I’m so excited to share these wonderful, fluffy, moist buttermilk bran muffins with you ~ they’re healthy and full of natural fiber ~ but they’re so delicious you’ll forget that they’re so good for you!
I’ve been making bran muffins for as long as I can remember, and at this point, if a muffin doesn’t have bran in it it just feels like it’s missing something.
What is bran?
- Bran is the outer husk of the grain ~ the healthiest part, full of fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Sadly, it’s often tossed away when grains are milled into flour.
- You can buy wheat bran and oat bran in most supermarkets, and I recommend keeping both on hand for quick muffins like these.
I like to use a combination of oat and wheat bran in these buttermilk bran muffins
I love to mix oat and wheat bran together in recipes. The oat bran gives these muffins a tender texture and a touch of sweetness.
Can you freeze bran muffins?
Buttermilk bran muffins freeze beautifully, so you can put them in a zip lock baggie and pull them out anytime for a quick healthy snack. You can reheat leftover muffins in the microwavefor 15 seconds for that ‘just out of the oven’ taste.
Other healthy morning muffins to try ~
- Gluten Free Vegan Blender Muffins
- 7 Grain Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Multigrain Raisin Walnut Bran Muffins
This recipe is adapted from Ina Garten
Buttermilk bran muffins
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unprocessed wheat bran
- 1/2 cup oat bran
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
- ¼ cup light brown sugar lightly packed
- 2 extra-large eggs at room temperature
- 6 tablespoons unsulphured molasses
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup raisins
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
Instructions
- set oven to 350F
- Mix the brans with the buttermilk and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar till fluffy.
- Add in the eggs, one at a time. Then the molasses and vanilla and blend it well.
- Fold in the bran/buttermilk mixture.
- In another bowl sift the dry ingredients together. Add in the raisins and nuts.
- Mix the dry into the wet until just incorporated, don't over mix.
- Fill 10 muffin cups and bake at 350 for about 20-25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
Make it your own ~
- Try adding chopped apple, banana, or berries to these muffins.
- Substitute pecans or almonds for the walnuts, or leave the nuts out entirely.
21 Comments
Judith
March 7, 2020 at 1:05 pmThese are sooo good! I didn’t have wheat bran on hand but did have some ground flax meal. I figures they were similar in consistency so I subbed it and it worked! Delicious!
Sue
March 7, 2020 at 2:22 pmThat’s great to know, I’ve always got flax seeds around, I’ll try grinding them and using in these muffins 🙂
Inez
December 4, 2019 at 11:12 am“Mix the brans with the buttermilk and set aside.”
When do you add it to what? There is no indication of what to do with the bran in the instructions
Sue
December 4, 2019 at 1:23 pmThat’s in step 5.
Inez
December 4, 2019 at 3:20 pmThese are sooooo good. I filled the muffin cups too much so only got 7 muffins. DEEEEEEEEELISH
Kathleen
September 8, 2011 at 5:17 amThese look and sound wonderful!
Victoria
September 7, 2011 at 4:53 pmlike like…love…these are perfect…and with a great rise! That Ina is pretty darn good! ha ha 🙂
The Procrastobaker
September 7, 2011 at 1:04 pmIm not a big muffin maker but may well have to change my habits for these! The look like they have the most perfect texture and so comfortingly scrummy 🙂
Nessa Robins
September 7, 2011 at 7:28 pmI hope you find your original recipe. I often spend hours in search of a particular recipe! These muffins look and sound delicious!
meeshiesmom
September 7, 2011 at 5:53 pmLove a good muffin. These look great.
Karen
the gardener's cottage
September 7, 2011 at 1:00 pmoh sue, i think i’ll be able to veganize these! they sure look yummy. on our little san diego trip it included a free breakfast too. usually i’m so disappointed in these things but this time it was a real winner. it was breakfast in bed! i know. room service through travel zoo, who knew?
xo
Sarah (Snippets of Thyme)
September 7, 2011 at 12:05 pmI should make these muffins for my daughter. They look delicious with that swipe of butter. We’re going to Ireland next month…and I think I am the most excited right now about the fabled Irish breakfasts!
BTW, you asked about cherry pitting. I just cut them in half and unhinge the seed. It did look like I used whole cherries but they were halves. I don’t have one of those cool cherry pitters!
John Vining
September 7, 2011 at 1:14 amThe pictures just keep getting better!
Gerlinde in Dallas
September 7, 2011 at 5:38 amYour muffins look great!
Diane {Created by Diane}
September 7, 2011 at 4:34 amoh yum, bring on the goodness….molasses oh these are sure to be delightful!!!
[email protected] The Dirty Oven
September 7, 2011 at 2:12 amThe muffins look so good. I love you blog and your pictures are great. Thanks for sharing!
From Beyond My Kitchen Window
September 6, 2011 at 11:39 pmIt’s nice pulling up the driveway to home. These muffins sound and look delicious. I agree with Stephanie. I have never been disappointed with any of Ina’s recipe. She makes it easy to make them your own too.
Stephanie
September 6, 2011 at 11:20 pmThese look fabulous! I have never made anything of Ina Garten’s that hasn’t turned out perfect. I’m bookmarking this one for sure! Don’t you hate it when you can’t find that one recipe you are looking for?
Brownieville Girl
September 6, 2011 at 11:10 pmThese would be muffin heaven to my husband – I’ll have to do the “good wife” thing and bake them for him!!!!!!!
Barefeet In The Kitchen
September 6, 2011 at 10:14 pmI have wanted to try making bran muffins for a while now. I have a recipe from a friend saved in my file, but I might need to make yours too and compare them. This look perfect. Thanks for the reminder!
themoveablefeasts
September 6, 2011 at 10:10 pmI know exactly how you feel– my mom has a buttermilk bran muffin recipe similar to this one that I’ve had growing up. When I was away at school last year and I hadn’t been home in a few months, the one thing I was really craving and missing were my mom’s bran muffins. Funny how some foods remind us of home more than others. 🙂