I am likely the last person in New York City to learn about Blue Sky Bakery muffins, and it’s all my fault because I wasn’t paying attention. Why would you, really? Most coffee shops don’t sell muffins worth noting. You can only audition so many flavorless, greasy, tight-crumbed, massive metallic-tasting muffins before not even looking in bakery cases when you go in for your morning fix. Four year-olds, however, are not suspicious — they are insistent. So, one morning over spring break (something you dread when you’re in preschool, live for in high school and college, and I’m sorry to admit, lightly dread again as a parent), when I tried to make the most of our more leisurely mornings with excursions, we got in the terrible habit of splitting one of their fruit-filled bran muffins each morning and by the end of the week, we were so addicted that I had to make them at home.
It’s no surprise that a bakery that takes their muffins as seriously as Park Slope’s Blue Sky does produces such excellent ones. In a video on Serious Eats, founder Erik Goetze notes that “most bakery muffins are made by just going through the motions, either in an industrial factory-type muffin-making operation or whether people are making so many things, they cannot focus on what makes a great muffin,” which he outlines as moist, having a nice peak to it and, ideally, straight from the oven when it’s still crisp and crunchy on top, and when opened, a little curl of steam comes out of it.
Curl of steam, guys. Are you not in love yet? No? Try this instead: The New York Times spotted sign on the wall of the kitchen that read “No uglies. No flatties.”
So, perhaps mine probably wouldn’t pass muster at the bakery, but I received no complaints on the homefront. The flavor was spot-on. The mixed berries I used perfumed the entire muffin. And although they’re most amazing straight from the oven, as directed, even three days on, they’re impeccably moist and the ideal pairing to a morning coffee and plain yogurt.
Bran muffins, previously: Seven years ago, I shared a Sour Cream Bran Muffin recipe, that I still find is amazing, tender and light. Comparatively, it’s a bit sweeter and has less bran and fruit in it. Consider that one a bran muffin for beginners, or skeptics. This one is barely sweet with a real heft to it, clearly more breakfast than cake.
One year ago: Japanese Vegetable Pancakes
Two years ago: Chocolate Buckwheat Cake
Three years ago: Creme Brulee French Toasts
Four years ago: Avocado Salad with Carrot-Ginger Dressing, Homemade Pop Tarts and Cabbage and Lime Salad with Roasted Peanuts
Five years ago: Buttermilk Ice Cream, The time I visited the Pioneer Woman and Black Bread
Six years ago: Jim Lahey’s Pizza Bianca
Seven years ago: Corniest Corn Muffins
Blue Sky Bran Muffins
Adapted from Table of Contents, via the Sweetie and the Kitchen blog
It wasn’t easy to find this recipe, but I’m glad I found a blog post that pointed me to this book, because it was definitely one of the better 159 pennies I’ve spent. The book pairs books and literature, inviting bestselling authors to talk about the foods and recipes that inspired passages in their books. Jill Clement suggests the Blue Sky Bakery bran muffin as the ideal companion to her novel, Heroic Measures; in a pivotal scene, she has a character eat a bran muffin because she wants him to be wowed by the earthy flavors.
And these are not just any bran muffins. They’re hefty and hearty, more whole grain than refined flour, barely sweet and you’ll never get two muffins alike because the great big pocket of fruit in the center is variable; in just one week’s time we had banana-coconut, mango-fresh cranberry, blackberry-apple and blueberry-raspberry. What should you put in yours? Anything that sounds good.
[Note: The original fruit level, 1 1/2 to 2 cups, was accidentally doubled. Now fixed; sorry for the trouble.]
Yield: 12 standard muffins (I halved the bakery’s original yield)
1 1/3 cups (315 ml) buttermilk (you can also use sour cream or yogurt thinned with a little milk)
1 large egg
1/3 cup (80 ml) oil (such as vegetable, safflower, sunflower or olive oil)
1/4 cup (50 grams) lightly packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract, a little citrus zest (optional flavorings to add)
1 1/2 cups (90 grams) wheat bran*
1 cup (125 grams) all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons (8 grams) baking powder (preferably aluminum-free)
1 1/2 teaspoons (8 grams) baking soda
1/4 teaspoon table salt
2 teaspoons (10 grams) granulated sugar, divided
3/4 to 1 cup chopped mixed fruit (just about anything but citrus or pineapple will work, they say; frozen berries are fine)
Heat oven to 425 degrees F and coat a 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick spray.
Whisk buttermilk, egg, oil, brown sugar and any vanilla or citrus zest you’d like to use in a small bowl. Whisk bran, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Stir wet mixture into dry until just combined and still a bit rough.
Spoon two 2 tablespoons of batter into each prepared muffin cup. Add about 2 teaspoons fruit to each (dividing it evenly) and sprinkling the fruit with one of the teaspoons of granulated sugar. Spoon remaining batter (about 1 tablespoon each) over fruit and sprinkle tops of muffins with remaining teaspoon of granulated sugar.
Bake muffins for a total of 16 to 18 minutes, rotating pan once midway through baking time for even browning, until a toothpick inserted into the center of muffins comes out with just a few crumbs attached. Do not overbake. Let muffins cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes before removing from tin.
Do ahead: Muffins keep for 3 days at room temperature, longer in the freezer.
* I didn’t try it, but I suspect that oats pulsed in a food processor until a cornmeal-like consistency or even that 7-grain cereal mix we used for this whole-grain cinnamon swirl bread would work here. Let us know if you audition it. I used Bob’s Red Mill brand wheat bran.
I just got through a serious bran muffin bender with your sour cream recipe! Le sigh. These look fab.
Where is the recipe! The link in this article is broken :(
Now fixed, thanks! The previous recipe is for Sour Cream Bran Muffins.
Any thoughts on an appropriate non-dairy substitute for the buttermilk in this recipe? One of my kids has dairy issues but these look awesome.
If it’s just a lactose issue Green Valley makes a lactose free kefir which has same consistency as buttermilk. If it’s a dairy in general thing you can get non-dairy yogurt and ass a little non-dairy milk.
I do believe the leavening is off with this recipe. There is a definite soapy off-flavor. Typically with buttermilk I believe the baking soda should be substantially less than the baking powder. Otherwise, very tasty and quite promising! I’ll try to cut the soda and see.
Yes! You can sour coconut milk or nut milks with lemon juice or vinegar – works well as a buttermilk replacement. I use 1 tablespoon per cup of milk. Whenever I do this I use a little less than the recipe calls for, because it won’t be quite as thick as buttermilk, but it works every time!
If this is what they serve in NYC bakeries then I need to move. Right now. (Thanks for the recipe in case that doesn’t work out though!)
I am glad you shared this recipe, as this muffins sound like something we shouldn’t overlook :)
These look perfect, love!
Deb,
I will definitely try these! I LOVE good baked goods and share with you the sentiment that a good muffin is far too hard to find (my other sadness is a good pain aux raisins outside of Paris, but that’s another story). The next time you’re in the Bay Area (next cookbook tour!) there is bookstore called Kepler’s near Stanford and right next door is Cafe Borronne. They have the most amazing morning muffins and other baked deliciousness – one of their biggest distinguishing characteristics is a restrained hand with the sugar. Make a note in your files to check it out! On another topic, re your spring break sentiments, here’s a secret for you…as your son gets older, you will again live for spring break! My kids (14, 12 and 9) are so busy with school and activities that I really miss them during the school year and look forward to school breaks when I get to really be with them (rather than just be their chauffeur). When they were young (particularly when the older two were preschool-aged). Life is an ever-changing journey…
For me, the platonic ideal of a muffin is hearty, barely sweet, full of fruit, and not at all something you could top with frosting and call it a cupcake. Trader Joe’s has something close to it, and they’re tasty and filling and not too caloric, but they’re fat free and not fresh-baked, so they don’t reach that ideal. This looks like muffin perfection to me.
I just made these. My platonic ideal bran muffin was served at Wholefoods in around 2005. Plump sultanas, not especially sweet, and verging on being fibrous in texture while still being moist. This Smitten Kitchen recipe turned out too cakey for me – more a light sponge than fibre in texture – so I’ll continue in my search for the perfect bran muffin recipe, but overall they were perfectly tasty as fruit muffins. I used apple (but don’t understand the purpose of the fruit layer at all, better skipped in my view or maybe completely mixed in), and added cinnamon and raisins to the batter as I knew those were essential to my enjoyment (they worked well).
Doesn’t Jacob bounce off the walls when given espresso? Not judging, just curious.
Bud, there is this exciting new thing called decaf where they take the caffeine out of coffee. Children (and high-strung people who leave snarky comments) can imbibe without getting riled up.
I wonder why they say no pineapple, though? Because that sounds just delicious.
Anne — The recommendation was for a fruit that’s not too wet but I know they use berries all of the time, which are pretty wet. Really, it can’t hurt to try it anyway, right?
Kris — I was totally joking. They make him an espresso cup-sized hot chocolate and it’s the most adorable thing. Though Jacob is so chill he probably wouldn’t even freak out over caffeine. ;)
A good vegan alternative to buttermilk is almond milk (or soy) with acid. Usually 1 cup milk and 1 tbsp vinegar or lemon juice. Mix, let set for at least 10 minutes to curdle before adding to the recipe. Works great!
I would never think to put mango in a muffin! But now that I think about it, I really wanna try it…
Those bran muffins look gorgeous. I normally don’t like bran ones because the ones I’ve gotten from coffee shops are often pretty bland. These look delicious, though! Definitely gonna give them a try!
Now I have a new place to try in NYC! In the mean time, definitely need to bake these muffins :)
Muffins have become a weekly lunchbox staple for my 4 1/2 year old. More fruit and whole grain with less sugar is typically the goal and these fit the bill perfectly. Unlike yours, mine bounces off the walls 14×7 (thankfully he’s an awesome sleeper) so I think I’ll go ahead and skip the hot chocolate :)
I love bran muffins! I have been obsessively making an America’s Test Kitchen recipe lately. But that uses the cereal. And has just enough complication to make me shy away from making it when I am feeling lazy. I think what I love about that recipe is the molasses flavor, but maybe the dark brown sugar in this one would do the trick. can’t wait to try it!
I love this recipe! The muffins taste amazing! Thank you!
Quick question: I just made a double batch of these, I believe I made a pretty standard size muffin, and out of the double batch I only got 24 muffins. According to your recipe, I should have seen at least 32. Thoughts? Anyone else have this issue?
Suggestions for using frozen fruit and/or berries?
Could I use frozen fruit?
For Karen, and following up on what Hilary said, I find curdling soy milk (soy works better than almond because it has more protein to curdle, but almond works in a pinch) is good for flavor, but cultured plain coconut or soy yogurt is better for flavor plus moisture in anything that calls for buttermilk, sour cream, or yogurt. That stuff is seriously expensive and I only bake with it, so I keep some in the freezer to have it handy.
I love, love bran muffins & can’t wait to try these. Also, I can’t believe it’s been a year since Okonomiyaki. Those things have completely changed the game. So, thanks for that, too. xox
Great recipe but one small typo in the text (just in case you want to know!). That is in the very first sentence. You weren’t paying attention vs. pay. But then I would guess it is much easier to be paying attention to those yummy muffins, then the text! ;) Love the idea that we might be able to use oats, if we do not want to invest in bran. Thanks!
Karen, if you’re not opposed to soy, I’ve had good luck in the past with replacing buttermilk with soy milk and apple cider vinegar. Started having to bake dairy-free for a lactose-intolerant and casein-allergic boyfriend. To replace 1 cup of buttermilk, I use 1 cup soy milk + 2 tsp vinegar, set on the counter to curdle for 10-15 minutes before proceeding normally with the recipe. This works beautifully with buttermilk biscuits and pancakes. The vinegar is in such a small amount that you don’t really get any flavor, but the chemistry is similar enough to buttermilk that your end product is still great. If you are opposed to soy, I would try cashew milk or another high-fat non-dairy milk. Almond milk just isn’t fatty enough to replace the richness of buttermilk.
The chubby hands, I cannot stand it. Too cute next to the tiny hot chocolate.
HOLY POOPCAKES! i used to live just a few blocks from blue sky and loved that place so VERY VERY MUCH!!! i’ve been craving them since i moved away and they’re on my list of things to make. i cannot thank you enough for this recipe.
I wonder if anyone has used molasses instead of brown sugar? I love the flavor of molasses with bran. I am soaking dried apricots in oj to try this in.
Yes! I have been on the search for a good bran muffin, and this has to be it! I love that sign, although I admit that I may have misread it the first time through and was a bit confused on why that would be a good thing to post… :)
Omg! I love Bran muffins-these look incredible!! Sunday breakfast I think!
Deb any chance for a recipe for a real New York corn muffin in the future? :)
How much milk to mix with how much yogurt? I can’t find buttermilk where I live. I really want these on Sunday!
Oh yum. I happen to be on a bran muffin kick at the moment. Perfect!
I have a “basic” bran muffin similar to yours which never fails, and I enjoy chopping and changing fruits and flavours… Raisin and cinnamon remains my favourite though. Fresh out of the oven with butter or soft cheese they never fail to delight!
Most dried and fresh fruits produce reasonable results, but chopped apple is almost always a disappointment. Not sure why.
Two ingredients I have started adding of late include with my “basic list of ingredients” for all muffins all are:
a) flax seeds (a handful of). They are healthy and I love the texture, and
b) grated carrot (one large or two small). This helps your muffins stay moist as well as being another healthy ingredient.
Karen – I’ve had good success in a cake recipe following the same advice they give for adding white vinegar or lemon juice to regular milk as a substitute for buttermilk, but doing it with soy milk. I made the chocolate cake recipe (from the archives here from Deb’s forray into wedding cake baking) as a giant three tier monstrosity for my friend’s wedding, as she also has some dairy issues. I forget the ratio since I haven’t done it since, but based an old remnant of conversation in my email, I think I probably did 2 tbsp vinegar to one cup of soy milk.
I also recommend looking in the unrefrigerated section for soy milk: based on the selection available to me, the UHT (ultra high temp) stuff in the unrefrigerated section always has fewer ingredients than the refrigerated ones.
haha, in the time it took me to type my comment to Karen, a number of others have given the sam answer. Karen! We got your back!
Autumn – I don’t thin my yogurt when I use it in place of buttermilk (ie, I use 1 cup yogurt for 1 cup buttermilk,), but I other advice I’ve seen says 3/4 cup yogurt + 1/4 cup milk for 1 cup buttermilk.
These look really lovely, going to give these a whirl over the May bank holiday, thank you!
I live right around the corner from Blue Sky and they have completely spoiled me for muffins. My day is made when they have the zucchini/blueberry/cream cheese kind! The owner and staff are delightful.
It’s hard to believe that Jacob is 4 1/2 now. My, how time flies. Thanks for these. I have plenty of leftover 7 grain cereal from the swirl bread so I’ll give it a try here. Do you suppose that finely diced apple and sweet potato would work? I have one of each that needs to be used.
i used to live in the neighborhood and eat their muffins all the time. BEST. MUFFINS. EVER. i am still obsessed with the great flavor combinations and the little puff of steam that came out when you broke the tops. now that i’m back in los angeles i miss them so much. i have been searching for their recipe on line for years. thank you for putting one together. i’m going to have to try these!
i just moved away from park slope (sad!) and could not be more excited–this totally made my day! i’m baking them asap!
@Karen & @Kristina,
I use almond milk + vinegar to replace buttermilk all the time at a similar ratio to Kristina’s. It might not be quite as rich, but it always, always works for me. I know Whole Foods and probably other places as well carry non-dairy plain yogurt. I’ve seen coconut and soy. Either one would work beautifully as well!
you read my mind, I was just thinking about wanting to make a nice hearty muffin – good enough for me and the kiddos. I will be making this tonight. As always you continue to feed my family deliciousness.
Oh my gosh Deb! I’ve been on the prowel for a great bran muffin for literally YEARS! I think this just may be IT. I’m entirely excited to make these this weekend. . thanks!!
The complex mix of grains and hearty flours have me drooling! I am jealous that Australia does not have a place this cafe; it sound like their baked good are to die for. Thank you for your detailed research to bring us these muffins.
These sound awesome, as does Table of Contents.
I love bran muffins! The “house” muffins around here are the Raisin Bran Muffins from the King Arthur Baking Book. These have twice the bran the King Arthur ones call for! Can’t wait to try them.
A good, bakery muffin is so hard to find. I’m glad you found these AND made them! Yum!
is it acceptable to use frozen fruit (berries specifically)? I have a bunch in my freezer from last summer’s crop that i’d love to use up. i noticed you mentioned fruit that isn’t too wet, and frozen fruit can be that way.
i’ve been in search of a good bran muffin for years and can’t wait to try this one!
Muffins! Gosh do I love muffins.
Normally I can squash my guilt at what more or less is eating cake for breakfast. Though these bran muffins look like they might actually be healthy–unlike the chocolate strawberry muffins I had for breakfast this week.
I have never baked with bran before! I might have to give it a go!
Abby
oh, this is just the best. i left brooklyn 3 years ago after working for sometime at blue marble ice cream and these bran muffins were always the highlight of the morning. thank you for bringing them to my los angeles home!
Oooh, these look absolutely yummy. I happen to have fresh mango and raspberries at home…and I need a little kitchen love after the week I’ve had. I am definitely making these this weekend! Thanks, Deb!!
These look amazing. Unfortunately, my baking and other cooking queue is longer than my 7 month old gives me time for. These look relatively fast. Must add to the list!
My favorite NYC muffin is the pear ginger muffin at Bird Bath. Can you figure out that recipe and post it, please?
Rebecca — I’ll see what I can do. Maury Rubin, understandably, keeps an iron grip on his recipes. Actually, I think that Blue Sky does too. I hope they don’t kick themselves for allowing this one just that once into a book. ;)
Frozen fruit/sarah b/heidi/lilly — Yes, meant to add that. They say specifically that frozen berries are fine. I suspect there’s no need to defrost them, it might just take another minute or two tops in the oven.
Rachael — Good eye! I ordered them after another commenter noted how “well-worn” my rubber scrapers were — which she meant in a good way, but seriously, they were in fact disgusting — and I couldn’t resist the personalize-able ones from Williams-Sonoma. However, the quality is actually terrible and I wouldn’t recommend them. The handles are big and coarse/splintery and the branded impressions have all but worn off. Perhaps one day we’ll find a company that can do a better job and I can give some away. ;)
Susan — If sweet potato, I’d cook it first to be safe. But yes! It would be delicious.
JP — Thanks, now fixed.
Katie — It’s a fair trade. Mine didn’t sleep through the night until he was 2.5. I can’t believe I just admitted that.
About 15 cafes around the city sell Blue Sky muffins… but nothing is as good as one fresh out of the oven. The little puff of steam and hot gooey fruit goodness. I live around the corner but I’m still going to try making them myself. Thanks Deb!
Yipeeeee! I have been looking for a good bran muffin recipe! I bet this is the one.
Ooooohh, that fruit in the center looks amazing!
These look yummy! Especially with that surprise in the center! I’ve used gluten free rolled oats in muffins…but they come out mushy. Steel cut oats pulsed a teeny tiny bit in a food processor as described above do come out chewier!
um, how has no one commented on your lovely “smitten kitchen” spatula?! i like how you snuck that in the photo. if they’re heat proof and stamped with the SK i’d buy one :) (oh, and yes, i’m glad i’m not the only one who requires muffins to be peaked, crisp on top, and emitting a *little curl of steam*. thats the best part!)
Looks fab!
Deb, I don’t have regular sized muffin tins, only the mini ones. Would you recommend that I try lowering BOTH the temp and the time to adjust for that? Do you have specific suggestions?
Mizizzle — Only reduce the cooking time, not temp. Check them at 9 minutes and then every minute or so after if they’re not done.
I love Blue Sky muffins! They have the best combination of fruit (and chocolate, if you’re lucky enough to get to the shop early) and the muffins are so moist. Thanks so much for posting this recipe. I can’t wait to try it out.
Is there anything on the planet better than chubby hands with dimples for knuckles? Well done Jacob! Well done Deb!
Also, you mean 2 -tablespoons- of fruit per muffin cup, and not -teaspoons-, correct?
handfulofshadows — No, teaspoons. [Insert gears moving in my head.] Oh JEEZ. I just realized that I gave you guys the wrong amount of fruit. Sheesh, I’m really good at writing recipes, aren’t I? It’s supposed to be 3/4 to 1 cup. I’d halved the original recipe. I forgot to halve the fruit. Apologies to anyone whose made these already since noon.
I see. I have to wonder if doubling the fruit isn’t a great idea though. I love to have over-the-top amounts of fruit whenever I can, but maybe that’s just me.
Odd as some people find it, bran muffins may just be my favourite kind of muffin! Now with this recipe, no one will ever be able to deny that bran muffins are delicious! Will be perfect for next week when I’m rushing out the door to exams! Thanks a mill!
Once again cooking in the hinterlands of Montana can sometimes be a challenge when looking for seemingly simple, common ingredients. Our local store does not carry wheat bran. I did have some of the Bob’s 7-grain cereal in the freezer so decided to give it a try as a substitute. The 7-grain cereal does not weigh out the same as wheat bran – 1 cup of 7-grain cereal weighed about 150 grams. I debated whether to go by the weight measurement or to use 1 & 1/2 cups so opted to start with 1 cup of 7 grain cereal and see how the batter looked when I had added the liquids. The batter definitely required 1 & 1/2 cups of 7 grain cereal. I also made the recipe before reading that you had not halved the amount of fruit so I used the 1 & 1/2 cup amount of fruit. I ended up with 14 muffins that have crusty brown, flat tops – no peaks- but taste wonderful. The search is on for wheat bran the next time we get to the big city.
P.S. The fruit combo I used was pear and mango. Think I will try apple and huckleberry next time. And yes, there will be a next time.
I love bran muffins and have never made them — but I will soon, thanks for the recipe! I just made some fruit muffins earlier this week, with (thawed) peaches I froze over the summer and a mango that was lying around because it didn’t look like I had enough peaches. Wasn’t sure how the mango would turn out in a muffin but it was great, for anyone who’s wondering.
These look delicious. I haven’t made muffins often since the kids moved out – 10 years ago:). Since rhubarb season is just starting, do you have any suggestions on how to use them in this recipe? Would sliced raw be too sour?
Love your blog!
Yes! I’ve been on a crazy muffin bender for months now. I’ve been baking a big batch on Sundays and eating them all week for breakfast. I tend to do very similar proportions to this recipe, but I’ve been using white whole wheat flour in place of all-purpose flour with good effect. I suspect it would work well in this recipe for an even healthier muffin!
Deb, thanks so much for another great recipe! I can’t wait to make these with mango for my granddaughter. I’m thinking of adding toasted coconut. Any suggestions?
I noticed your spatula comment from earlier. I bought these from amazon and they have held up really well. http://www.amazon.com/Tovolo-Inch-Silicone-Spatula-Set-/dp/B008X3KQ82/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1399075508&sr=8-11&keywords=spatula+set. I’ve had them for 5 months and they’re great. And pretty too.
I love muffins. I try to make them once a week for a quick breakfast. That being said they need to be whole grain and fruity. These certainly fit the bill.
You asked for feedback if using ground oats – I had about half as much bran as required so I pulverized oats to bring up to 1 1/2 cups. Used semi-defrosted blueberries for the fruit. They just finished cooling but looked so good that we couldn’t wait for breakfast. What a treat! Can’t wait for morning to enjoy another. Thanks for sharing such a delicious low-sugar muffin that nobody need feel guilty eating!
What about trying to replicate the banana bread? We probably eat a loaf of that a week. (not perhaps as healthy of a habit as the bran muffins)
How did you make the banana-coconut flavor? Diced bananas and unsweetened flaked coconut? I have some bananas quickly dying on my counter and deciding between banana-coconut and strawberry-banana.
Is there a specific reason that pineapple won’t work, or do you know? Too acidic maybe (since citrus also doesn’t work)? Shame, because I adore pineapple. I’ll have to make these with the half-dozen other suggestions you made that I also adore.
AWww love those little hands!
These look like the perfect Saturday morning breakfast! Do you have any tips for spots in the east or west village where the blue sky muffins are sold? It would be fun to compare homemade ones to the original :)
These look so delish. I bought a bag of green figs in the freezer section on Trader Joe’s, and now I know where they’re going! Green fig – crystallized ginger – orange zest, mmmmmmm. Thanks for the inspiration.
This sounds like a perfectly adaptable type of muffins. I foresee mangoes in mine. Just a question, I assume oat bran is the same thing as wheat bran, right?
I’m wondering if I could use coconut oil in this recipe? Also, my new obsession is your Smitten Kitchen cookbook! So many discoveries on every page! Thank you!!!
these look amazing an I can’t wait to try them. Happy to hear about Blue Sky Bakery – even happier that they are nearby. Thanks!
Note to JP on May 2 – It’s “than the text”, not “then the text”.
I’m making these with my 5 yo this morning, and we get 180 grams of wheat bran at just under 2 cups of wheat bean (we are doubling it). Any thoughts on whether we should use the weight or the cup measure? Thanks.
Those look amazing! i love the little pockets of fruit :-)
This looked so good but I didn’t have any wheat bran. I did have bulgher wheat which I ground into a powder in the Cuisinart and used instead. It turned out quite good, although it probably has more crunch than the original recipe. I used orange zest and frozen blueberries. It took an extra minute or two to bake, about 17 or 18 minutes, but the muffins came out moist and delicious.
I made these last night with banana and coconut. I’ll want a bit more fruit in mine next time, so I’ll up the ante from two teaspoons. Otherwise, nice to have an legitimately healthy muffin recipe in my repertoire.
These sound great! I will probably try them with my new favorite oil, though.
When I started making your multigrain blueberry pancakes (which are to die fabulous), I decided to finally break open the jar of coconut oil- we’ll let me tell you that the picky freaks in my house were sold! I will use either yogurt or farmer cheese or ricotta or buttermilk… All taste just a but different, but none bad. The coconut oil lends just this lovely hint of flavor that is really something. I am certain it will go nicely here too!
Do you think that subbing out some wheat for buckwheat would ruin the muffin? I am ok with a flat-y as long as I don’t make a lead brick…
I just made these for breakfast today and wow we’re they good! I made a diced strawberry-blackberry and also a banana-coconut version. I also added a little cardamom to the dry ingredients. Other than that, I followed the recipe to a tee. Even my picky husband who is always “suspicious”of healthy recipes, really enjoyed these. Thanks for a great recipe.
Anne and Phin: I’d guess you can’t use pineapple because of the buttermilk. Pineapple has an enzyme in it which breaks down milk proteins, and so would probably undo the good that the buttermilk is doing in making the muffins rise. So basically, you’d end up with stodgy muffins. Does that make sense?
Woke up and saw this recipe, did a mental check that i had the ingredients around, more or less, put up some coffee and within an hour was enjoying them! Used a cup of chobani Greek yogurt thinned with water to about 1 and 1/3 cup liquid, also used frozen blueberries from last summer! Daughter loved them as well. They are not too sweet, in a good way, and the bran is pleasantly moist. Curious to see how they last, if they do!
OMG, these sound like heaven. I am setting this aside to make next weekend. Yum!
I made a half batch of these with a mix of ground oats and 10 grain cereal, with those ataulfo mangoes that seem to be on sale everywhere I go, strawberries I stupidly bought knowing they wouldn’t be any good yet, and mixed finely shredded unsweetened coconut with the sprinkling sugar. And now I wish I’d made a whole batch, because the 4 I have left aren’t going to be around very long.
Deb… my name is AmyRuth (and was in attendance to your book signing in St. Louis some time back), oh well …I digress. Part time bakery is my gig and making a morning glory muffin for my kind patrons is my pleasure. Its so amazing to find a muffin like yours bumping around in the world. Earthy, flavorful and actually calories that have meaning. Thank you for your hunt and seek …. as well as sharing your spring break adventures in muffin discovery. Looking forward to meeting the muffin
My boyfriend stopped on his 5 hour drive home from being out of town and stopped and ate fast food… Now his tummy hurts…imagine that. So these looked like just the ticket. I tried the oatmeal option and realized that the amount had to be altered and then i must have done something else wrong because the batter was VERY thin. They are in the oven now…we will see.
Non dairy conversion- my go to is Oat Milk. It can be harder to find but it works great in baking. Pacific Brand makes it and I buy it at Whole foods. You can sour it with vinegar. Use about 1 Tb per cup less than buttermilk as it will not get quite as thick. I use it in all my baking, including biscuits and cakes. Almost no one is allergic to oats, a huge plus in my world.
I had to try these with pineapple. I crushed a little fresh pineapple in my food processor, and then drained it in a fine sieve, using a spoon to squeeze out the moisture. I mixed it with a little unsweetened coconut and made 3 muffins with this mixture (the other 9 were mixed berry). The pineapple ones turned out fine. Also, I used walnut oil, thinking it would give a little nutty flavor, but I really can’t taste it. Next time I might try lemon or orange infused olive oil since I have both.
I did learn that using paper muffin liners is a bad idea. We are peeling them off very carefully because they stick to the muffin.
Thanks for another amazing recipe.
They came out just fine….not sure what happened, but not complaining. A nice crisp crusty top, too!
Yummy! These look delicious! I love a good muffin, but you’re right, they are sadly hard to find in a cafe “bakery”. These ones look delicious and I can just picture myself having a slow and satisfying morning curled up on the couch waking up to these delicious-looking muffins while drinking a morning coffee. I may have to make these ASAP now!
xoxo
Taylor
for the record, never heard of Blue Sky Bakery until you wrote about it and I’ve lived in Manhattan since 1980…
You had me with the pic of the chubby little fingers – how is he so big?!? I’m smiling at the thought of Jacob sitting in a cafe eating his muffin and sipping his barista-made-cocoa! I do hope I’m still around in 20 years, and that you’re still writing this blog, so I can read about what Jacob is doing – growing up in NYC, eating fabulous food, dining in cafes/bistros – can’t wait to see what HE decides to do with his life with a start like this! I’m making these today – they sound delicious and I have no doubt they will be! xo, Nan
These look lovely.
L x
http://workingmumy.blogspot.com
Tried them this a.m. with oats (blended Bob’s oatmeal until coarse). I think I will try r bran though next as not sure it worked well that. I also felt the sugar needed to be increased, and I don’t love super sweet things, but it didn’t have much sweetness to it for me. Otherwise, texture and warm fruit were delicious.
Great minds think alike! We love Blue Sky muffins. It’s almost my birthday, and I am trying to decide whether to send my husband out that morning for bakery muffins or to try to bake them myself. The thing is…we don’t really like bran. We like the full-on fatty kind. Is there a way to tweak this recipe to cut the bran and make regular muffins? Thanks.
We love bran muffins, so I will definitely have to give these a try, but it reminds me of a question I’ve always wondered: If you are going to the trouble of adding bran in and making them heartier, healthier muffins…why not use whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose? Every bran muffin recipe I’ve seen is that way, so I guess there has to be a reason…?
Yum! Just made these, using plain kefir for the buttermilk, ground flaxseed for the bran, and subbing in 50g white whole wheat (couldn’t help myself). I made strawberry pear and they were delicious, I’ll definitely make them again! Mine were flatties, probably because I am a slow scooper, but I think I’m the only one who will notice. Thank you!
Just so you know, baking my second batch now. the first just COMPLETELY disappeared. rhubarb, cinnamon, cardamom, and orange peel. delish! thank you!!
@#83 Lynn, you were not the only one to notice that…my husband also pointed it out, to my embarrassment. Not only do I learn something new every day, but I am sure my day job is not editor!
I made a vegan version of this using soymilk with 1 t apple cider vinegar and a flax egg. They turned out great! Could have been baked a touch longer but that is probably because I used frozen berries.
We just moved from Santa Barbara (sea level) to a little mountain town in Colorado at 8500 ft. I’m in the throes of trying to adapt “our” (most of them yours!) go to baked items with the altitude situation. Any tips for this recipe? Thanks!
Made these this morning with blackberries and strawberries, subbing 3/4 cup almond and 1/4 cup coconut flour for the AP flour. First time using no-carb flour and they were fabulous in texture and flavor. Only 2 left and picky eaters jn this house! Will be trying some banana and coconut next! Love your blig and many, many of your recipes!!
They look absolutely amazing!
These sound delicious! But his fingers look even more eatible!
Just made these with mixed berries. Came out perfectly. LOVE a truly low sugar muffin–thanks for the great recipe! Will see how the kiddos like them tomorrow morning… am thinking toasted with a schmear of cream cheese…?
mmmmm. . .just out of the oven and sampled after 4 minutes. Lovely – I probably added a tad more sugar on the top before baking. Used yogurt thinned with milk and sweet frozen cherries thawed enough to chop. Also added a spoonful of ground flax seed as someone suggested. Nice – and definitely will make them again with berries :)
Deb, I’m behind, like usual, and JUST made your sour cream bran muffins, only I used chocolate chips instead of fruit to coax my hubs into eating them, cause, well, that’s how we roll here. He ate four in one morning. He was a little bit sorry. Ahem. I also shared them with my very preggers friend who LOVED them. Fast forward two weeks: preggers friend produces 9 lb. baby. I brought your muffins to her as a a celebration, cause WHOA. She was blissfully happy to receive muffins laden with choc chunks.
All that to say, if we loved your former muffins that much, you know we can’t even WAIT to try these. And I will try them with fruit as you suggest…then chocolate, duh.
My mom swears by the Pampered Chef “scrapers,” ie spatulas. She loves that they are effectively one piece of plastic and indestructible in the dishwasher. I’m still struggling with the low-quality ones I inadvertently requested as wedding gifts, but once they’re dead, I’ll be a convert.
I’ve never heard such eloquent words spoken about muffins before! But I’m into it.
Knew I wanted to try these as soon as the recipe was posted. I went with banana and toasted walnuts, in more of a banana bread fashion. Not ashamed to admit that I ate 2 immediately. I honestly never appreciated the steam that escapes from a fresh muffin until you mentioned it! Will make again with blueberries and strawberries. Really appreciate you taking the time to post such lovely recipes!
Thank you for this recipe! I have been on a muffin kick lately because of finals and the semester is coming to an end. I also love a good cherry almond scone with my cappuccino as well. This recipe is definitely worth a try as soon as I am done with my last exam. It makes me want to relax and cook up something fun.
Blue Sky is amazing, I discovered it six years ago when I lived in Park Slope. Best muffins I’ve had in my life.
Couldn’t help but share my favourite spatula, which are fab for the following reasons:
1) All one piece of silicone so no gunk stuck between the handle and the end
2) Flexible enough to fit into almost any container
3) The smaller end is great for jars and tight spaces
I have about 3 of these, and have bought them for all my friends (yes I’m obsessed).
http://www.amazon.com/Chefn-Switchit-All-Purpose-Silicone-Spatula/dp/B00276DLWE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1399204590&sr=8-2&keywords=chef%27n+spatula
Made these this morning – delicious.
Some cheats:
Bran: I didn’t have any bran but I did have instant oatmeal, crumbs at the bottom of a box of Mini Wheats, and whole wheat flour. I used a combo of the oatmeal and Mini dust instead of bran, and I used whole wheat instead of all purpose flour.
Buttermilk: nope, none of that either. I did a cup of Greek yogurt and 1/3 cup water.
I used peaches for the fruit (because those I DID have). Those worked out really well.
This is a great recipe. Some of the changes I made were to use coarsely ground oats as suggested, and 1/4 c almond meal for 1/4 c flour. I think the liquid could have been decreased a bit (probably need less if using oats instead of bran, and almonds added additional moisture maybe?). Flavor was great. Even though not much sugar is used for sprinkling, I think it makes a big difference. Thanks for posting.
I made them with oatmeal as you suggested. Used sour cream lightened with almond milk and frozen blueberries and strawberries. Turned out perfect. Thanks.
Rainy morning here in Montreal. I just made these and they are delicious. I used 1 1/2 cups of buttermilk and added blackberries (fresh) and cranberries (frozen). I was afraid the fruit would be very tart but that little sprinkling of sugar just cuts the tartness without sweetening. I didn’t add vanilla (not a fan) or zest (orange would have been my choice, none on hand) and the omission is not an issue.
Just curious, any ideas on substituting something else in for sugar for feeding these to a one-year-old? My toddler book has me freaking out about added sugar, which is probably totally unnecessary, but still… Any ideas?
@Jessica
Monkfruit sweetener as a sub for the sugar should work out well!
I love that you use Bobs Red Mill products. As an employee of that employee owned company I appreciate it!
This bran muffin recipe sounds like one that was popular in the 70’s/80’s. You could double the recipe and store the batter in a securely covered container in the refrigerator. Each morning, you scoop out enough to make a few or…and bake them. Freshly baked daily. Batter lasted a week. It called for raisins but you could add different fruit. That recipe is around.
Not to denigrate the importance of posting recipes that work–we value you for this! seriously!–but someday, for laughs, I wonder if you’d consider revisiting the “disasters” chapter of being a home cook. Because we’re all prey to catastrophe–but when one is actively crying over the broken cake it’s harder to remember that. Also because I’m selfish and miss the stories. (Not that I’m not certain everything you make emerges from the kitchen wreathed in sparkles.)
I really want to try these muffins. I will definitely ask my parents to make them with me!
Thanks for another great recipe!
Zion
Made the muffins this morning and substituted oats for the bran. For fruit in half I cut up bananas and added some chocolate chips. Then having recently read Julie Moskin’s recipe for Scuffins in the NY Times, I added left over raspberry jam in the others. When I asked my son what he thought, he was too busy eating and saying “Ummm! Ummmm!” to respond. After devouring, he said “these are a keeper.” They are a huge hit. Thanks!
Rainy day- perfect for muffins. Had no wheat bran so I DID use pulsed oatmeal. It worked great. I loved the idea of using different fillings. I made banana coconut with a walnut half on top and strawberry. Both were excellent.
Yum! I just ate 3 of these warm from the oven. Did 4 strawberry, 4 raspberry and 4 a combo. Loving the raspberry the most.
Oh my. Bran muffins are my weakness. Anytime I find myself at a restaurant that lets me choose between toast and muffins for my breakfast side, I can’t help but to order the bran muffin. Most fall short of what I expect from a good bran muffin, but my favorite recipe ever so far is Nancy Silverton’s bran muffin via David Lebovitz. Here’s the link –> http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2009/07/nancy-silvertons-bran-muffins/
My those are good, but I like that this one has even less sugar.
Thank you, Thank you.
Hi,
Love your blog and recipes. Made the muffins this morning and used the oats like you suggested and they worked beautifully. I bumped up the sugar slightly as I was using fresh cranberries and blueberries. The yogurt made the muffin super moist as well. This is a muffin I would feel good about giving to my child. Thanks for the recipes and making me look good :)
Another data point for someone who used oats. My batter was too thin so I ended up added another 1/4 cup of ground oats. I also forgot to add the sprinkling of granulated sugar but all came out quite tasty and with pointy peaks!
I just made these with chopped fresh strawberries and they came out great! My batter was thinner than what was pictured, but it worked out fine. I bought a large package wheat bran so will need to make another batch soon.
I made these today using Bob’s Red Mill brand of oat bran instead of the wheat bran. I measured to 1 & 1/2 of the oat bran not by weight. Used fresh strawberries for the fruit. They were deliciouss
Yum yum yum. I love love love blueberry muffins and those looks absolutely delicious. I can’t wait to try them. :-)
I made two batches of these muffins. One with wheat germ (since I couldn’t find any wheat bran here) and the other one with the oats- like you suggested. Both came out really well!! I love that they aren’t too sweet. I definitely recommend you all go ahead and make these!
I can vouch for ground oats to replace the bran. I love bran muffins but never have it on hand, so I usually just pulse rolled oats until they’re really, really fine in a food processor and use that instead. I’ve made Nancy Silverton’s bran muffins (on David Lebovitz’s blog) several times this way.
thanks
I made these with the 7-grain cereal, like you suggested. I also used oat flour instead of wheat, to clear out my pantry. They are exquisite. Not too sweet, like you said, moist, fluffy. They don’t hold together that well, but I don’t care. Perfect breakfast muffins. Thanks!
Delicious treat for our Sunday morning beach outing today. We often take your apple cheddar scones to the beach but being pregnant and making my way through gestational diabetes, these mostly wheat bran muffins with little sugar were just the ticket. Thanks for providing an easy-to-make baked treat this 37-week preggo mama could enjoy. Bonus – hubby & my toddler also loved these.
I made these with gluten free flour, ground oats and frozen wild blueberries and they were delicious. Having a hard time eating just one so I’m going to have to quickly pop them in the freezer to save for quick breakfasts for work.
Hi Deb! When you made the banana coconut, did you just used shredded sweetened coconut, or did you use fresh coconut?
Made these tonight using the sour cream/milk option. They are fantastic although mine did not puff up enough….not sure why unless my soda/powder are off but they should be okay. I got to get out my itty bitty jewelers scale for those amounts. thanks so much….breakfast for the next few days is taken care of!
These sounded so good I had to give the recipe a try. So easy and delicious!
Looking forward to more at breakfast tomorrow.
Just to second what another person said- I just made them and the batter is definitely waaaay more runny than in your pictures. I used the cup measurements instead of weighing. We’ll see how they turn out……
Heya, adding another report of flat-topped muffins with batter much runnier than what’s in the photo — the wet and dry ingredients straight-up FIZZED when I added them, so maybe the baking soda/powder quantities are what did it? The crumb was VERY loose and full of holes; after splitting and buttering the muffins we ended up eating them with spoons because they were too soft to pick up!
(That said, we ate 10 the morning we made them — 5 each! — for a hungover breakfast/lunch, so whatever happened can’t have been that bad.)
Re, flat-topped and wet-centered muffins — Might they have needed more baking time? (If raw in the center: always.) Mine didn’t have a great dome, either (nor do the ones I get at the coffee shop, actually) but it didn’t concern me. Crumb should be quite loose — what impressed me was that despite the sheer amount of bran in it, the muffin is still so tender. I’d love to hear what fruit everyone used, especially if they felt too wet and heavy. We might notice a pattern.
Re, runny batter — I used a thin buttermilk and as soon as the dry and wet were mixed, the batter became puffy and firm, but not too thick. When dolloping the batter in the muffin tins, I had to nudge it a bit to get it flat — i.e. that thick. For those reporting runny batter, can you tell me what kind of ingredients you used if they were not buttermilk, wheat bran and a/p flour? Thanks.
Angie — I did not make banana coconut, I saw it at the coffee shop. I’d mix coconut into the batter and dice or slice bananas for the center fruit filling.
Amelia — I really should. To be honest, often people would still make the recipe and not realize it was kind of a disaster (despite saying things like “proceed at your own caution” in the head notes) and then be unhappy with the results and disparage Smitten Kitchen, who they’d once considered a good source of recipes, etc. Okay, that only happened a few times, but it scared me. These days, I still have disaster stories, but I wait until I triumph to share them, i.e. “The first version flopped because of this, the second version because of this, and finally I got it right…” which seems more useful to the end reader. Nevertheless, because you asked, last night Jacob and I decided to make the double-chocolate banana bread with three sad/brown bananas. I cannot cook while someone else is talking to me; I ALWAYS do something dumb. Last night we used QUADRUPLE the amount of salt, realized we were out of eggs, went to the store for eggs mid-recipe, put the cake in the oven and then realized we never put the egg in. Amazingly, it’s actually not that bad, but a little “puddingy” in the center, so we’re keeping it in the fridge.
Amanda — And I love that I found a store in my neighborhood (finally) the carries the full line, which is probably why you’re seeing them much more here. They’re my first choice, too.
amy — There’s no reason you cannot; I figure that anyone that wishes to will anyway.
Helen — It’s not a direct exchange. My favorite all white flour berry muffin are these Perfect Blueberry Muffins. You might want to start there and fiddle.
Sarahb1313 — You can swap SOME wheat for buckwheat, but I wouldn’t do too much. I love the flavor, but there’s no gluten in it and these muffins are tender enough to begin with.
Jen — It’s hard to say. Both the package and my cup weights were the same, i.e. 1 cup = 60 grams. It’s possible that your cups hold more? Or maybe you’re just using a heavier brand of bran? (Bran is usually very light and airy, hence it weighing half of what AP flour does.) I’d go with 1 1/2 cups if unsure.
Sarah — I bought mine at Third Rail Coffee right across from St. Marks Church.
I took your suggestion of pulsing oats in the food processor and it worked! I also substituted trader Joe’s Greek yogurt (that stuff is like ice cream to me) thinned out with milk and added a teaspoon of lemon zest. Amazing!! Thank you so much!
Oops, I meant to say Trader Joe’s *honey* Greek yogurt; I missed a pretty important adjective there…
I made these today! I auditioned a sub for the wheat bran, and it worked fine. I used Bob’s Red Mill Irish Oatmeal instead of bran. It has a coarse meal texture, combined well with the wet ingredients and mixed into a nice thick batter. The muffins rose beautifully and have that perfect texture. Thumbs up!
I found this recipe this morning and made them this afternoon. I used vanilla yogurt, Oat Bran, Sunflower oil, dash of Flax Seed and Farmers Market blueberries and strawberries. These are the BEST muffins! The perfect sweetness. My 8, 6 and 2 year old and husband loved them!!! Thank you!
I worked at Third Rail (at theiroriginal Sullivan Street location) for the first three years they were open, and came back last summer to help open their 2nd ave location – it is probably better for both of us that you started to get your coffee and Blue Sky muffins there after I left, because I would have probably been fanning myself with excitement when you walked in, and that might’ve put you off. This blog and your approach to cooking has really, actually, not much hyperbole, changed my life a little, so I probably would’ve had a hard time keeping cool like you were just some ordinary New York celebrity. So glad you go there, though, and I hope you enjoy the coffee as much as the muffins!
Hi Deb,
Do you think I could use grape nuts in place of the wheat bran?
Linsday — I’m not sure because I’ve never baked with them so don’t know how they bake up in recipes. Can’t hurt to try with a half-batch of the like, though.
I used a cup chopped oats and 1/2 c bobs red mill 6 grain cereal. Also 1 c yogurt thinned with 1/3 c water. The batter was a perfect thickness. Filled with cheddar, grilled corn and chives. Used liners and they turned out perfectly!
I ended up going with the weight instead of the measure, and the muffins turned out really well (one batch strawberry-banana and one batch blueberry) and the batter matched your description so I think we were ok. I got the bran from the bulk aisle at Whole Foods. I assume it must have been a different processing of some type that caused the different, I don’t know. But I wanted to follow up in case anyone has the same issue. Oh, we also subbed half of the AP flour for white-whole-wheat.
They are in the oven as I type and I cannot wait to try them! I didn’t have buttermilk so I took your suggestion and used a light lemon greek non-fat yogurt thinned with skim milk to 1 1/3 c. I added lemon zest and blueberries. Thank you!!
I made these yesterday using Bob’s Red Mill Wheat Bran. Half batch of apple/blackberry and half batch of raspberry/blueberry (berries were frozen). Very tasty but my fruit sunk to the bottom. Otherwise, delicious and I ate two of them at once!
Here I sit on Monday morning, sick, but at work dealing with an emergency that requires enormous effort, and all I want is one of these and my bed. Alas, cruel world!
Made these yesterday with frozen blueberries and they turned out great! Amazing – thanks for the low sugar recipe!
So good! Took a variety of grains I had lying around (oatmeal, some quinoa, some buckwheat) and put them in the food processor to use instead of bran (did not feel like going to the grocery store Saturday AM). Some of the grains were still a little chewy in the muffin, but overall it was delicious! Used raspberries and blackberries. I had to be a little conservative with the batter to fill 12 cups, but they baked up into big, fat, grainy morsels of deliciousness. Thanks for fueling my muffin obsession in a healthy way! I was going to use up some leftover buttermilk on pancakes or waffles until I saw this. Great and healthy way to start the weekend. Next time I’m going to buy the bran, though.
Curious about the ‘smitten kitchen’ embossed spatula. What is the resource for having these made? Thanks. Oh yummy looking muffins too!
Thank You!! Blue Sky makes the only muffins I’ve every really loved and I have tried to recreate them in Texas to no avail. I’m so excited to make them!
Joe Pastry, who I absolutely love and whose recipes rarely lead me wrong, notes that a domed muffin is a sure sign of an overmixed muffin that will be chewy and tough: http://www.joepastry.com/2012/making-blueberry-muffins/
So I’d say that your relatively flat-topped muffins are a sign of success!
Nicole — Love him; thanks for sharing.
Sheryll — I talk about where I got them (in short: Williams-Sonoma) in Comment #56.
I made these over the weekend with blueberries and mango and they were DELICIOUS! my boyfriend was unsure because they “looked really healthy” but loved the surprise fruit center and has already asked me to make them again :-) success!!
Made them and they were delicious! A nice change from overly sweet breakfast muffins. I used Bobs Red Mill wheat bran, yogurt and milk, and 1/2 AP and 1/2 whole wheat flour. I just followed the 2 tsp of fruit per muffin and made a variety: mango-banana-toasted coconut, mango-cranberry, blackberry-apple and blueberry-raspberry. The berries were all frozen. They were all great but my favorite might have been mango-banana-coconut (perhaps because they were the most moist?)
We LOVE these. I used yogurt thinned with raw milk, replaced the bran with oat flour and the AP flour with whole wheat. They’re earthy and so good with apples and cinn. I cant wait to make them again with other fruits!
I had used old fashioned oats, processed in a coffee grinder in your recipe for whole wheat cinnamon swirl bread. It worked well so I used it here, too. Super good! I love your recipes!
Made these with blueberries and they were super delicious! I also did the yogurt thinned with water and turned out great! Thanks for the awesome recipe!
BLUE SKY! We left Brooklyn a year ago, but their muffins would be enough to lure me back (and, for another neighborhood plug: I know everyone in New York has a “you have to try ____ pizza,” but Roma’s on 7th Ave in Park Slope really is the jamz). I’ve been wanting to hack Blue Sky’s pumpkin-apple-pecan muffin; their peaked top, crisp outside and soft inside are perfection. Thanks for posting this, Deb – it’s bringing back great memories and will be a real treat for the family (if I can get them to stop clamoring for your double-coconut muffins for a minute…).
I am a huge fan of baking and enjoying the results but recently I have gone off rich, dense slices and cakes. Im sure this love for decadent sweets will return sometime but for now, these muffins were perfect! I made them with a mix of sour cream, natural yoghurt and milk, frozen blueberries left over from my summer job on a blueberry farm and new season apples. They were light and tasty and I found that I could really taste the fruit due to the relatively limited amount of sugar. A perfect mid morning study snack! Love your blog, all the way from Cambridge (New Zealand!)
I just ate one of these and they’re delicious! I made them with raspberries, blackberries, and coconut, and they taste distinctly breakfast-y – the sweetness level is very, very light.
I also made them with olive oil, which comes through surprisingly clearly taste-wise. I’ll be making them again soon with apples!
Just made these with ground up steel cut oats instead of bran, and they came out beautifully. I put frozen berries in half the batch, and frozen concord grapes that I picked and deseeded last fall in the other half. The grape ones were the best! They formed this amazing little pocket of custardy jam. Thanks for the great recipe! I’m normally not a big fan of normal muffins, which are sugar cake bombs, but these are perfect.
These muffins look delicious! I’ve been getting so tired of my usual breakfast go tos, I’ll definitely be playing with this recipe. Thanks Deb!
Made tthese with yogurt/splash of milk and frozen blueberries. My new favorite muffin – just the right amount of sweetness for breakfast. Thank you for such a great blog and book.
Used Bob’s Mills 7 grain ceral and found the muffin too gritty. I put pears and blueberries though and they’re yummy.
Hi, Deb! I just made these just now and they are really really delicious. Right up there with your whole wheat raspberry scones (which reign supreme in my house).
I read the earlier comments/concerns that the muffins weren’t well domed and was really thinking of that issue when I started filling my muffin tin. I think the issue is that the batter is too scant to be split across 12 muffins. I split mine across 10 muffin cups and mine came out very nicely shaped with raised, well rounded domes.
Deb,
You indicate to divide the granulated sugar. Where does the first teaspoon go? The second goes on top of the muffins, but I missed where the first gets incorporated. I just put it in with the dry ingredients, figuring it couldn’t hurt.
Secondly, I would guess that people that had thin batter didn’t have an acidic enough milk/yogurt substitute for the buttermilk, especially if they used a flavored/sweetened yogurt. My mixture seemed thin at first, but the reaction of the buttermilk and baking soda puffed it up, making it seem thicker.
Thanks for the great recipe. I’m 38 weeks pregnant, and planning on making a bunch of these to freeze for the first few weeks of being a new parent.
Deb, these made my morning. They were indeed very tender, and I loved the subtle sweetness. I used blueberries, but now my mind is on rhubarb (as it is all spring). I bet it would be as great here as in your whole-wheat rhubarb muffins.
This recipe worked flawlessly for me! I used spelt bran because I happened to have a ton of it. I don’t tend to like bran muffins, but these ones looked so moist and fruity that I had to try them. They did not disappoint!
These are amazing! I used frozen blueberries in mine and since for some reason I have a stockpile of wheat bran in the freezer, this will be my new go-to recipe for muffins. Batter was thin – I used milk and vinegar as a sub for buttermilk but otherwise followed the recipe exactly. Tops were flat but I don’t mind. Yum!
These turned out exactly as you describe.Best part is that they are almost better the next day. The blueberries I used had fused into the center like a pocket of jam and the bran part was moist and tasty. I followed the recipe exactly. It’s a keeper!
Made these today with Bob’s Red Mill 10 Grain Cereal in place of wheat bran and can confirm that they are delicious this way. The cereal made them slightly more corn muffin-like in texture, but they were still fluffy and wholesome. I used buttermilk, and the combination of buttermilk and the cereal made the batter a bit thinner than your pictures, but I just added a tablespoon or so more AP flour and had faith that the buttermilk/baking soda reaction would stiffen them up. They turned out excellent, with nice blueberry/raspberry pocket in the middle. Thanks for another winning recipe!
I made these over the weekend and HOLY AMAZING. They’re perfect. I used 1/2 blackberries/raspberries and half blackberry/apple and they’re both delicious. I’ve given a few away to rave reviews and even after freezing/defrosting for breakfast, they’re INCREDIBLE. Apparently I’m singing bran muffin praises from the Midwest to you Deb (and Blue Sky!). This is my new go to breakfast with some fruit and a latte. I will mention I didn’t have buttermilk and did 1% milk + lemon juice (1 tbsp), no problems and used 1/3 c coconut oil (melted, not solid) and perfection! Can’t wait to try other varieties, but man oh man, with blackberries, SO GOOD. Thanks again Deb!
Au contraire, I am the last person to hear about these muffins. But better late than never. The mixed berries seem like a great addition.
Jessie — Glad you liked them. The first teaspoon goes over the fruit.
K. — It’s interesting that you say that and this might be an issue related to the thin/thick batter (mine was thick, others have reported thin) but I found I had more batter than I’d usually put in 12 standard muffin cups and it made me nervous.
The recipe over at sweetie and the kitchen calls for 1 tsp each of baking powder and soda, but yours is 1 1/2 tsp of each. You mentioned that you halved the recipe. Did you mean just 1/2 tsp of each? Or did you find you needed more than the original called for?
http://sweetieandthekitchen.com/2012/12/14/blue-sky-bakerys-bran-muffins/
Thanks for a great blog – one of my favs!
Cheers,
Martina
Can I make these with rapeseed oil?
Hmm. Even more of a mystery! I wonder why our difference in volume and shape? Mine is a standard muffin tin. My batter was quite thick also. I like to combine the buttermilk with the bran in advance since I think it hydrates the bran better, but it also results in a thicker batter. So mine was nice and thick and looked like yours does in your photos. And I live in Oregon close to the mill, so of course I used Bob’s Red Mill too! Mine definitely came up out of the cups a bit and gave me a good broad but domed classic muffin shape. Muffin mysteries and magic!
BTW, thanks again for the amazing recipe. Mine were just as delicious re-toasted this morning as they were last night, which is to say pretty phenomenally delicious. You rock, Deb! (Mine were raspberry/wild blueberry/lemon zest.)
Marina — It calls for 1 tablespoon (tbsp) each. 1 tablespoon = 3 teaspoons, so I halved it so you will use 1 1/2 teaspoons of each. (It also matches the book version.)
Veronica — Yes.
Got up as usual, had a real urge for these, so made them and had a late (for me) breakfast at 8:30ish. Well worth the wait! I used kefir, added cinnamon and used both fresh and frozen blueberries. I felt lazy, so coated the berries with the small amount of white sugar, then folded them into all the batter. I also made 8 regular size and 12 mini muffins. For Weight Watchers, the large are 4 Points+, the minis 1.3 Points +. I like to know, sen though I basically try to eat healthy but always tasty. They were delicious, kept a few out and froze the rest. Well done!
I love Jacob so much. Of course I don’t know you but as an Auntie only, I have several young families I follow. Some of them are my nephews and nieces and their kids. You and your hubby and Jacob are another. When I saw his picture holding the espresso cup, I fell in love all over again!! Deb you are awesome and so is Jacob. Can’t wait to make these beauties!!
Greetings from Boston! Just made them with oat bran! Smells lovely! Thank you..
I must be a dissenting opinion on these muffins. I followed the recipe as written and they just were not as tasty as the ones that I make using the breakfast cereal. Still a huge fan of your blog though. :)
What would you recommend for an egg substitute? Kiddo is allergic, but would love to make them!
Melissa — I haven’t tried it, but many readers tell me about a flax seed/water combo that can be used instead.
Thanks so much for this yummy recipe. I made these today but as I had no wheat bran I just used quick cook oats and they worked perfectly. I now have a good little stash of oat and apple muffins in my freezer. Will make the recipe properly next time but I’m very pleased with the results so far.
This is my kind of sleuthing!! I was stumped when I tried to find a recipe from Blue Sky, so glad you persevered and found these! Can’t wait to try. xo
I just pulled these out of the oven. Oh. My. Word.
I used plums and strawberry slices, and used oat flour instead of all-purpose. Super tender and moist, and the flavour is AWESOME. Thanks for another keeper, Deb!
made these with some ground up oats instead of wheat bran, used golden flaxseed meal to replace the egg and filled them with bananas coconut and chopped almonds…so good! thank you for another home run deb :)
I used whole oats ground in a food processor to replace the bran, since I was out of bran, and replaced half the white flour with spelt (since I was almost out of white flour), used a mix of frozen blueberries and raspberries and…YUM! However after I baked them, i realized that I had sprinkled the tops with a small amount of salt rather then sugar and consquently have discovered that a bit of saltiness enhances the muffin. I may have to experiment further with this discovery…
Made these last night. Great recipe. The two-year-old bit into his with a will and got SUPER excited when he found blueberries inside. (I’d used frozen.) Unfortunately he stopped eating his muffin when he ran out of blueberries, instead demanding a “new one.” I may have to work on spacing the fruit out more appropriately. The frozen fruit made the muffins a little goopy right in the center, but the tops and bottoms were a good texture, so I’ll just live with it.
Also, after putting on the fruit layer, I had way more than 1 Tbsp per muffin of batter left. I heaped it all onto the 12 muffins anyway, and things turned out fine, but I’m wondering if maybe the batter got extra airy while it was waiting for me to finish spraying the muffin tins?
Anyway, you rock as usual! This one’s a keeper.
Kat — Yes, mine got airy after it was mixed too. Glad it was a hit. Your 2 year-old sounds like my 4.5 still. ;)
Re, wet centers — FWIW, the muffin Jacob and I split this morning from the bakery had a slightly undercooked center so I guess it happens to the pros too. Regardless, you can always bake it a couple extra minutes and it should eventually firm up. Today’s filling was rhubarb and fresh cranberry so it might have just been extra-juicy.
I used to live in Park Slope right by Blue Sky Bakery and LOVED it! I met the owner once and he was just as amazing as his muffins. I always rave about their muffins and it sounds weird to rave about muffins, but they are that good! My favorite is pumpkin, apple, cream cheese. These look splendid and I can’t wait to make a batch at home
How fun to be able to try these with many different kinds of fruit in the middle. They look spectacular. Have got to be better than the usual muffins available in shops in the morning! Can’t wait to try them.
I’ve just made these TWICE in two days! UNBELIEVABLE!! I sat there eating them and looking at them thinking – these are the most delicious muffins I’ve ever had. Just a fantastic recipe that is so healthy. I used whole wheat pastry flour for the flour part. All good.
425 °F? Is that correct? I’ve just never baked a muffin at that high temp before, and it makes me nervous…
SMum — It is correct.
Wow! These were amazing. I didn’t have quite enough bran, so I added a bit of flax & a bit of buckwheat flour also. I made 6 blackberry ones & 6 with mango + unsweetened coconut. I like the blackberry best. I put a little raw sugar on top instead or regular sugar, because I like crunchy sugar on top of muffins. :) These are not going to last long. I kept telling myself I’d wait until breakfast but I had 2 immediately.
I think these my second favorite muffins ever. My favorite muffins will always be those amazing plum poppyseed ones in your book! :) Thanks so much for sharing these!
These were fabulous! I used blueberries and oat bran as I had them to hand. They were moist and light-most unusual for a bran muffin. They were demolished and want to make another batch today! Banana was requested so I will give it a try and let you know. Love the idea of coconut too that I read in one of your comments. Thank you!
I’ve had these at Blue Sky, but as a now-transplanted Londoner am really looking forward to making them here for a little taste of Brooklyn.
Re rubber spatulas – the Le Creuset silicone ones are hands down the best, and the handles stand up to being run through the dishwasher on a pretty much daily basis– I don’t like the spoon shaped ones as much as the traditional though as they don’t seem as flexible.
WOW!!! I love it when a bakery or restaurant will share a coveted recipe, and while I’m no where near NY, and have never had these muffins, I was compelled to make them. I followed the recipe to a T, and used fresh peaches and raspberries. I can’t wait to try other filling combos and then freeze them so I have a never ending supply of yummy muffins! Thanks for sharing!
I finally picked up wheat bran yesterday so I could make the muffins according to the recipe instead of using Bob’s 7 grain cereal again. The muffins made with the 7 grain cereal, while good, were much denser and more chewy. The muffins made yesterday afternoon with the wheat bran are much lighter and probably the most moist bran muffin I have ever encountered. I chose apples and huckleberries for the fruit fillings this time. I will second Candace’s recommendation for Le Creuset silicone spatulas.
Dying to try this since I have been shamefully baking and re-baking your double chocolate banana bread and it MAY be time to rein in my sugar intake. Thanks for this!
Hi! I just wanted to let you and anyone else who is interested know that I made a gluten-free version of these and posted them on my blog! They turned out fabulously!
http://www.pnwkitchen.com/blog/2014/5/4/gluten-free-blueberryblackberry-oat-bran-muffins
These look great, and will fit right in with the “healthy-ish muffins” kick I’ve been on ever since the coconut-blueberry muffin recipe appeared on the Wednesday Chef a few weeks ago! One question – could I substitute butter for the oil, or would that throw things out of whack?
MWH — No reason why not. They likely use oil because baked good with oil tend to stay a little more moist at room temperature, but with all of that fresh fruit in there, I wouldn’t worry.
Raspberry and apricot- divine! I will be keeping this recipe for years to come!
For Karen : if the milk allergy does not extend to goat milk, then goat yoghurt (known as goghurt in our home) is a great substitute for buttermilk. I don’t usually thin it but you could do so with soy or almond milk.
Made these with strawberries and lemon zest. Delicious fresh and day 2! Such a great recipe!
Absolutely loved these! I couldn’t find wheat bran, so I used oat bran instead and they turned out delicious. I used a half cup blueberries and a half cup chopped strawberries. I thought these were absolutely fantastic, but may up the amount of fruit next time (or leave bigger chunks). No problems with wetness at all.
Overall, amazing recipe (and pretty easy to make) and I would definitely make again!! Highly recommend folks give it a try!
Also, regarding the thin/thick batter/domed issue. I think it may have to do with how long you let your batter sit in between mixing it and adding it to the muffin tin. I accidentally had to let mine sit for 5-10 minutes as I prepped the fruit/waited for the oven to pre-heat. The batter really thickened and expanded (it actually worried me a bit at first), and I had plenty for the 12 cups and some bowl licking afterwards (and it domed really nicely). I wonder if it’s an issue of letting the batter sit for a couple of minutes?
Ok I am eating one of these right now. I made a batch earlier and I only managed to eat the last one, and had to fight for it with my sister’s kid! In my defense, he had already had two!
I made a few changes, due to the fact that it was Sunday, the stores were closed, I had no buttermilk, no regular milk, no wheat… eh… what was that, I don’t think I know what that is in greek, and no brown sugar. So, I used greek yoghurt – i did not thin it, because I had no milk, I figured if it’s bad, we won’t eat it (yeah, right…) – I pulsed 1 1/2 c. oats and used regular white sugar.
If I had to change something, I would use probably add some nutmeg (or something else, you are obviously better than me at knowing what it needs!), because the oats have a pretty strong taste and I could taste them. But overall, they were great!
I loved the fact that they are not very sweet, because that way I can taste the fruit. All in all, they disappeared so fast it made my head spin! I’m making a new batch tomorrow :)
Great job!
I just made these with diced pear and a little ground ginger, the perfect take along breakfast for my early starts this week
Just pulled these bad boys out of the over. They smell out of this world! Just wanted to let you know, I read “wheat germ” instead of wheat bran so I used wheat germ. Also didn’t even have wheat germ so had to wing it by adding some ground golden flax. And they’re awesome. Wonderful. Fantastic. Never eating anything else.
Made these! They are exactly as good and well-balanced as you said. My dark brown sugar is compacted into a brick, but I used roughly half that and half molasses, which gave a nice deep flavor. I’ll definitely be making these again. I think they’d even be good with chopped banana and candied ginger. http://liquidyolk.com/2014/05/11/a-muffin-for-outings/
Oh emm gee– just pulled a batch out of the oven:: on a sunday night:: will have to fight the marmaille off if i want them to last until tomorrow morning– they look simply amaaaaazing. Gah. My family thanks you.
I made these last Monday night and they were such a hit that, even though we still have frozen muffins in the freezer, I’ve gotten a request for a second batch. Yum! I used half plain Greek yogurt and half sour cream for the buttermilk, ground oatmeal, and blackberries for the fruit.
Just made a batch with milk/white vinegar in place of buttermilk. The batter was very wet — like partially whipped cream! Heart firmly in mouth, I cooked them. And they came out fine :) Pear and candied ginger was a firm winner over peach and cream cheese. Will be making them again :D
WOW these are AMAZING!
I used frozen blueberries, coconut oil, and oat bran instead of wheat bran; sprinkled the tops with sliced almonds and turbinado sugar. They were so tasty, we could have eaten all 12 in one sitting, and maybe we should have since they definitely were not as tender and delicious the 2nd day. But still a dang good afternoon treat on an otherwise dull Monday afternoon.
Just made a batch of plantain-coconut and enjoy these more than the mango-blueberry I tried last week. The plantain lend a moistness that was missing with the first batch, in which I found the wheat bran was a bit too dominant a texture (though neither my two-year old nor my four-year old seemed to notice – woo hoo!). Great breakfast option on the run. Thanks!
So I made these with wheat germ instead of wheat bran and while they worked fine, flavour-wise, they didn’t pop. Which makes sense given the main ingredient of ‘bran’ muffins would be, uh, bran! So a word to those who are planning to make them with wheat germ-they’ll work but I think would be much nicer with bran.
I couldn’t find wheat bran in the first three stores I went to and substituted rolled oats and some buckwheat flour. My dough was quite firm. They tasted pretty ok, but not great. In the meantime I found wheat bran in the fourth store and will try again with that and probably more fruit in the middle.
Made these with macadamia nut oil and blueberries. Perfect. Tender, moist, barely sweet…perfect. Would make them again tomorrow if I could get away with it! Thanks so much for sharing, Deb.
So good! Used oat bran instead of wheat bran, since that’s what I had, and 1 cup of blueberries for the fruit. I think I’ll be making another batch tomorrow with blackberries, but will increase the amount of fruit.
Blimey these are good! Made them with blueberries. Great warm out of the oven with lots of butter and a cup of tea.
These look just lovely. Can you recommend a substitute for the egg? My little ones can’t have egg….
Thanks!
As many did, tried oats pulsed BUT ALSO added pulsed ALL BRAND BUDS (did 3/4 cups each). Hearty but just as moist as with only wheat bran. Oh, and a little sweeter because of BUDS. Thanks Deb for great recipes exactly when we need them!
Tried these out for Mother’s Day and they were delicious! Posted some photos over at my blog and I hope you don’t mind but I shared your recipe in the post!
http://www.thesundayproject.net/food/2014/5/15/blueberry-bran-muffins
These are great! The (few) leftovers made after-school perfect snacks for my daughter, who requested that I make another batch, pronto! I used spelt flour instead of all purpose.
Just made these tonight. I had all the ingredients but procrastinated on making them. Fast forward to right now…I had four. Fruit filling was a blueberry-blackberry-raspberry mix straight from the freezer, and used sour cream thinned with a little bit of water. Portion wise I kinda fudged it but it turned out amazing. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!
These muffins taste sooo nice!! Thanks for the recipe! Left out the fruit but they still tasted good :)
We enjoyed these alot :) Too stubborn to follow the recipe exactly… so I decreased the oil to 1/4 c, used oat bran instead of wheat bran, used white sugar and molasses in place of brown sugar, and did skim milk instead of buttermilk. The batter seemed a little thick, so I used more liquid than the recipe called for. Used frozen cranberries for the fruit. Even with all the alterations, the muffins turned out great and had nice round tops. Very versatile recipe- I look forward to making it again. Thanks for sharing Deb!
All week I’ve been so excited to make your recipe. Earlier in the week I dutifully went to Whole Foods to buy wheat bran from their bulk bin, but it’s been too hot until today to use the oven. I too made modifications and they came out just as yummy as you described. No buttermilk on hand, so used the old ‘milk with a tablespoon of white vinegar’ trick. I changed that to 1C of whole milk with 1/3C of greek yogurt. Instead of oil I used 1/3C unsweetened applesauce. I substituted 1/8C Splenda Brown Sugar Blend for white sugar. I used a mini-muffin tin and got 36 minis out of the recipe, using 1 teaspoon for each layer (batter/fruit/batter). I baked them for 10-12 minutes. The only other modification was when I ran out of fruit for the last three or so and I used a bit of jam to substitute for the fruit.
I made the muffins on Friday. They are still good today(Sunday). I too had runny batter but the muffins came out fine. I will be making them for my rug hooking group. Love your recipes. All that I have tried have been delicious.j
Made these using whole wheat flour and oat bran. They turned out very well. Mine were definitely best the day they were made. Will try butter instead of oil next time as I think I may prefer the flavor & texture of a buttery muffin over one moist with sunflower oil. Thank for inspiring me to bake!
Holy new favorite muffin-ness! I went with mango and blackberries and probably could have eaten them all straight out of the oven.
First time making bran muffins. I used ground oatmeal and it worked like a charm. Maybe I’m still growing out of my need to have my muffins be sweet, but I think next time I’ll add more fruit and a bit more sugar. Otherwise, so good!
Muffins were delicious. Everyone liked them. I am going to make some strawberry rhubarb this afternoon.
Just made these, halved the recipe and used oat bran. Wow! I didn’t know bran muffin and moist could be used in the same sentence. Just the right sweetness, wholesome and delicious. Thanks Deb!
I was looking for a way to use up the rest of the buttermilk that wasn’t used in making Buttermilk Roast Chicken (which was delicious). When I saw this recipe I was skeptical. I do not have fond memories of bran muffins. :/ But I was persuaded by Deb’s insistence that these are good. Made them per instructions, and they ARE GOOD! Just made them again with yogurt instead of buttermilk. Still good, but not nearly eat-three-in-a-row good.
Really fantastic! Thank you for sharing. Latest batch had apricots, cherries, and banana.
I have made this recipe up a few times. I usually make the bran muffin recipe on the Bob’s Red Mill Bran package as I LOVE molasses and this recipe really lets it shine through. After making the Blue Sky muffins a couple of times I have tweaked it a bit simply by allowing just the bran to soak in just the buttermilk for a few minutes while I rummage around gathering up the rest of the ingredients. I then beat the egg, oil and vanilla together and add to the bran buttermilk mixture and of course then combining the wet and dry. It has been met with applause and approval by all who do not share my passion for a heartier molasses bran muffin! It’s a lovely recipe and will be inducted into my “Hall of Fame” recipe box! Thanks!
I was out of bran so I substituted with 1.5 cups oat flour. Worked beautifully. Great recipe! I’ve been looking for a good, low sugar muffin recipe. I’ll be making these again (and again).
So sold on these muffins. Can’t wait to try them with blueberries!
The pear cornbread muffins that a reader requested are a favorite of mine. Here’s a link: http://www.marthastewart.com/330162/corn-muffins-with-pear-and-candied-ginge
Maury appeared on the Martha Stewart show and made them. Yum! And thanks for the bran muffin recipe.
Patty — Thanks for sharing that! I haven’t made the muffins yet, but loved the video where Martha drops the tip about him not cooking the meringue on his lemon meringue tarts — that he just freezes it and then browns it with a blowtorch. I’m totally fascinated by this now.
Made these today using the milk/vinegar substitution for buttermilk; ground oats instead of wheat bran; and half cup whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose. Mango, lime zest and almonds went in a half batch; pear, walnuts and a little chopped dark chocolate in the other. My batter turned out looking similar to Deb’s despite all the substitutions though the final muffin is not as crisp on the dome as many seem to have got. Taste and texture wise, though, these are superb: so moist I wouldn’t have believed it’s predominantly oats in there if I hadn’t made them myself. The amount of sugar was just right as well. A total win.
How is that you’re able to make something so ordinary and bland, like a bran muffin, sound so exquisite? Seriously Deb, this post has been the best part of my day so far and I cannot WAIT to make a batch of these this weekend! Thanks for sharing!
I could not find wheat bran, so I substituted with about 1 and 1/4 cups ground oats, and about 1/4 cup wheat germ. Worked great.
I think next time I’ll stir the blueberries into the batter.
These were very good, and definitely more of a hearty breakfast muffin than sweet treat. I would like to try adding more sugar, but don’t know how that would affect the recipe.
These are deeeeelicious! Just made them with my 5 year old and put blackberries, blueberries and raspberries in them. Amazing. I want to make a second batch with apricot and peaches. We all love them! Made them with oatbran , part buttermilk and part yogurt. Looking forward to making the carrot salad this weekend! Thank you, Deb!!
Made these earlier today. For the first 9 I used blueberries, strawberries and raspberries. YUM! For the last three I used three dark chocolate disks per muffin instead. Oh HOLY COW! were those good. I’m going to make a batch using the dark chocolate plus a few slices of banana and a dollop of almond butter. Thanks so much for the recipe Deb!
Just made these for the first time to bring to a function tomorrow morning. They won’t be hot, but they will still be wonderful–I tasted one, just to make sure, you know? I used 1/4 tsp fiori di sicilia (King Arthur carries it), 1/2 tsp vanilla, and a couple of teaspoons of grated orange zest. I used blueberries for the fruit. I’m happy!
With pulsed oats substituting for the bran, would you go by weight (~1 cup oats) or volume (~135 grams oats)?
Anal? Me?
These are amazing. Between my husband and myself, we managed to eat 9 today. I followed the recipe and they came out perfect. I’m planning to try again in the next day or two with a “carrot cake” spin- grated carrots stirred in instead of fruit, coconut oil instead of vegetable oil, walnuts, cinnamon, nutmeg…. I would do it tonight, except I have a newborn and I really, really need some sleep. Thanks for such a great recipe find. It’s seriously amazing.
For wet, mushy muffins, try decreasing the buttermilk to 1 cup. I think the brand of bran is the major problem. I used Shiloh Farms bran from whole foods, got the eat-with-a-spoon muffins someone described earlier. Made them again this morning with 1 cup of buttermilk and they were perfect. I also let the batter sit while I chopped the fruit.
THANK YOU! I love the flavor of these muffins but have always had a problem with the texture. I indeed use Shiloh Farms. Cutting the buttermilk down per your recommendation and trying them again. Cannot thank you enough for commenting!
Heads up for anyone looking to substitute oatmeal for bran – you want to use the volume measurement, not weight!
Been looking for a good muffin recipe for ages and these are amazing! made them 3 times in 2 weeks! I replaced the oil with a quarter cup of homemade applesauce (just apple cooked with a bit of water) and they come out perfectly. Since the apple sauce is sweet, you can reduce the sugar if you want as well, so they are even healthier!
That chubby little hand patting the muffin!!!!!! *died* <3
Made these last Thursday in mini muffin form and they were AMAZING. Thank you!!
Just made these. I had to use buttermilk powder and water as I did not have “fresh” (i.e. bottled) buttermilk on hand. Also, I couldn’t find bran so I used oat bran (went by volume/cup measure, not by weigh as 90g of oat bran was barely 3/4 of a cup). Given these changes, not surprisingly, the batter was really wet and I had a lot more batter than for just 12. Still, they cooked out beautifully in the recommended time frame and were really good for a super healthy muffin. I suspect b/c of the oat bran substitution, I ended up with 18 muffins, which was good, b/c they were for my daughter’s school and I ate two before they even left the door! Not too sweet and perfect for a quick, healthy breakfast. Thank you!
One more thing, b/c I ended up with more batter, I stuck the first batch into the oven while I prepared the remaining 6 muffins… and the batter did thicken a bit. These muffins also rose a tiny bit more (though they were all pretty flat).
I live in Austria, which is a country with a great sweet bakery tradition. No one here thinks that muffins are something really worth making…. up until to the moment people try these ones. When I made them for the first time I was stunned – so good AND a little healthy too! I have made them for my friends and family with any fresh fruits I could get and maybe started a rave here :-)) I take an egg more (less buttermilk then) and very brown sugar cane sugar. Even very health-conscious mums allow these muffinsfor their kids. And they do a great work for my guts.
Thank you for this wonderful recepie!
Hi Deb, I made these this morning and they are phenomenal! I’ve never enjoyed a muffin until today. I wanted to add to the runny/thick batter conversation going on. I live in India, and used Indian buttermilk I had in my fridge which is typically MUCH thinner than what you use in the States. So my batter was pretty runny as well, but it made no noticeable difference to the final product. I think I messed up my batter distribution because my second batch (small oven, can only bake six at a time) had about a teaspoon each to top the fruit but whatever, I still have perfect muffins filled with some of the last of this season’s mangoes. Thanks!
Oh I also wanted to add that I used regular granulated sugar because I can’t get dark brown sugar or molasses here. I love the taste of molasses but with this recipe I didn’t miss a thing, still perfect.
A solid bran muffin recipe that yields a distinctly breakfast-y result — they feel very wholesome (no one will mistake these for cupcakes!). I used whole wheat flour as it was closest at hand; will try white next time. I also added more fruit than specified (frozen mixed berries), about 1 1/2 cups, as I love a fruit-loaded muffin. I got exactly 12 sensibly-sized muffins.
and for those who might be curious… by my calculation they come in at a very nutritious 158 cals each :)
Many thanks for the recipe!!! Did them with oats bran and wholemeals spelt flour.
Half with blueberries and another half with strawberries. All turn up perfect!
Just made these with apples and walnuts- I chopped a green apple, roasted the pieces as the oven preheated until i finished with the batter, then folded them in. The roasting helped get some of the water out so that the muffins were not soggy. Delicious!
This is almost the same recipe from the All-Bran box, without the fruit. So delicious!
I love Blue Sky bran muffins, so I was eager to try this recipe. Mine turned out quite a bit oily compared to the original. I used Olive oil, ideas?
I just made these for my toddler (and who am I kidding – me too!) I used yogurt instead of buttermilk and coconut oil instead of veg oil. I was concerned as it solidified when I mixed it with the cold yogurt but even though it remained in clumps in the batter it was totally fine when cooked. I made 36 mini muffins with bananas and raspberries. They aren’t very sweet and are something I feel great about giving to my little one. We are both loving them – thanks Deb!!
Made these by blitzing some rolled oats as suggested, also substituting yogurt a little watered down with milk, EVO, and for fruit I used blueberries and peaches. I think it’s a great recipe but I’m going for half a cup of brown sugar next time. For me breakfast must be sweet, never overly so, but nonetheless sweet. Might try sticking to the 1/3 cup of sugar but substituting some of the oil for applesauce. Also want to get my hands on some bran to see if that makes any difference. In the end, great recipe but needs more sugar – at least that was the consensus in my household :)
I just made these using fresh blueberries and turbinado sugar on top. For the wet mixture, I used the rest of my sour cream and a little bit of 2% Fage, which made for a very thick, non pourable wet mix. Should have thinned with water but was concerned about over thinning. Ended up dolloping the batter and came out in the end with 11 smallish muffins. They are delicious!
Best.Bran.Muffins.Ever! I made them with peaches from the farmer’s market, and a sprinkling of candied ginger from Penzey’s… they freeze well, too! Thirty seconds in the microwave…
I am partaking of a fresh out-of-oven muffin as I type. Very delicious! Not too sweet although I probably did sprinkle a little more sugar on the fruit and tops of mine than called for. I used fresh home-grown peaches, blueberries and strawberries and it is a perfect combination. They made the house smell unbelievable too. Thanks!
not to make a bran muffin even more ridiculous or anything, but I am going to try this recipe with prunes- a bakery near me used to make the most amazing bran muffins with bits of prune and apricot inside and they were amazing…and then they closed down and the muffins are gone forever…unless this works at recreating the magic!!
I have made these at least 5 times this summer. They are absolutely delicious. In place of the wheat bran, I have been using All-Bran cereal (Original Variety) and pulsing it in the food processor before adding. Since the cereal already contains sugar, I reduce the sugar by 10 grams. I have also found that I can increase the fruit to about 1.5 cups without any issues with the integrity of the muffin or the cups overflowing. Thank you for a great recipe!
Best muffin recipe!
In general, Deb, I don’t know which I love more – your recipes, your narrative, or your process photos!
Thanks so much for boosting my cooking and baking expertise and pleasure!
Thanks Deb, I made these and LOVED them!
However, even though I added an extra couple of tablespoons of sugar than the recipe asks for, the feedback from those I shared them with was that they aren’t very sweet. Personally, I like my baking when it’s not too sugary, so I found them perfect, but if I make these again for a crowd (and I think I will, this recipe’s a gem!) I might use a full 1/2 cup of sugar.
Hi Deb!
I tried these with 1.5 cups of oatmeal pulsed to a cornmeal consistency in place of the wheat bran. I added roasted mashed sweet potato this week instead of fruit and it worked out perfectly!
Hi Deb! Thanks for this recipe! I finally got around to making it last week and I’ve already made 2 batches since. It’s pretty quick and i love that I can use anything for the filling. I followed your recipe with these edits that worked out perfectly: 1/2 cup of almond meal in place of all purpose flour, coconut oil, dash of cinnamon, toasted unsweetened coconut and blueberries for the filling and I topped the muffins with finely chopped walnuts and demerara sugar. I freeze each one individually and my husband grabs one in the morning to take to work for a late morning snack :)
ran out of bran and replaced a third with ground flax and disaster did not strike
So delicious. I tossed the fruit with the first teaspoon of sugar just before dolloping it into the muffins (so the fruit wouldn’t get too juicy) to save one sprinkling step. Pear cranberry is an excellent combination, if you were wondering. Thanks so much for these.
I tried these in the summer, and, no fault to the recipe, but I have decided that I am not a big fan of bran. However, I still had quit a bit left in the bag, so I decided to try again, but with a little experimentation.
I used 3/4 cup wheat brand, and went halves on the remaining 3/4 cup with sliced almonds and Bob’s extra-thick whole grain rolled oats.
I used a lot of berries — they were nice big blackberries and raspberries on sale — couldn’t pass them up, so six berries to a muffin cup.
I also used an eight-cup muffin pan, slightly bigger cups than the 12-cup pan.
They turned out to be scrumptious! We really liked the sliced almonds. The oats disappeared even without pulsing, but I think that they did their job in absorbing some moisture and plumping up the batter. The muffins were still wonderfully moist and baked to a lightly crisp dome. They were perfect.
I think I’m going to add more almonds, more berries, and a touch of cream cheese in the next batch, and adjust other stuff accordingly. Deb, I’m cooking often from your website these days, and even if I find I don’t like something such as bran, your recipes are a great jumping-off point! Love the community here!
I have made I-know-not-how-many batches of these muffins since you posted them, although I usually just make a half-recipe. Apparently I got distracted by my mental arithmetic the last time, and left out the sugar. (I generally just add raisins, not the fresh fruit. And I was also using rice bran, ’cause I ran out of wheat and all the store had was rice.)
And, do you know?, they remained quite acceptable! Still not quite a savory muffin, and even the with-sugar ones aren’t overly sweet, but if someone was worrying about sugar for some reason…
Come to think of it, though, I have some leftover fresh cranberries, too. Hmmmmm
I have been looking for a good bran muffin recipe that’s not full of sugar and oil. I finally tried this yesterday and I am LOVING them! Thanks, Deb, for sharing this great recipe! :)
Girl, I made these yesterday and ate one as a dessert! OMG! I have not had a GOOD bran muffin like that in like never! LOL! I used apples and I am soooo glad it was alike a sweet treat in the middle. I must admit the only thing I did different was I added spices. Cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and mace. I will be making these again!
Made them today only I substituted rolled oats instead of wheat bran. Works like a wonder with blueberries and raspberries. The only difference is the fruits did not sink but stayed on top to be caramelised with the sugar. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe:)
I was looking for a healthy bran muffin recipe to make this week and looked on SK first. I made these with oat bran as I couldn’t find wheat bran. I substituted 1 T of bran for flaxseed with dried blueberries (TJ’s). My fruit combo was frozen blueberries/raspberries I had on hand. This is definitely not a sweet muffin but tastes very healthy.
Saturday breakfast muffins! My only source of dairy was greek yogurt, so I thinned it with water. I also tried pulsing rolled oats in my food processor to sub for the wheat bran and they turned out beautifully! I used a mix of blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries (all frozen). So good. I might add more sugar on top next time for my sweet tooth.
Hi Deb! First off, I am so excited to come across these muffins and am planning to make them this week!! Second though, do you consider requests? Any thoughts about a recipe for a real, authentic, honest-to-goodness New York corn muffin???? Not corn bread, not something that goes with chili, not something that has corn kernels… but something that’s sort of sweet, hefty, and goes really well with coffee. Do you know the kind I mean? I have tried all sorts of recipes, and they all seem to fall short!!
Love Smitten Kitchen and thanks for an amazing blog/recipes/writing!! :)
Mel — I’ve heard a lot of good things about the ones from the Magnolia Bakery Cookbook. Maybe I should make them, for “research”? I was, to be honest, put off by the amount of butter in them, far more than I usually use in muffins. But if they taste better than most, then we know why. Do let me know if you give them a spin first.
Hi Deb-I tried using pulsed oats as a substitution for the wheat bran, and the muffins turned out great! The batter of these muffins is divine-could tell before baking them that they would be fantastic.
Thanks for sharing :)
. Deb – yes please “research!!” I gave the Magnolia bakery ones a spin- SO much butter…and not so much taste. They were sort of greasy and flavorless, though I do have cornmeal that has been sitting there for a while so maybe that didn’t help. But please, if you ever need an idea for a post, please please consider the mighty New York corn muffin (actually Whole Foods in NJ also sells the same type of corn muffin)…but I can’t seem to replicate it!! Thank you! :)
You commented just in time! I was going to give them a spin this week. :)
:)
These have got to be the best muffins I’ve ever made (and I’ve made a LOT of muffins). One of my biggest gripes about coffee shop/supermarket muffins is that they basically taste like cupcakes without the frosting. These were perfect and hearty with such an amazing combination of textures.
This is actually the second time I’ve tried making them – the first time, thinking I knew what I was doing, I made a few modifications (swapped applesauce for the oil, mixed the fruit into the batter instead of spooning it into the middle) and they were ok but not great. The fruit and applesauce made the batter too wet and it didn’t get the nice crunchy crust (which at the time I didn’t realize I was supposed to be aiming for). This time I followed the recipe pretty much exactly other than using whole wheat flour instead of white and they were SO much better. I love the crunchy outside, especially after popping it in the toaster oven the next day, and the soft fruit center. Thanks for posting the recipe!
I love baking, but I’ve been trying to eat more whole grains and avoid dairy (recently became lactose intolerant…sigh), so I was excited to try these. I subbed a combo of vanilla soy yogurt and almond milk for the buttermilk and otherwise followed the recipe exactly, using frozen blueberries. They turned out perfectly! Even my sugar addicted 3-year-old was raving about them. Thank you so much!
Just made these and the batter was super wet. My only substitution: I used a mixture of oat bran and pulverized old fashioned oatmeal. And I went by volume, not weight. Buttermilk was the regular kind and everything else followed the recipe to a T (maybe 20g more of brown sugar). Also, while the batter was wet, by the time all the muffins were in the batter had started to get thicker (for the last few). So maybe the oatmeal needs a tiny bit of time to absorb? Not that I’d wait too long…
BTW, there was a considerable amount of batter left over – I did use liners so maybe that left a tad bit less space for the batter? I don’t know… trying to come up with some reasoning. Either that or it just took more time to “firm up” and maybe if I’d waited, things would have been different. I don’t know…
What I do know is that these are great healthy muffins (a little flat but still good!)!
I made them last night and I love the them! Thanks so much! Does anyone know the calorie count on these? I’m trying to diet and thought these sounded like a good breakfast diet food!
I have been making these muffins regularly and shared a picture of them on instagram. So many people asked me for the recipe!! I finally put the picture on my blog and linked to your website so people could get the recipe. These are the best :)
Has anyone tried these after freezing them?
BrittanyW — I have; they rewarm well.
Great, thank you! I will make more when I get closer to having my baby so we can have some breakfast options. New moms do still get to eat breakfast, right?
This is a great recipe! I only had plain greek yogurt, so I used half yogurt/half whole milk and the texture was perfect – the fruit divine! When I make them again, however, I will add a tad more sugar to the recipe itself. I wanted a hint more sweetness in the actually muffin, but otherwise, perfect!
WOW were these good! I used raspberries in mine, and they were fantastic!
I am adding this recipe to my personal book – thanks so much for sharing!
Have you ever tried these? http://muffinparadise.com/paleo-muffins-collection/#Paleo_Apple_Muffins
One of my favorites :)
I know I’m a little late to the party, but just tried and loved this recipe. I used whole wheat pastry flour, coconut oil, and a combo of plain Greek yogurt with coconut/almond milk. My fruit was fresh blueberries. The whole family including DS new girlfriend loved them!
I have been struggling with breakfast monotony for a while now and have been desperate to find something new. To me, the perfect breakfast/morning snack is one that is quick, easy, healthy, filling, and enjoyable. And WOW, these really hit the spot! They’re so easy, fast, and endlessly customizable. I’ve been sitting at my desk dreaming up new fruit combos all week. Thank you!
I could go through all the comments and maybe you already answered but could almond flour be used in place of the wheat flour. Thanks Deb love your site…
Made these with fresh apricot, sliced almond & used vanilla and almond extracts (1/2 tsp ea). I normally don’t care much for bran muffins, but I could eat THE WHOLE BATCH! Moist, nice hit of fruit, slightly sweet, and just perfect :)
Can’t wait to try this. I’ll have to get some wheat bran. But I’ve got lots of frozen blueberries in the freezer
Hi! Just made these using old fashioned oats not ground (everyone else was asleep) and they turned out great! Went with banana coconut plus orange zest-yum! Thanks!
Substituted what we had in the house: pulsed trader joes multigrain cereal in processor, used frozen raspberries and blueberries, and Greek nonfat strawberry and pomegranate yogurts thinned. Didn’t add sugar bc of sugars in yogurt. Delicious despite the changes. Thx!
We tried these with a mix of frozen berries – very very good!
Almond flour/almond meal — It looks like Commenters #111 and #299 used it in part with success. Hope that helps.
I made these today – a double recipe- and they were awesome! I used fresh strawberries from the garden and only added vanilla. I used coconut oil. I have a feeling I will make these often. Banana next. And blueberries once they ever ripen. Thanks for the awesome recipe and notes, as usual!
Hi Deb – long time listener, first time caller. I made these with 3/4 cup bran and 3/4 cup corn meal (and I added a little more sugar due to an unrelenting sweet tooth) and they were AMAZING! :)
Hi Deb,
Im a great fan of your blog :-) I made these twice, and both times they resulted in an unbearably strong baking powder/soda taste. Both times I was very careful to use 1.5 tsp of each, as well as using aluminum free powder. Has anyone else experienced this? any tips?
Hi sara — I haven’t noticed it, but I never know why sometimes it can taste more present than others. What kind of fruit did you use? Maybe it was more likely to bring out the metallic taste… but I’m just guessing, of course.
I’m not a fan of bran, but I am a fan of the blue sky white muffins. So I made the muffins and substituted the bran with all purpose white flour, and added maybe an extra tablespoon of flour. They taste really good, and similar to the Blue Sky muffins, but with slight differences…
– The color isnt as white as Blue Sky’s. Mine came out like a yellow cake batter.
– It’s texturally a little courser. Blue Sky’s seems a little more… breadlike?
Of course i know, the bran recipe won’t necessarily convert to their white muffin recipe. But i was really hoping it would, and it did come out tasting very similar. I wonder why my color is so much yellower though… Do you think they omit egg yolk or dark brown sugar for their white recipe? =
Hi Betty — I think their white muffin base is closer to the one I use here, minus the blueberries. I find it very sturdy with a crisp lid, almost biscuit-like on top. These are similar.
So good. I used oats blended in my blender. I also used yogurt instead of buttermilk. I used the Trader Joes smooth and creamy European Style. It’s too runny for anything else in my opinion, but perfect for these. Fresh blueberries and bananas. A perfect breakfast. Thanks for posting this!
Just tried them with fresh mangos from the abundant crop on our trees and they were fabulous. Just omitted the drizzle of sugar on top of the fruit.
These are perfect! I’ve been craving a great bran muffin lately and no one in my backward city seems to make bran muffins. These are sooo good. The fruit nugget in the middle is perfect. So so good! Rave reviews from everyone in the house :) made them last night and half are missing
Realize I am late to the party here, but these are great. Like that they are not too sweet. Wanted a recipe to use the leftover whey from plain yogurt, and this was just the ticket. Feeling quite virtuous.
I realized i was out of both wheat bran and oat brand after i had begun making these… decided to substitute corn meal and i just say it was a great success! so this recipe can be easily modified to make delicious and moist corn muffins
I tried converting this into a quickbread, a la zucchini bread, just by dumping it into a loaf pan and adjusting the cook time, because I thought it might let me get away with leaving my plums in bigger chunks instead of having to chop them into teensy bits. It had the exact problem I’d feared — too wet around the fruit, as the plums didn’t have bran on all sides to soak up the moisture, so the outside of the bread cooked and got dry too fast while the fruit bits stayed mushy. It ended up being edible because it solidified a little bit after I took it out of the oven, but over all would not try tampering with this recipe in this particular way again!
This has been my go to muffin recipe since you posted it and I Just experimented with a dollop of pumpkin puree in place of the fruit. They turned out great, and are perfect for fall!
I have made these at least a dozen times. I found when I put the fruit in the middle I ended up with raw muffin around the fruit so now I just dump the pureed fruit into the batter. I have tried both wheat bran and oat bran, wheat bran worked better, the oat bran made for a very heavy dense muffin. I discovered buttermilk powder at the grocery, it’s awesome since you can always have buttermilk on hand.
I added pecan pieces and apples to this recipe. If a pear had been handy, I would have added some pieces of it also. I do add a healthy sprinkling of cinnamon. I use either Splenda or Stevia for the sugar part. One night I added almond flour to the recipe and cut down on the flour. I used vinegar mixed in milk to make buttermilk. The result was always very good.
According to my meal-planner app, I have made this recipe 15 times in the past 11 months. They’re that good! I always just mix the fruit (frozen wild blueberries) into the batter rather than fussing w layering them. I have used both Greek yogurt and buttermilk powder plus water–can’t tell much of a difference but the buttermilk powder is easier. I use half whole-wheat pastry flour, half all-purpose. This is the perfect kind of recipe, in my opinion–good for you (not just not-bad for you, does that make sense?), genuinely tasty, and easy enough that it can be made often. Thank you!
These are indeed delicious. I’ve made them twice so far, and my 12 year old son, who insists that he does not like whole grain anything, absolutely adores them. I do have a question though: When I make them, I only get enough batter for 10 muffins (they’re still pretty small; no larger than yours appear). Could the fact that I do the spoon & level method with the flour explain that? Any other idea? I always overfill the measuring cup quite a bit before I level. . .Not sure how else to explain it. Sure would be nice to get 2 more muffins for the effort!
Being averse to underusing my oven (let alone waiting too long for muffins to bake), I’ve been experimenting with making them in a microwave. Instead of the 20-25 minutes they take in the oven, I found that they need no more (perhaps less) than 4 minutes’ cooking time that way.
I used silicon muffin cases, six of which fit neatly around a 7-inch silicon cake pan, and set that on a plate to make moving them in and out of the oven easier. Cooling them on a wire rack seems to be necessary before a skewer will come out cleanly but overcooking them results in an overcooked centre. (Even that isn’t fatal, though: a broken-up stale or overcooked muffin plus a little milk, microwaved in a bowl for a minute, produces a near-instant and yummy spiced bread pudding.)
Just made tonight with mashed bananas and medium-flake coconut. What a heavenly pairing. I think next time I’ll add a splash of dark rum instead of vanilla extract. So excited to play around next time with a morrning-glory muffin combination but this as the base.
I love that you post older recipes on Instagram so that I’m made aware of what I’m missing out on! Made these after dinner with ground oats & apples, & absolutely loved them.
I had leftover oatmeal baby cereal that my toddler was no longer excited about, so I subbed it for the bran with frozen peaches from last year’s harvest….turned out great! So nice to have a not too sugary muffin recipe!
I tried to read through all of the comments looking for people who may have tried tried fruit instead of fresh, but was surprised not to see any. Would these work just as well with dried fruit like cherries or raisins or would they lose some important moisture from the fresh fruit? I made them with frozen fruit and loved the muffin part, but wasn’t as crazy about the cooked fruit part. Thanks!
Am I missing where the 1/4 cup of brown sugar comes into play?
duh, nevermind
Just found this recipe. Used whole wheat flour (measured by weight) instead of white plus ground oats. Baked goods burn in my oven burns at 425 degrees; these were perfectly done after 18 minutes at 400. A friend that I shared them with immediately asked for the recipe. Quick, healthy and delicious.
I have been looking for a great bran muffin recipe and this is it! I made these this morning and they are delicious! I didn’t have buttermilk on hand so I used the plain yogurt/milk substitution (which I also now love). I used golden raisins and they were perfect! Instead of citrus zest or vanilla, I used KAF’s Fiori di Sicilia. Sadly, I didn’t measure it out but it is very concentrated so I would say I used about two drops. I am already looking forward to making these again, maybe next time with some whole wheat flour. Thanks for this recipe, Deb! I love it!
The saying, third time’s a charm…well, I’ve been searching for a great bran muffin recipe, and after two just okay recipes, your recipe is my charm. The high heat is the trick. Thanks, my search for the perfect bran muffin recipe has been satiated.
finally made this recipe. I modified to make it GF but they are awesome. My kids loved them. Oat flour worked well in place of the bran.
I made these yesterday with coarsely chopped frozen cranberries and had them for breakfast this morning – they were delicious and had a great texture! I would have preferred them to be slightly more sweet though – I enjoyed the nutty flavour of the bran but found that I could taste the baking powder and baking soda quite a bit, and I thought that the flavour needed rouding out with a bit more brown sugar – perhaps 1/2 cup or 1/3 cup instead of 1/4 cup.
Thanks for the recipe!
Made these today and fell in love. I didn’t want to use berries so I threw in raisins and walnuts and a dash of cinnamon. Oh my word, heavenly. I’m sure they are incredible with berries as well, but I had to chime in with my substitution. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Hi Deb! These muffins are delicious! However, do you have any suggestions for how to make the fruit more…incognito? My toddler loved the muffin but found the diced strawberries DEEPLY offensive and insisted on their removal along with any strawberry-tinged crumbs. The fun. But, he actually likes the muffins and he could, ahem, use the bran. Puréed and mixed into batter? Jam center instead of fruit? I worry they’d be too dry if I eliminate it entirely. Thanks!
Jessica — In a lot of recipes, fruit purees can be used in whole or part to replace the buttermilk.
I’ve had the best success with these using sour cream thinned with milk (usually 3/4 c sour cream, the rest milk) — tasty, good crumb, nicely domed and doesn’t fall apart when I peel off the paper liner. Barely sweet is definitely accurate here, so I think they are best with a sweeter fruit like bananas, in-season strawberries, or mango. With something tarter like rhubarb or cranberry or black- or raspberry you might find you want more sugar. Using thinned sour cream, I find that you want to fill the cups basically all the way, and that the batter can support more fruit than you think (not hugely more, but I find you don’t have to fear the sinkage).
We went to Blue Sky Bakery while in Brooklyn a few months ago and yum! I wish I could start every day with one of their muffins, can you get their other recipes, please?? I have made this recipe several times, several different fruit combinations. I think my favorite is blackberry-banana. I use a big muffin pan (makes 6) so it is more like the real thing and so I can fit a lot more fruit in each muffin, still bakes in about 18 minutes. I also use 100% whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose. Thanks so much for finding and sharing this recipe, it’s one of my favorite ways to start the day.
I made these yesterday and they turned out great! I used Deb’s suggestion to substitute ground oats for the bran and it worked really well. I also used powdered buttermilk instead of fresh, which also didn’t seem to be a problem. The blueberries and raspberries were left whole and it seemed like I was able to put more than 2 teaspoons of fruit into each one (about 6 berries each muffin). I love that these muffins have so little sweetener in them – the fruit makes them sweet enough and I feel good about eating them!
I made these today and substituted homemade kefir for the buttermilk and did half brown sugar, half coconut palm sugar. And fresh blueberries. They came out delicious! I am always overflowing with kefir and needing to throw out the extra grains, so it was a great way to use up a surplus and still get those good probiotics into my daughters’ bellies!
Muffins turned out great! Small adjustments for altitude, 3 raspberries per muffin, and forgot the sprinkling sugar. Very tasty.
Rebecca, what’s your altitude? I’m at 7,000′ and find all things baked to be difficult.
I do adjust for less sugar, more flour, and more liquid; any other suggestions would be appreciated.
I would love to say that I have some genius adaptation or twist on this recipe to share, but I don’t. All I have is undying love for the best, best muffin recipe I have ever encountered. They are moist! They are tender! The baking time is accurate and never leaves me with the sneaky cruelty of under-done muffins. Add orange zest every time, you won’t be sorry.
There was no wheat bran that day at my grocery store, so I used the equivalent amount of Bob’s Red Mill brand 7-grain cereal. All the fresh berries in the house had (ahem!) been eaten by voracious teenagers, so I used grated apple and just mixed it straight into the batter instead of inserting it between two layers of muffin batter. These turned out great and we’ve been glad to have them for easy, portable go-to-school breakfasts. I will definitely be making these again!
Great idea; I have a jar of it unused somewhere.
I’ve started making these regularly, we all love them so, and always have to make them with ground-up oatmeal instead of bran. My tip about that is to use something closer to the volume measurement for the oatmeal vs the weight! Probably obvious but it took me several batches of definitely very flat muffins to figure it out.
Hi, Deb! This recipe is lovely. Not too sweet and smashing with blackberries and shredded coconut in the fruit layer…. one correction- your gram weight on the bran is too low by a good bit. Just trying to help a sister out! I double checked it as I was surprised the weight was half the flour weight. Love that you put weights on recipes!!! So awesome!
Glad the recipe was a hit. What kind of weight are you getting on the bran? Bran is indeed much lighter than flour, mine is flaky and fluffy and clocks in at 15 grams for 1/4 cup. I use Bob’s Red Mill’s wheat bran.
Yes I’m a complete idiot. I used oat and realized my mistake when I remade with wheat!! It was denser with oat and i used way too much. No one around here complained!
Using my grocery store’s bran, I got 70g for 1.5 cups. I used the full 90g as written but they’re a touch dry; I’ll try reducing to 80g next time.
How long would you cook if you baked in a loaf pan? Also can you just milk fruit into batter and then bake in s loaf pan?
I won’t know without testing it but check at 30 minutes, then 40. You could pour in half the batter and add the fruit, like we do with the muffin.
hey there– would these be moist and flavorful enough if I made these sans fruit? thanks!
I have made these before with exactly this recipe (so good!) but decided today to make them more seasonal. I doubled the brown sugar since my husband complains otherwise, but they still aren’t too sweet. I then added 1 tsp cinnamon. For the fruit, I mixed in one chopped large apple and about 2/3 cup frozen cranberries. It made 9 jumbo muffins, and they are delicious!
I’m also feeling like Super Mom because I managed to make then while bouncing my 10 week old in her bouncer with one of my feet.
Standing ovation. :)
This is excellent muffin recipe. I recently made these replacing the bran with pulsed oats after discovering my bran had expired at the last minute. I also increased the sugar to half a cup because I was worried they might be bland. They were amazing and they froze really well!
I’ve made these twice in the last few weeks and they are baking up completely flat, no dome at all. What am I doing wrong?
Your baking powder and soda may be old. I buy mine in bulk and only get about 1/3 cup so it gets rotated quite regularly!
re: flat muffins, I’ve made these many times (using fresh baking powder) & I’ve never had them dome either. I don’t consider that a problem though, because they taste wonderful.
I made these a few nights ago. I followed the recipe to a T. I always get a laugh when others comment how they change the recipe and then wonder about their (different) results. Not complaining, though. I love that others are so creative and adventurous. I used raisins as the fruit. From reading the comments, I see that I could have used the leftover cranberries that are now in my freezer. I will use them next time. These are not too sweet, which is a nice change from the usual ones that are way to sweet IMHO. Thanks for another winner, Deb.
These are awesome. I use 1C of wheat bran, 1/4 C ground flax, and 1/4 C oat bran, which also works well. My go to filling is diced plums with minced candied ginger (instead of the tsp of sugar); but basically all the fillings I’ve tried have been successful.
Hi Deb! Just saw this recipe, can’t wait to make it. I saw that people have had success in replacing the a/p flour with a combination of almond and coconut flour. Which then made me think about Passover – seemingly transgressive – yet AOK and delicious. I know it’s a *bran* muffin recipe, but any idea of a substitute for bran for Passover? (No wheat, oats, etc.) Definitely trying your recipe this week.
These are so very close to the real thing. I think they have more fruit in them at Blue Sky than this recipe has. These should be large, heavy muffins with a whole bunch of fruit inside.
Thank you for publishing it.
I doubled this recipe to make two batches- one for me, one for a family member. All I had was oat bran so I used that. Also used Greek yogurt thinned with a little milk, like you suggested. Used a combo of apple and blueberry. Added a bit of ground flaxseed because why not?
They were so good! Not overly sweet, but yummy and hefty. Not too dense. They rose nicely!
Thanks!
These are wonderful! I am not usually great about following recipes exactly, but I did, and they turned out just as pictured. I added orange zest, used blackberries, raspberries and blueberries. Made 12 perfect muffins. I’ll freeze 10 of them, which will be nice for work mornings to put one in the microwave for a few seconds.
Did freezing work with these?
Just made these and they are a hit. I used Bob’s Red Mills 8grain cereal+gf oats. They have a nice crunch, similar to your crackle banana bread, in which I also use the cereal.
I made respberry/mango, strawberry, blueberry, and choc chip/banana. Obviously I doubled the recipe.
Thanks for another winner!
Just made these this morning and I can confirm that they are absolutely delicious! Taste hearty and healthy(ish) but also flavorful – perfect for breakfast or a mid morning snack. Thank you!
I’m confused because the amount of fruit in the picture looks like more than 2 teaspoons per muffin. I am excited to try this recipe. I almost always say when I like a muffin…. this would be a good muffin but way too sweet!!
These turned out great! They’re definitely bran muffins, not like your usual sugary cakey muffins. I didn’t have buttermilk so I subbed creme fraiche mixed with milk and it seemed fine. Delicious recipe!
I made this substituting the bran with pulsed oatmeal and Cup4Cup gluten free flour for the regular all purpose flour. I also did half the batch with berries and half with chocolate chips. They are a delicious gluten free variation. Could not be better! Thanks for a fabulous recipe!!
I used same basic recipe except I used about 3 1/2 C Raisin Bran, separated raisins, ground flakes to corn meal size, added extra sugar + sugar on top… worked great. Macerated raisins in brandy.
Note: I often go to your website to get a down to earth recipe for an idea I have. I rarely follow recipes but get an idea and see what others did to get similar to my ideas.
I once read you told your husband if he wanted a recipe repeated he could make it himself. I told my wife that, I was very cold for several nights, I made her that meal again… Lucky again!
R
I made this again today after many, many delicious previous batches and just wanted to note, in case anyone else is as clueless as me, that the oatmeal substitution works really well—as long as you measure by volume not weight! I made it with 90 g of oats the first couple times and they were sadder and flatter than after I realized that bran is super light in comparison.
Made these this weekend for a healthy breakfast treat. Absolutely loved them. I used oat bran instead of wheat bran & added a whole 2 cups blueberries. They’re almost all gone already, so I’m making more tomorrow!
Mine were a little dry but I think it’s because I grind my own hard wheat but the flavor! Fantastic!!
Question…have you tried it with anything other than oil – something not a fat?
Thanks for the recipe!
Made these! Really good. What I did:
– Used white whole wheat flour, and it worked out really well…But I also weighed out the flour, rather than cup measured it because whole wheat flour weighs more than all-purpose and didn’t want the muffins to be too dry.
– Used dried fruit, and I just mixed it in with the batter, and they came out evenly dispersed
– Used greek yogurt thinned with milk – worked out great
– Used crushed bran flake cereal instead of just wheat bran….And it worked out really well
– I also put probably a little over 3 Tablespoons of batter in each muffin cup because I wanted them to come out a little over the muffin wrapper, and this worked out well….as in they didn’t burn.
Really great, moist, and quick bran muffin recipe!
I just made these as written to include in a new baby care package. I used chopped, frozen peaches for the fruit and only wish I’d had a few blackberries to poke in as well. Love that they aren’t too sweet and I’ll definitely make them again. Excellent share!
I make fig preserves every summer and will try figs (fresh and preserved) in some.
I love this recipe! I’ve made it a few times now, and it’s become one of my all time favorites.
I had half a jar of clementine jam (from this delicious recipe: http://theviewfromgreatisland.com/clementine-jam/) lying around earlier this week, and decided to try using it instead of the fresh fruit. It worked beautifully! I added an orange’s worth of zest to the batter and omitted the first teaspoon of sugar, since the jam already has sugar in it. I think this would work beautifully with all kinds of jams and marmalades.
Thanks for the great recipe, Deb!
I live in NY and have been to Blue Sky Bakery. It’s waaaay cheaper to make your own ;) I made these a few months ago and actually followed the recipe pretty closely (which is sort of rare for me). Added extra berries. The muffins turned out exactly as shown, and they were perfect. Too many for just me, so I froze the extras and pulled out a couple in the mornings on my way to work. A few seconds in the microwave is just right. Yum!
I have used ground flaxseed and they are so good.
If you’re looking forward to making a recipe or this sounds great or you can’t wait to try it DON’T POST! That’s not a review or a question. That’s just a waste of time.
Whole wheat pastry flour for all purpose?
I haven’t used ww pastry flour but these two commenters mention doing so:
https://smittenkitchen.com/2014/05/blue-sky-bran-muffins/#comment-800893
https://smittenkitchen.com/2014/05/blue-sky-bran-muffins/#comment-801006
You can read under the “I Made This!” or “I have a question” tab to see the comments you want.
Used WW Pastry flour this morning–recipe as written otherwise–turned out great.
I happily just discovered this recipe this morning.
Although I have absolutely no luck with muffins, they’re usually dense and dry and not worth eating unless slathered with butter. I decided to give these a try. I wouldn’t even bother looking at muffin recipes, but I wanted something not too sweet to take to a sick friend, and your recipes never fail.
My gawd, they’re great! I was out of buttermilk, so I soured skim milk with lemon juice, and used frozen blueberries and raspberries. Can you tell I was impatient to get them made today! Absolutely amazing. They’re going into regular rotation.
If anyone’s interested, I calculated the calories because I’m always looking for lower calorie treats, and without the fruit they’re only 147 calories. My frozen berries barely added another 10-13, and they sure didn’t need butter. Healthy and delicious!
Any idea how they’d be if the oil was swapped out for applesauce, or may half and half?
Thanks for this recipe, just fantastic! (tomorrow I’ll be making the revised rhubarb strawberry pie, a huge hit in our house)
This is perhaps the best bran muffin recipe that I’ve ever made! I really appreciated the suggestions for substitutions (i.e. yogurt rather than buttermilk) because it allowed me to make a batch of muffins with ingredients that I had on hand. I tried frozen raspberry with lemon zest and almond extract and the muffins were divine!
These bran muffins are the best ever!! I substituted 1 1/2 ripe bananas for the oil and added pecans with the fruit!
I then made them again and used walnuts to switch it up! The best bran muffin recipe ever!
I can now answer my own question just up post about substituting Apple sauce for the oil. It was not a happy substitute, so for me, it was not worth the calorie saving.
I also made it with soured skim milk the first time because I didn’t have the patience to go get buttermilk. I’ve subsequently made it with buttermilk, and we all prefer the soured skim milk the best. I’m not an organic chemist, but they are lighter, less dense, with the milk. Personal preference only.
Unfortunately, they will go mouldy if left for longer than about four days, so I pop them in the freezer.
My favourite addition so far is fresh cranberries with lemon zest.
Just a fabulous muffin recipe, thanks, Deb!
I make these regularly, substituting 2c All Bran cereal for the wheat bran. Delish.
I only have light brown sugar at the moment. Will that work? I stopped buying regular brown sugar years ago because the light type is easier to deal with, so wondering if it will make a difference here. I don’t really want to buy the other kind if I don’t need to.
Deb, these are so good. Just read your I heart the freezer. Your apple cinnamon muffins are So Light! Even when re-heated from freezer.
Thanks!
Good morning, First, as a grandmother those are hands worth kissing and holding, as for the buttermilk, how was that for a segue, I have used this forever as a cheat: pour just under 1/2 cup of milk than add enough regular vinegar to bring the quantity to 1/2 cup, works all of the time.
You said you didn’t try the bran but what did you use?
* I didn’t try it, but I suspect that oats pulsed in a food processor until a cornmeal-like consistency or even that 7-grain cereal mix we used for this whole-grain cinnamon swirl bread would work here. Let us know if you audition it. I used Bob’s Red Mill brand wheat bran.
I did make the bran muffins as written, of course. I was saying that I hadn’t tried using oats instead of bran, but suggested how I’d approach it if I did. Hope that clarifies.
Hi Deb, would like to know where you found the large, square, canning jars?
I have found them Borgonovo 145-ounce Jars on Amazon and from Walmart.
Thank you…
My four-year-old and I made these after a backyard blackberry harvesting session this afternoon. We used Bob’s Red Mill Whole Grain High Fiber with Flaxseed cereal because I had it on hand – it worked perfectly! Very yummy and hearty-but-light texture! I also subbed in cooled, melted unsalted butter just because. Skipped the second tsp of sugar on top because I’m really no fun at all. They were a hit! Thanks for this great recipe!
I’ve made these several times, they’re a wonderfully easy and delicious bran muffin. And they’re so addictive I like to keep my freezer well-stocked for whenever the mood strikes. In my opinion… Wheat bran is much tastier than oat bran. Coconut oil is my favorite oil to use, the coconut flavor is barely perceptible but adds just a hint of nuttiness. I didn’t like the flavor of olive oil and once I tried using a mashed banana in place of oil which worked well. For the fruit I usually use a frozen mixed berry blend from Trader Joe’s and orange zest makes the muffins extra tasty.
Thanks for sharing this recipe!
I just made these for the first time. I used Bob’s Red Mill oat bran, because I couldn’t find wheat, and I used wild Maine blueberries (the tiny ones) and fresh mango. I like them a lot (even better the second day, actually), but I might increase the sugar a bit the next time I make them. Great recipe overall from a texture and done-ness standpoint. I love muffins, but generally make terrible ones…always either overdone and dry or underdone and gummy. Not the case with these – they’re moist, but not gooey.
FYI…the link to your bran muffins with sour cream isn’t working properly:)
I made some modifications (trying to cut back on sugar & simple carbs):
-instead of sugar I used 40 grams sukrin gold and 1 Tbsp pure maple syrup
-all white whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose flour
-1/4 cup safflower oil + 2 Tbsp butter for the fat
-no sprinkling of sugar in the muffin and only 1 tsp of turbinado sugar sprinkled over the top
for the fruit I chopped up 1 super ripe nectarine (didn’t peel)
The muffin was fluffy and oaty with just a touch of sweetness. I really like the bit of warm fruit in the middle. The dude ate 2 on the way out.
I’m surprisingly satisfied after eating just one muffin for breakfast and I usually eat a few eggs and some bacon. Probably all the fiber. One muffin has about 7 grams since I used whole wheat flour.
Oh duh, I used oat bran.
oh geez.. its 2.7 grams of fiber per serving. the nutrition calculator got all funky. with the fruit it’s coming in at 129 cal per muffin, 6.9 fat, 20.2 carbs, 4.2 protein.
(im gonna go eat another one now)
This is one of my favorite recipes; I make a double batch and freeze them for a quick and easy breakfast on the way out the door. It is forgiving (I once accidentally used corn starch instead of baking power and they still survived!). Favorite thing to do is fully mix in grated apple and add a little cinnamon. Love Love Love this recipe!
I love this recipe! The muffins taste amazing! Thank you!
Quick question: I just made a double batch of these, I believe I made a pretty standard size muffin, and out of the double batch I only got 24 muffins. According to your recipe, I should have seen at least 32. Thoughts? Anyone else have this issue?
Your double batch that made 24 is right because one batch makes 12 muffins.
Great recipe but did not want to use white flour (which is not that great for you, organic or not) so I replaced the 1 cup of plain flour with 2/3 cup of organic stone-milled WW flour and added another two table spoons of buttermilk and they came out really well. Just thought I’d post this in case anyone wants to make them truly healthy. I was also going to replace the sugar with honey but I thought it might be too liquidy – might try this next time.
1/2 cup almond meal in place of 1 cup all-purpose flour?
Made them with ground oats, strawberries, blackberries, and vanilla. Delicious! Thank you!
Made these this morning with medjool dates (soaked in English breakfast tea to soften) and a scant handful of chopped walnuts. Just mixed them through the batter rather than creating the fruit pocket. SO GOOD!!! Went back for another after dinner and found they had all disappeared. Guess I’ll be making more tomorrow!
They’re great! Definitely on the “lightly sweet” end, which works well for me. I did a mix of frozen blueberries and cranberries as the filling – loved the cranberries for the bright tart pop of flavour. I’ll be making this recipe more often.
PS I did the thinned yogurt option (in lieu of buttermilk). I used 1 cup plain non-Greek yogurt, 1/3 cup milk. Turned out well :)
Also, I have now made a double batch and these taste even better on days 2 and 3! Surprising for a muffin!
I made these for the first and second time in the last 24 hours. This is now my new favourite recipe. You’re relegated, Jacked-up Banana Bread. I used frozen strawberries the first time and the remaining strawberries with small pieces of rhubarb the second. I also used yogurt with milk instead of buttermilk. They have a nice mellow flavour, they’re not sweet, they’re perfect for breakfast, and easy enough that my 5-year-old granddaughter made them under my supervision.
I made these as mini muffins (toddler sized), baked at 375 for 8 minutes. I followed quite a few of the tips listed in the comments. I substituted the flour for 3/4 cup of whole wheat flour, and used a coffee grinder to grind 1 1/2 cups of oats because I didn’t have the bran (and didn’t feel like taking out the food processor). I didn’t have any oranges for orange zest, but used blood orange olive oil which gave it more than enough orange aroma. Next time I might do half orange olive oil, half olive oil. For fruit, I chopped up a pear and just mixed it in the batter because I didn’t have the patience to layer it in the middle. Despite going seemingly rogue from the recipe, people liked them. This recipe is perfect to use as a starting point to make whatever kind of muffins your heart desires. Delicious whatever way you tweak the recipe. Thank you, Deb!
So, I decided to make these muffins after my flatmates and I did a freezer clean and discovered a large bag of what appeared to be bran, left by a previous flatmate.
I only discovered my mistake halfway through making the muffins – it was actually ground flaxseed. Didn’t use a full 90g of it, of course; it ended up being about 20g when I realised what it was and stopped (at that point I already had about 45g of bran from another bag that I finished up, and, since it seemed like it would be a shame to waste all the other ingredients I already mixed, I supplemented up to 90g with some instant oats, which I also didn’t bother grinding). And… they turned out really well! Probably not as intended, but still, they’re tasty, so that’s cool.
Used some apple and (frozen) blackberry for the fruit; took a page from your new cookbook (of course I already have it!) and used demerara sugar to sprinkle on top. Wasn’t sure about the high temperature baking but trusted you on it, and glad I did. All in all, I call that a success.
I’ve made these exactly as written several times and my husband and I love them!
I made these using frozen raspberries and a little orange zest, substituting 1 cup whole-milk yogurt and 1/3 cup whole milk for the buttermilk because I didn’t have cultured buttermilk on hand. I sprinkled Demerara sugar on the tops instead of table sugar. My oven is accurate (I’m at sea level), and baking time was 15 minutes on the center rack.
OMG, they are good!!! Next time I plan to add the first teaspoon of sugar to the dry ingredients and then fold the fruit into the mixed batter. I’m guessing that will simplify the assembly process without affecting the result at all.
These are our favourite bran muffins ever! Make them exactly as the recipe states & they never fail. Pretty low sugar too – just 6.5g in one muffin. Perfect sweetness for a weekday breakfast :)
Delicious with chopped dates as the fruit and, as an extra, chopped pecans (because its been a long week). Topped with pearl sugar.
I’ve made these twice in the last few weeks! First time I didn’t have buttermilk, so I used yogurt thinned a little. Second time I STILL didn’t have buttermilk, AND I didn’t have yogurt, so I soured soy milk with vinegar and used that. The first time the batter came out just like in the pictures – very sticky and more “pasty” vs. liquidy. The second time it was much more liquidy and pourable. I definitely preferred the ones made with yogurt. They had a great crunch on the outside. The ones made with milk came out fine, but just kind of regular muffins vs. the craggy crunch I really loved.
I followed the tip to use pulsed oats in place of the wheat bran (I used 1.5 c. of whole oats), and stole the idea from the Summer Strawberry cake to sub 1/2 cup of barley flour for 1/2 cup of all purpose flour. I regret nothing.
Great recipe. I substituted wheat germ (measured by volume) for the bran and half buttermilk/ half cultured sour cream, baked as mini muffins for approximate 11 minutes. They are a perfect healthy toddler snack. I will definitely make them again, adding even more fruit.
I used frozen black raspberries. Most of them stayed in the muffin tin. When I make these again I am incorporating them into the batter
Whoa, these were tasty. I’ll be honest; the first bite, they tasted pretty healthy and I didn’t think they’d pass muster with my husband, but I got over that pretty quick. We’ll see what he thinks. They’ve been cooling for 30 minutes and I’ve already eaten 1.5. I loaded up heavily on berries and they are super moist.
I made these muffins today & they are delicious!
I used whole wheat flour & added grated fresh ginger, zested orange rind & raisins instead of fresh fruit…next time I will try fresh fruit, but it couldn’t be better than this combo!
Thanks Deb for another great recipe!
I’ve made this a few times and am a big fan. A few notes:
– I am lazy and found this is much faster as a quickbread than as muffins and is just as good. I reduce the temp to 375 and cook for 45-50 minutes
– This is one of the few recipes on SK that (to me) requires all of the sugar (I generally find I can cut at least 10% of the sugar — in this recipe I actually thought it could have benefitted from more sugar)
– Considering the above, I add extra fruit. Since the oil tends to seep out of parchment paper, I found I can reduce the oil and add the missing weight in overripe banana to compensate for moisture and boost sweetness.
We love this in my house and it’s a great and super healthful recipe for snacks and breakfast!
Thank you! My three year old and I just made these and we’ve each eaten two in ten minutes. I’m so glad we made a double batch! Adding frozen berries to the middle was such a great task for her and when we were done she said, “I love baking with you Mama!” So, I’m probably going to do these again. Often.
These were such a big hit this weekend, I made them twice! Could I use rhubarb instead of strawberries? I didn’t use the extra sprinkled sugar with the strawberries inside. Would I need to for the rhubarb? Thanks!
I’d use a bit of sugar with the rhubarb, but it should work fine.
Made these today after seeing the recipe pop up on your Twitter account. I love them, although I made a few substitutions.
Used half buttermilk, half sour cream with just a touch of milk to thin
Used half whole wheat pastry flour and half graham flour (which I had not used before and thought, why not?) and the full amount of wheat bran
Accidentally measured 1/2 cup of brown sugar and decided it would probably be fine (it was)
Grated a small Granny Smith apple and mixed it with the dry ingrediants
Sprinkled turbinado sugar on top of the frozen blueberries as well as the top of the muffin.
Wow, they were exactly the right kind of bran muffin I’d imagined. Not too spongy or oily and an amazing flavor. They will be a go to for sure. And, they were done in exactly 18 minutes and made exactly 12 muffins–I cannot tell you how many times I find that a recipe doesn’t match what happens in my kitchen! (usually due to user error)
Just made these and they came out great! I did use a full 12 oz package of mixed frozen berries for twelve muffins and it has just the right amount of fruit. Not soggy at all, even with the additional fruit. Will definitely make these again — they are not too sweet and work out to under 200 calories per muffin which is perfect for breakfast with some yogurt or for a snack. 10/10!
My store did not have wheat bran so I used Hodgson Mill Oat Bran Cereal. The batter was a lot thinner than yours. The muffins turned out fragile but light and delicious! I think I would increase the flour next time to help them a little but otherwise SO GOOD!
Deb, remember the bran muffins where you could leave the dough in the fridge until the day you wanted to bake them? Do you think it is possible to do the same with this dough?
I don’t think I’m familiar with those muffins!
Shocker! If you google “refrigerator bran muffins” you will find several recipes. Many moms used to make this in the 1970s. I was thinking it would be fun to have on hand when you are having houseguests for a few days.
I’ll check it out. Do they come out tender?
Bert Greene had a recipe for such a bran recipe in his book “Grains Cookbook”. I’ve been using the recipe for 30+ years. Can make some fresh and refrigerate the rest of the dough. I find the made fresh rise higher. After being refrigerated the dough becomes more compacted and the muffins are denser. A good recipe and has been passed on to many friends and family! I have used chopped dates and nuts in the recipe for variety. That said, I want to try the Blue Sky recipe because the fruit inside sounds so good and after so long it may be time for a change.
I made these last night. Used a flax egg instead of a regular egg. Excellent, easy and tasty. Just the right size to have with coffee! Wrapped each individually and tossed into a freezer bag and froze the rest. Thanks Deb.
I somehow ran out of eggs, so I used a ‘vegan hack’ and added a ripe banana in its place. They turned out amazing! Super tender and delicious. Thanks so much!
I made these with oat bran instead of wheat bran and frozen blueberries and they were perfect! Also it’s worth the extra fuss putting some dough in the tins first, then the berries, then the rest of the dough.
I have made this recipe many times and it is a winner! The recipe as offered here is perfect, but I have experimented with using very ripe bananas or applesauce instead of oil; both work well. I also use half white flour and half whole wheat flour for some added fiber. Our current favorite addition is fresh blueberries, but raspberries are good too. A scant teaspoon of jam in each muffin also works if you don’t have fresh fruit around. You can’t go wrong with this recipe and you can really bump up the nutritional content without sacrificing flavor.
Hi Deb,
I love your first cookbook and just started using your Website (I’m a lil behind the times). These muffins though… uch… so dang good- and tender! I can always trust your recipes!!
Hmm…these didn’t quite work for me. I pulsed rolled oats in my blender, but I was unsure of whether to use 90g or 1 1/2 cups. I went with 1 1/2 cups. Also, I did half whole wheat flour, half white AP flour. I felt like I didn’t have enough batter, but I also felt like I could have used more fruit. The end result was a little craggly with not much fruit in each tiny muffin. Also, as much as I support less sugar, these were bland. Maybe they could use more salt.
Also neither Whole Foods or Acme had any bran!
When in doubt, always use the weight. Oats are notoriously hard to measure in cups; all are different sizes, the bottom of canisters have finer oats than the top, etc. But the weight will always be the weight.
i made this and sent you another post! I made it with the oats instead of bran and fresh straweberries and blueberries so yummy.
I love these muffins and have made them so many times – most recently with diced Fuyu persimmons and five-spice powder.
Just made these for the third time – and yes, they are pretty much perfect. :-)
This time I had two very ripe bananas which I wanted to use so I reduced the buttermilk to 1 cup and added the bananas and about 1 1/4 cups of fresh blueberries into the wet mix and cooked as per your instructions they came out absolutely perfect.
Fantastic recipe – thanks for posting!
Oh man – I made these yesterday with cranberry sauce left over from Thanksgiving, and they are SO GOOD. I might have to make another batch of cranberry sauce just to make these muffins again. (FWIW it was a pretty simple cranberry sauce with just cranberries, orange juice, orange zest, sugar, and cinnamon. I skipped the extra sugar in the middle of the muffins since the filling was already sweet)
Made these last night and filled them with leftover cranberry jelly. Perfect match for the slight sweetness and orange zest. #win
Well weren’t these a little fiddly to put into the pan! I was prepared to think that mixing the fruit into the muffins would be WAY easier, but upon tasting the finished muffins …. I must say, the layer of berries was VERY nice.
Made these yesterday & I love them!!
Not super sweet like all those other bakery muffins, so I feel good (& healthy) while enjoying them. I made some w/ strawberries & blueberries & another batch w/ strawberries & bananas w/ walnuts-yummy!!
Does anyone know what the calorie count is per muffin?
Just a quick thanks for this recipe. I’ve made these a few times, and they’ve always been great in all the ways you describe. I thought they’d be a great way to use up some extra buttermilk, and, oh boy, did it turn into an odyssey. I went to TWO grocery stores that claimed to have wheat bran and did not. Then I discovered my kitchen scale is broken (I’m pretty sure that cup of flour did not weight almost 500g, but at least it explains a recent new recipe mishap). And the muffins were dishearteningly dark around the edges when I took them out my oven, which usually runs low. But lo and behold, I just ate one and they are still delicious. Thanks for this recipe. It’s such a tasty weekday muffin. I look forward to making these again every Sunday for the next year because I bought that third grocery store out of bran.
Heaven, I’m in heaven! I just rediscovered this recipe, filed away for a “some day”. We’ve just sampled one – WOW! What an incredible find: low sugar, lots of fiber, totally delicious! I used oat bran, (because it’s what I had) and chopped frozen peach, strawberry and mango to which I added some chopped candied ginger (because ginger makes everything more delicious). Thank you.
Just made these this morning (made them once previously years ago), and still love them! Substituted 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour for 1/2 the AP flour, and they were perfect. Rustic, tasty, not sweet but so satisfying! Great with a morning cup of coffee.
Do you think it’ll work to blend or mash the fruit or does it get too watery? I usually have to hide fruit and veggies since my son doesn’t like it in cakes or bread.
Interested in the answer too!
Can you include a nutrition table for the recipes you display? Thanks!
Hello I’m really enjoying your blog and recipes. Thank you so much for all of the funny, enjoyable and loving time you share with us fans of yours.
I do have a question about your blue sky bran muffin recipe, I would like to know if I can exchange wheat germ for the bran you used?????
I have a recipe that I make that has only apple juice for the sweetener and I use of course wheat germ in that recipe. Please let me know. 😁 thank you once again.
Made these with oats…darn good and easy.
These are my modifications to this recipe: I used 180 g stale raisin bran cereal, separated the raisins before weighing the cereal; rehydrated raisins in boiling water; added buttermilk directly to bran cereal and let the cereal absorb the liquid for several minutes; 1/2 c AP flour; 2 tbsp. sugar; no fruit but added in rehydrated raisins; baked in mini-muffin tin. The interiors of the mini-muffins are soft and tender but salty. I adjusted for the added sugar in the cereal but probably should have adjusted for the added salt, too. I may have over-baked them, as well. They were crusty out of the oven and softened into a chewy exterior the next day. I will tinker with this recipe again to use up the several bags of leftover bran cereal my husband would not eat. He keeps opening a new bag to my consternation!
These were great! I doubled the recipe and did half with (frozen) blueberries and half with fresh strawberries and mango. My 17 month old preferred the blueberry. I pretty much followed the recipe but had to sub flax for the eggs and maple syrup for the brown sugar. I’ve never bought or worked with bran but it’s so delicious and made the fluffiest batter I’ve ever seen!
Hi Deb. My sister & I met you at your book-signing event in Montreal. Love this recipe. Made it first by following directions to a “T”, using frozen blueberries and raspberries. Just made these muffins again, switching out half of the wheat bran for ground oats. Kinda like this combo better as they are less “gritty”. For filling, I used stewed rhubarb sweetened with maple syrup which made them more moist and eliminated the need for white sugar. Delish. Hope you visit your fans in the Great White North again soon!
I didn’t have bran and pulsed the oats, I also used Greek yogurt mixed with some cream and it was DELICIOUS. Thanks!!
I tried these loved them except for the heavy metallic taste. In the end, I had to throw them away. I kept wondering if I added too much baking soda and baking powder to the recipe by misreading the amounts. Is 1 1/2 teaspoons of each the correct amount? Seems like a bit much but what do I know..
I have made these twice in as many weeks and I’m obsessed. Crunchy lid, tender inside, has some nutritional oomph because BRAN, infinitely customizable, not too sweet but still feels like a treat. I think I might just make them every week as part of my regular meal prep. I used a lot of orange zest and added the vanilla, too, which made my kitchen smell like an Orange Julius (a good thing). Used frozen cranberries and mixed berries (separately).
I made these using about a cup of the Bob’s Red Mill 7 grain cereal (because I needed to use it up!), and they came out great. I also used a jumbo muffin pan, which yielded 8 delicious muffins. Super easy recipe, and the muffins are not very sweet, which is a bonus. Yum!
Can you use oat bran in place of the wheat bran?
Others have with success, but I haven’t tried it here. It seems adaptable!
Pulled inspiration from SK Every Day scones and made these babies jam-bellied. This might be my go-to mashup now!
Yesss!
I made these the other day and they were (almost) delicious but there was an unpleasant baking powder after taste. The amount of soda and powder seem high for the amount of flour — has anyone tried reducing? it seems like others had good luck with the recipe as written. any thoughts?
I make these at least every other week to grab with my coffee as my husband and I run out the door. I use Greek yogurt diluted with some half and half and I grind up oats and also use whole wheat flour (extra healthy etc etc). These are my favorite muffins. So easy and all ingredients I have all the time! Thank you!!!
Folded leftover charoset into these after Passover. Absolutely amazing!
How about Bob’s Red Mill 10-grain cereal mix instead of the 7 grain. 10 grain is what I have and there’s a lot of it to use up. Do you think the two amounts of grains are equivalent for these muffins?
I’d expect them to work similarly here.
I just tried this with the Bob’s Red Mill 7-grain Cereal Mix, as well as subbed maple syrup for the brown sugar and they came out perfectly! I actually preferred this way to the all wheat-bran way which I tried previously. Lots of great texture from cereal mix.
Love this recipe! I’m sorry to be a pain but I bake by weight so I use the amount in parentheses. I checked this recipe as I have been having issues with some of your other recipes. I’m not sure all the weights are right. Baking powder is lighter than bicarbonate soda so those weights should not be the same and when I weighed the recipe they weren’t. And the wheat bran was only 60g not 90g. For the wheat bran I’m sure it’s differences in brands but for the powder and soda I’m pretty those have different weights. Anyway I thought you might just want to check as I had a similar issue with the apple cake. I used the weights in parentheses and it was way too oily. Thank you.
I’ve been making these muffins twice a month for years. My modifications:
1) One bowl. After mixing wet ingredients with whisk, put bran in next (don’t mix yet), then flour and leavening. Use spoon to mix the dry ingredients that are sitting on top of the wet ingredients, then use whisk to mix all together.
2) Due to history of vanilla shortage, I just use Penzey’s lemon or orange peel.
3) Fruit – nothing juicy! I like berries of any kind. With raspberries, I don’t bother cutting them up. No need to measure….
4) I use whole wheat flour vs white flour.
5) I use muffin liners. Easier to clean up, easier to eat muffin at work.
6) I skip the sugar on top. These muffins are not the big ones where you really like the hard crust, so the wee bit of crunchiness with sprinkled sugar is for me not worth the extra sugar.
P.S. Since flax seed etc etc became popular (oh these trends that come and go), all my local stores stopped carrying Bob’s Red Mill wheat bran. So I order it in bulk directly from the company, at a fraction of the store cost.
Can I use oat bran instead?
Yes! I use oat bran.
I’ve made these before and loved them, but after searching for wheat bran in three grocery stores, I about gave up until I saw a bag of Bob’s Red Mill oat bran. I wasn’t about to go to a fourth store to get wheat bran, so I grabbed it and just made the recipe with oat bran rather than wheat bran. They came out soooo good!! The texture is the same and it didn’t alter the flavor very much at all! I’m so happy because I love these muffins for a low-sugar breakfast option!
Too me forever to find it too but I found it in the least expected place, in the cereal aisle next to the pancake mic and oatmeal’s
I made these but forgot the sugar over the fruit and top of the muffin . . . and I think they needed it, as they tasted just a little *too* virtuous. They were still delicious but next time I will make them jam-bellied as another cook above mentioned, and make sure I remember the small sprinkle of sugar on top.
I had the sheer luck of living one block down from Blue Sky Bakery ~11 years ago and have dreamed of these muffins for ages, now I’m a world away. Thank you thank you for making my night! Can not wait to try these out!
Made these muffins yesterday with plain yogurt & bobs red mill oat bran. Sooo good.
Can I use all bran buds for this recipe
I haven’t tried it here — it might work if crushed or blended but I am more concerned about the added sugar.
Apparently wheat bran is impossible to find, even on Amazon! I ground steel cut oats in my Vitamix and the muffins are incredible! I didn’t have buttermilk, so I used nonfat greek yogurt and a bit of milk to thin. Thanks for sharing!
What is up with wheat bran being so hard to find?? Whole Foods didn’t have it, which I thought was crazy. I finally found it at a Yes Organic, but bought oat bran instead.
Just made these and they are my new favorite bran muffin. So light and fluffy, with real bran flavor and just enough sweetness. I’m in love.
I made these with frozen cherries and blueberries, and a few coconut flakes on top. They were delicious, and really scratched the itch I’ve had for a morning pastry after a few months of dieting :) I’d like to experiment with making them bigger – do you have any sense if the timing or temp should be adjusted? I might also try putting a dollop of cream cheese in the middle, a la Blue Sky….
Made this with Bob’s Red Mill Oat Bran and they’re a hit. My yield was a lot: 12 cupcake-size muffins and 10 mini muffins. Also, maybe my baking powder was super fresh (I just opened it) but the batter started to react immediately. It was like mousse within minutes.
Deb…I’m blaming you! I’m hooked! I made these last Saturday as a treat for when my son and 2 grandchildren arrived. I had to make a second batch that same day for them when they were going home! It’s Friday, and I’ve made 3 batches this week, and have just pulled the latest one from the oven for my husband and me. This is what a muffin should be…easy to prep, healthy (but not too healthy!), slightly sweet, dense and fruity! Just don’t tell hubby I put yoghurt and sour cream in them!
Bookmarked these a long time ago and finally made them this morning. My new favorite muffin recipe. They were perfect- light, not too sweet, moist and they smelled heavenly. A real keeper. I had to force myself to stop eating them after 3!
Hi Deb–you may not get this comment since the recipe is so old, but I found it via CupofJo and just tried it out today. I too had a thinner than typical batter, but I’m at altitude so I’m accustomed to throwing in some extra flour (I threw in a handful, since I am too lazy to measure things). I used ww pastry flour, oats whirred up in the food processor instead of bran, and instead of buttermilk I soured some thick whole milk with two tsp of vinegar.
Oh, these are GOOD (I sound surprised but am not — I’m not new around here, and nothing I’ve made that you’ve posted has ever been anything less).
I simplified a bit to try to make this one-bowl by whisking dry ingredients first so I could use the same whisk for the wet, then whisking the wet directly in the 2-cup pyrex measuring cup used to measure the liquid. I didn’t have buttermilk, so used 1 cup homemade 1% Greek yogurt thinned with 1/3 cup reserved whey to thin to regular yogurt consistency. Reduced oil to 1/4 cup. Used whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose, which I’m running low on during my quarantine-induced baking spree. I did need to moisten the batter with a splash of milk after combining. Folded 1 cup of frozen mixed berries directly into the batter because I was too impatient to sandwich them, and sprinkled the 10g of sugar (I used turbinado) on top of the muffins.
Baked for 16 minutes, heeding your warning about not overbaking, and they are PERFECT. If they freeze well, I’ll be adding these to my muffin rotation and making these every couple weeks for a very, very long time. Another favorite. Thanks, Deb!
I made these today with pantry staples during the COVID crisis and resorted to 90 grams equal mixture of oat bran, oats and wheat germ lightly processed in place of wheat bran. The batter was a bit loose and the muffins a trifle flat and I wonder whether with the substitution if it wouldn’t be wiser to use a larger grain volume rather than going by weight. In any case, a lovely recipe. Thank you. Be well.
Another COVID baker here. I am always searching for the perfect bran muffin so was eager to try these and they are cooling on my rack as I type. I’ve been typing. They look perfect! Great color, cooked up quickly at 425.
I’ve been making Nancy’s Silverton’s famous bran muffins via David Leibowitz. Much more work but an interesting muffin that I like but is not hearty enough for me. I did steal one tip from that recipe and toasted the bran for 6 minutes to add that nutty flavor. Otherwise, made as directed and they are delicious though only yielded nine muffins. Will try with whole wheat flour next time to up the heartiness. Used wild blues and raspberries from my summer garden. Scrumptious muffin to see me through the dark days ahead.Thank you and thanks all for your own tips and experiences.
We were out of bran and buttermilk so made the recipe with the oats pulsed in the food processor and greek yogurt + milk — and it worked great!
As I’m following the safer-at-home advice, I was cleaning out the pantry and found some long-forgotten wheat bran. What I had was the exact amount for these blue sky bran muffins. What a great recipe! I used over-ripe blackberries and the results were wonderful. Thanks!
These are wonderful! My family devours them for breakfast and afternoon snacks. I make them dairy free and lower fat by using almond milk + vinegar for the buttermilk and subbing half the oil for applesauce. I’ve also used half or all whole wheat flour and Bob’s oat bran instead of wheat bran depending on what I have.
Really enjoyed these….I made them with rhubarb and then with fermented sliced banana with coconut. Both delicious.
These muffins were superb. My grandma used to make bran muffins, and sadly they were always dry and too sweet. These had the perfect amount of sweetness and were very moist thanks to the fruit, I used frozen cherries. My only issue was that I didn’t have enough batter to cover the tops. I used 12 muffin cups, and I measured out 2 tablespoons of batter into the bottom of each one, then filled with fruit, then started to top each off with 1 tablespoon of batter, and I ran out after about five muffins. I ended up just using the batter from two of the muffin cups to even out the rest, so I ended up with 10 muffins. Not sure if anyone else had this problem. I used Bob’s Red Mill wheat bran, so measurements should have been the same.
I’m so glad to find this post! I’ve been craving these muffins and though I live in Brooklyn, I’m not near this bakery, so with the pandemic and all… Anyway. I baked this this morning and made a few changes based on what I had. I didn’t have wheat bran, so I took your advice to sub ground oats and decided to also add a little cornmeal in there too. I also didn’t have buttermilk, so I used sour cream with some milk. They came out surprisingly close to the bakery’s muffins! Next time I won’t use cornmeal (even a small amount makes them pretty corny), I’ll up the brown sugar a fair bit and use even more granulated sugar on the tops than I did this time. I used a mix of raspberries and blackberries, and they came out so nice! Thank you!!
I tried substituting applesauce for the oil and found them to be a little gummy. Have you tried using Greek yogurt for the oil? Love the original recipe just trying to reduce the fat.
I didn’t try with applesauce but did cut the oil
(and sugar) in half and still found they were quite nice. I’ve been making them every week for a while now and they hold up well for a couple days and freeze nicely.
I saw today’s updated post about bran muffins and had to make some. I went for these because I had buttermilk I needed to use. I used oat bran and went with volume instead of weight because it was so much heavier than the wheat bran. I mixed the fruit in and I made it crackle (I was inspired by your crackly banana bread!) by mixing in two tablespoons of millet and adding a bit of millet on top. They are delicious. I’m going to try with wheat bran sometime.
Has anyone tried these with a non dairy yogurt thinned with non dairy milk in place of the buttermilk? Any success?
yes-yesterday I used plain organic yogurt and a tablespoon of milk.Buttermilk-is the consistency of Kefir-or kind of like a can of paint-thick to pour.Worked out really well.
I love these muffins.I add 1.5 cups frozen organic blueberries and a titch more sugar.25 cups firmly packed,wheat germ and cook for 20 mins.So delicious.
Just wondering if anyone has made this vegan. I have a friend who is vegan. Not sure what to substitute for the egg. Any insight would be greatly appreciated!
One more question, I noticed that this recipe says to grease the muffin tins, while your blueberry muffins say to use paper cups. Any reason you don’t recommend paper cups with this recipe?
Nope — either works. Sometimes I use one, sometimes I use the other.
My family loves these muffins and we make them regularly! It’s also very toddler friendly. Some small adjustments I make: 1) I add a bit more sugar- we like them a bit sweeter and 2) we mix the fruit right in (instead of layering it)- it’s faster and simpler and tastes just as good. We especially loved these with apples and cranberries. Also this recipe usually makes 18 muffins for us.
Thanks for this wonderful recipe!
I can confirm that oats (whizzed in a food processor) does make a good substitution for the wheat bran! I did the quantity by weight. Turned out very nice!
Where have these been all my life and why are they so delicious!
These are fabulous! I had to improvise and made them with 1 1/2 cups Odlum’s coarse whole meal flour, 1/2 cup buckwheat flour and 1/2 cup all purpose flour. That combo is a winner! I use Odlum’s to make Irish brown bread and it’s coarse, with lots of bran still in it. Also, dried pears and frozen blueberries. I’ll definitely make these again!
I am hoping to get your thoughts/advice on baking time. Quick background – I have made these many times (and adore them). I always make a double batch and bake them in jumbo muffin tins so that they are (almost) just like the ones straight from Blue Sky. The one thing I do differently is that I just mix all the fruit in together, rather than layering it between two dollops of batter.
I recently decided to try baking my usual double batch in a 9 x 13″ glass Pyrex dish. I kept the temperature the same (425) and baked them for 25 mins, at which point I thought they were done (a toothpick came out clean). However, when I cut into them, I discovered a thin band of raw batter about a third of the way down from the top. My question is this: given this info, do you think this baking method would produce better results at a lower oven temp / longer baking time, or at a higher oven temp / shorter baking time? The top and edges were about as done as I’d want them to be. Aside from this one issue, they still turned out great!
Yes, I do. If the outsides are overcooked before the insides are properly cooked, a temperature reduction is in order. Also, there’s always going to be a little bit of baking time variance based on the moisture level of the fruit.
Thank you!!
I made these using the *note about pulsed oats instead of miller’s bran and they’re great! Was worried about the frozen fruit watering things down, but they’re perfect.
These are lovely! I used kefir and raspberries/blueberries with vanilla extract and orange zest. I put in a generous 1/4 cup of brown sugar because I was concerned they wouldn’t be sweet enough, but I don’t think that was necessary; next time I’ll dial it down.
My grandma always had bran muffins on hand. I was craving that taste and after searching out bran and finally ordering it on line I made these this morning. Delicious!!!
And much healthier than grandmas recipe!
A friend made these for us after we had a second baby and now they have become a staple in our house! If I don’t have wheat bran, I have found that when I do a half a half mix of pulsed actual bran flakes (the cereal kind in the box!) plus pulsed oats they turn out perfectly every time!
Probably the healthiest low carb muffin I’ve made to date – and the sweetness level is just perfect! The only change I made was with the flour resulting in 1 carb less/muffin from the original recipe. If anyone is interested: 50 grams each all-purpose and whole wheat flours, plus 25 grams dark buckwheat flour. I used frozen wild blueberries (the tiny ones) and chopped up frozen sour cherries. Definitely repeatable! Thanks Deb.
Oops – forgot to mention that i used wheat germ instead of wheat bran.
Thanks for posting! I’m obsessed with Blue Sky’s muffins. I love the non-bran variety, but I have never been able to find a recipe. 🤦🏾♀️ Would you happen to have a recipe for the non-bean muffins? I know this is a long shot, but I’m desperate! 😂😂 thanks!
I just made these muffins as I found myself with a surfeit of ingredients from making the SK Whole Wheat Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies on Monday (also delicious). I used Bob’s Red Mill Oat Bran (by volume), 1 cup sour cream thinned with 1/3 cup 1% milk, peanut oil, and 1/2 cup WW flour plus 1/2 cup AP flour. Used freshly picked blackberries (the Himalayan’s that are invasive to Seattle but also
synonymous with late summer here) and and and Turbinado sugar instead of granulated. I love them! Truly a flexible recipe that I will feel great eating for breakfast (warmed with butter perhaps?) and giving to my toddler. I can’t wait to try it with other fruit combos in the future. Now I just hope the bran helps relieve some of the the symptoms of early pregnancy…
I tried this with oat bran in place of wheat bran. Also, I was short on buttermilk, so I topped up the measure with plain greek yogurt. My fruit was fresh blueberries. I used the zest of one lemon. I do not recommend this version- VERY bland, even with good blueberries. Learn from my mistake!
Volumetrically, 90g of wheat bran is more like 2 cups. I assume the weight measure is more accurate and should be what I go with?
Weight.
This is the best bran muffin recipe ever- I make it all the time! Thank you!
I’ve been wanting a quicker breakfast (I would call it grab & go, but there is no going) so inspired by Sunday’s castle breakfast, I hardboiled some eggs and made this as a bran quick bread. I don’t have a muffin tin, so used a loaf pan at 350° for about 50 minutes & it turned out great! Perfect for a weekday breakfast.
I didn’t have bran so used a mix of oatmeal and Fiber one bran cereal, approx 50/50 since that’s just what I had. Through them into the food processor to get as small as possible. The cereal didn’t get super fine, still had some chunks to it, but didn’t seem to matter. Used frozen cranberries (3 per muffin, next time I’d use more) and some vanilla and orange flavorings. Didn’t add the granulated sugar as they were for my toddler so I hold off on any unnecessary sugar. The muffins came out great! Will definitely make again and now excited to experiment with oats/cereal as replacements in other things!
Made these yesterday. Very dense and not sweet, just the way I like morning muffins. I did keep the berries whole and used half whole wheat, half all purpose flour. Will be making again.
Has anyone tried freezing these?
They freeze beautifully. A quick pop into the microwave and they are delicious.
Agreed – they are great to freeze! I make a batch, freeze them all together in a Ziploc, then microwave 20-30 sec for quick kid breakfast or snack
I made these this week! Great recipe! I used the oatmeal substitution and it worked great. I also had some mascarpone lying around so I used some for half the yogurt. I used a whole fig instead of the berries in each muffin and drizzled each with a bit of honey instead of sugar before adding the batter lid. This worked beautifully and I recommend it!
Hi Deb!
these are delicious!! Do you have any nutrition ( calorie) ?
thanks
Esther
I’ve made these a number of times and they are great. I happen to have wheat germ (which I bought for another one of your recipes- Castle breakfast, I think) but no bran. Could I substitute or is the density wrong? Also would whole wheat flour work?
I just put these in the oven with loads of fresh blueberries and realized I forgot the oil! Oh well… fingers crossed they’re still kinda yummy!
I’ve been on the hunt for healthy-ish muffins for my toddler’s snacks…and I was SKEPTICAL about bran, but holy heck are these good! I did vanilla and meyer lemon zest with mixed berries and can’t wait to try other combos. Thanks for another winner Deb!
I used wheat germ instead and they turned out great! I ended up with 15 muffins probably due to more/not chopped fruit.
I made these today and they were so good! I used fresh blueberries and chopped up one whole nectarine. I had never had bran muffins before and found they pair really well with a homemade chai latte.
I love Deb’s cranberry bread but I’m trying to add fiber to my diet. So I used this recipe and made some changes. I copied the orange juice and sour cream combination from her recipe. You zest an orange, then juice the orange into a measuring cup, then add the sour cream to the juice to fill up to one cup. Instead of molasses I used maple syrup. Instead of dried fruit I added frozen cranberries and walnuts. It took 30 minutes in my oven, maybe because of the frozen berries. Absolutely delicious.
Just made these for the first time, they’re wonderful! I subbed. King Arthur White whole wheat for the AP flour, and used coconut sugar for the white sugar. I soaked one cup of currants in hot water for five minutes then folded into the batter, no other fruit was used. Turned out beautifully risen, slightly domed, not too dense, lovely nutty flavor. With a slight schmear of French butter….. ooh lala!
Yum. I love these. I add some cloves, allspice and nutmeg (and a little molasses). Then apple and candied ginger as my fruit. They are so good to freeze and keep for a quick breakfast/treat. Thank you so much for all you do to keep the kitchen fun!❤️
I love these. My favorite version is throwing in some allspice, ginger, cardamom, cloves, (a little molasses) and using finely chopped pear (or apple) and crystallized ginger. They are my favorite. Thank you for this amazing recipe where you can choose your own adventure.