until blended together.  Spoon into regular or mini muffin tins, and bake at 400 for 15-18 minutes for regular (ha!) muffins or 7-10 minutes for mini muffins.  

I made just a half batch of this batter and it made 24 minis and 5 regular muffins.  And I didn't have buttermilk, so I used the trick where you put 1 tbsp of lemon juice into a one-cup measure and then fill it the rest of the way with milk (in this case I used 2%).  

While they are slightly reminiscent of something a horse might enjoy eating, they are surprisingly good and my husband and I each ate two of the minis after supper this evening.  Our son really enjoyed his, as well.  Now I'm hoping our picky little girly-girl will like them, and that, true to their name, they will be effective.

I hope that you and your system enjoy these muffins.  And by the way, I have to admit that I may have blushed a little when I typed the word "constipation" above.  Despite all the poop talk that goes along with parenting young children, there's something about typing that word in a public forum that sends me back to elementary school days when it was a hugely embarrassing but hilarious word all at the same time.