Raspberry Bran Muffins

Raspberry bran muffins aren’t your grandparents’ bran muffin. Filled with tart berries, these are a healthful addition to your morning routine.

One day while searching for a quick, filling breakfast before work, my eyes lingered over the bakery case. That’s not quite a surprise. But what did shock me was the decision to go healthy(er) by grabbing a large bran muffin.

Yep. Bran. But this one was soft, sweet, and full of tart raspberries. I kind of became obsessed, and when I stopped visiting the office (and the bakery case) every day, I knew I had to create my own recipe.

I know what you’re thinking. But these aren’t your granny’s bran muffins. Not overly dense and studded with tart raspberries, they make a great addition to your breakfast spread. I think they’re actually better the next day, once the bran has a chance to soften up even more, but fresh out of the oven with butter is never a bad choice.

I actually first made raspberry bran muffins quite a while ago, and somehow never managed to share them with you. I’m not quite sure why that happened, but I have a sneaking suspicion it has to do with the fact we can never keep raspberries in stock around here.

Every time I want to test a recipe with raspberries, I head to the fridge and find a nearly-empty carton. While I love that my kids will happily eat nearly any fruit, they don’t exactly understand that some foods are meant to be off-limits until I can use them.

It’s hard to resist a raspberry, though. The tiny drupelets that make up the berry are always bursting with tart flavor. They remind me of pomegranate arils, with their mouth-puckering taste that pairs so well with richness. That’s why we always add a slather of butter onto muffins, right?

Many bran muffin recipes call for bran cereal, but these raspberry bran muffins one uses oat bran, which can be found in most bulk sections of larger grocery stores, or online. Wheat bran can be used as well. Whichever you use, the flakes will soften up in the batter and during baking.

How to Freeze Muffins

1. Let muffins cool completely. (Really, completely!)
2. Place in a freezer-safe bag. I like to use smaller bags that hold about 4 muffins. This makes it easier if you’re feeding multiple people.
3. Place a straw inside the bag with one end sticking out, and close the bag around the straw.
4. Suck as much air as you can out of the bag, then seal it tightly. This method will help reduce freezer burn.
5. To eat, simply remove as many muffins as you want from the bag and microwave for 20-30 seconds.

Choosing the Best Tools for Muffins

While you only need a muffin tin, a bowl, and a spoon to make muffins, there are some great tools to make the process easier (and more fun).

• Batter scoop — Ensure you have equal-size muffins with this handy tool.
• 24-cup muffin pan — This makes doubling recipes for batch cooking so easy!
• 6-cup muffin pan — Perfect for halving recipes, if you prefer.
• King Arthur Flour ingredients — OK, maybe not quite a tool, but these flours are the most consistent on the market.

Sometimes I add a bit of lemon juice to these. I find that citrus is excellent with berry muffins, like in blueberry lime muffins. You can skip it, though especially if your berries are extra tart.

Note that due to the lack of added fat in these muffins, you’ll need to coat your pan with nonstick spray, or use nonstick liners. Standard paper liners will need to use nonstick spray.

Serve these with honey to drizzle on top, if you like!