There’s nothing like a fresh, warm muffin only a few minutes out of the oven. These raisin bran muffins are moist and flavourful, and will last for several days well-covered; however, whenever I make these, they tend not to last that long…definitely not long enough to go stale!

Raisin Bran Muffins

YIELD: 12 svgs | PREP: 10 mins | BAKE| 15-18 mins

• 1½ cups/87g wheat bran
• 1 cup/250mL buttermilk*
• ⅓ cup/80mL vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• ⅔ cup/147g brown sugar
• ¼ cup/85g fancy molasses
• ½ tsp/5mL pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup/125g unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp/3g baking soda
• 1 tsp/3g baking powder
• ½ tsp/3g salt
• ½ cup/73g raisins**, currants, chopped prunes or dates

1. Preheat oven to 375°F/190°C. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin or line with paper liners.
2. Combine wheat bran and buttermilk; let stand for 10 minutes.
3. Whisk together oil, egg, sugar, molasses, and vanilla, and add to buttermilk mixture.
4. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Stir flour mixture into buttermilk mixture, until just barely blended. Do Not Overmix. Fold fruit into batter and spoon about ¼ – ⅓ cup batter into prepared muffin tin.
5. Bake in middle of oven for 15 to 18 minutes rotating tin once during baking; check for doneness at 15 minutes.

* To make your own buttermilk/soured milk, stir in 1 tsp/5mL of white or apple cider vinegar per cup of milk. I help things along by heating in the microwave for 30 seconds; gets it nice and chunky (eww).

** I plump my raisins and currants in hot water for about 5 minutes prior to when I need them, then squeeze them tightly to remove as much extra water as I can before adding them to my recipes.