Recipe: Sweet Bran Muffins (8)

Don't know about Perkins Family Restaurant, but here's several recipes for sweet bran muffins...

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HARRIS RANCH BRAN MUFFINS
Makes 4 1/2 dozen

1 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups raisins
3 1/2 cups bran
1/2 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
2 cups buttermilk
1 1/4 cups pastry flour
Honey Smear

In bowl combine sugar, raisins, bran, honey, soda, salt, oil, eggs and buttermilk. Blend well. Stir in pastry flour and incorporate until smooth. Pour into pans prepared with Honey Smear. Bake at 350 degrees 20 to 25 minutes or until muffins test done.

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MAPLE BRAN MUFFINS

3/4 c Natural wheat bran
1/2 c Milk
1/2 c Maple syrup
1 ea Egg, slightly beaten
1/4 c Oil
1 1/4 c Whole wheat flour
3 ts Baking powder
1/2 ts Salt
1/3 c Chopped walnuts
FOR THE GLAZE:
1 tb Butter
1/2 c Confectioners sugar
1 tb Maple syrup

Combine bran, milk and maple syrup. Mix in egg and oil. Combine remaining muffin ingredients. Add bran mixture, stirring until just moistened. Divide batter into 12 greased muffin tins. Bake at 400 degrees F for 18-20 minutes.

Glaze: Combine ingredients, stirring to blend, and spread over warm muffins.

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RASPBERRY BRAN MUFFINS
makes 24

2 1/2 c Flour
1 3/4 c Sugar
2 ts Baking powder
1/2 ts Baking soda
1/2 ts Salt
2 c Buttermilk
1/2 c Vegetable oil
2 lg Eggs
8 c Bran flakes cereal
1/2 c Raspberry jam

Preheat oven to 350F. Line muffin tins with paper muffin cups. Combine first 5 ingredients in medium bowl. Whisk buttermilk, oil and eggs in large bowl to blend. Add dry ingredients and cereal and stir until just blended. Spoon 1/4 cup batter into each muffin cup. Using small spoon,make well in center of each and fill well with 1 tsp jam. Spoon remaining batter over. bake until tester inserted into centers comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Turn muffins out onto racks. Cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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GOLDEN APPLE BRAN MUFFINS
A recipe from Allison House Pincher Creek, Alberta

2 large golden delicious apples, pared, cored and chopped
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 cup boiling water
3 cups whole bran cereal
2 cups buttermilk
2 eggs slightly beaten
2/3 cup sugar
1 cup finely chopped dates or raisins
2 1/2 cup flour
2 1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves
dash of salt

Saute apples in butter for 10 min. or until tender. Pour boiling water over bran; add apples, buttermilk, eggs, sugar and dates.

Combine flour, baking soda, spices and salt; stir into bran mixture just until combined. Refrigerate in tightly covered container at least 24 hours. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin pans 3/4 full; bake at 400 degrees 20-25 min. or until wooden pick inserted near center comes out clean.

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DARK MOIST BRAN MUFFINS
Makes 24

2 c Whole wheat flour
1 1/2 c Bran flakes
2 tb Sugar
1/4 ts Salt
1 1/4 ts Baking soda
2 c Buttermilk
1 Egg
1/2 c Dark molasses
2 tb Melted butter or margarine

Combine flour, bran, sugar, salt and soda and mix well. Combine buttermilk, egg, molasses and butter and add all at once to dry ingredients. Stir just enough to moisten flour mixture. Fill greased muffin cups 2/3 full and bake at 350F 20 to 25 minutes.

(C) 1992 The Los Angeles Times

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BANANA-GINGER BRAN MUFFINS

1 1/2 c Ripe banana -- mashed-(about 3 large bananas)
2 ts Baking powder
1/2 ts Baking soda
2 Egg whites
1/2 ts Salt
1/2 c Light brown sugar -- plus
2 tb Light brown sugar
1/2 c Oat bran
1 t Ground ginger
1 tb Margarine -- melted
1/4 c Crystallized ginger-finely chopped
1 t Vanilla extract
Peel of 1 lemon-Grated
1/4 c Golden raisins
3/4 c All-purpose flour
1 tb Powdered sugar
3/4 c Whole-wheat flour
1 tb Lemon juice

1. Spray muffin tins with a nonstick vegetable cooking spray; set aside.
2. With an electric mixer on medium-low speed combine the banana, egg whites, brown sugar, melted margarine, vanilla and lemon peel.
3. Sift together the all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, baking powder, soda, salt and ground ginger. Stir in the oat bran. Slowly add to the banana mixture, beating just to blend. Stir in the crystallized ginger and raisins
4. Spoon into the prepared muffin tins and bake in a preheated 375-degree oven 20 minutes or until the muffins test done. Remove the muffins from the tins and place on a cooling rack.
5. Stir together the powdered sugar and lemon juice to make a glaze. Immediately brush over the hot muffins. Let cool a few minutes before serving.

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JENNIFER'S BRAN MUFFINS
Makes 12

1 1/2 cups bran
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp. baking powder
1/3 cup veg. oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg
1/2 cup raisins or dates
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup flour

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix together bran & buttermilk. Let stand.
Combine oil, egg, sugar and vanilla. Add to bran mixture.
Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add to first mixture and stir until just blended. Add raisins and spoon into prepared muffin pans. Bake 15-20 minutes.

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SOUR CREAM BRAN MUFFINS
A Gourmet Magazine favorite from 1981 (This is the Rolls-Royce of bran muffin recipes.)
makes 12

1/2 cup Unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup Light brown sugar, packed
1 large Egg, beaten lightly
1 cup Sour cream
1/4 cup Dark molasses
1/2 cup Raisins
1 cup Flour
1 tsp Baking soda
1/4 tsp Salt
1 cup Miller's bran*

In a large bowl with an electric mixer cream together the butter and the brown sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, beat in the egg, the sour cream, and the molasses, and stir in the raisins. In a bowl whisk together the flour, the baking soda, the salt, and the bran, add the mixture to the sour cream mixture, and stir the batter until it is just combined. (The batter will be lumpy.) Spoon the batter into 12 well-buttered1/3-cup muffin tins and bake the muffins in the middle of a preheated 400 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until they are golden brown and springy to the touch. Turn the muffins out onto a rack and let them cool.

*Miller's bran is available at natural foods stores, specialty foods shops, and some supermarkets.