These past few weeks have been action packed, stressed beyond belief, seemingly endless waiting, but that time is over! I am so happy to say that this coming fall, I will be a Northwestern University Wildcat as a part of the class of 2018, majoring in Viola Performance. It’s such a relief knowing that all of my hard work has paid off these past few years, and after visiting and auditioning in January, I couldn’t imagine myself going anywhere else. And don’t worry, I’m already stocking up on purple and white merchandise!
One of the questions that I get the most after I mention that I run a baking blog is what do you do with all of the things you make? Well, while I do taste everything I make, it’s rare that I make something just because I want it. While I love a good muffin, these were not made for me- they were made with my aunt in mind. She’s a sucker for coconut, but recently asked me to make something healthier, and that’s where these muffins came in.
Breakfast is hands down my favorite meal of the day, and if I am going to have a muffin, it better be one that can sustain me from 6:45 am until lunch, which can be upwards of 5 hours. These muffins are not the cakey kind, and filled with wheat bran and raisins, they’ll keep you going for awhile. I loved it toasted with a shmear of peanut butter, but I’m sure they’re good straight out of the oven. 🙂
Sour Cream Bran Muffins: From Smitten Kitchen
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened or 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- 1 large egg, beaten lightly
- 1 cup sour cream or yogurt
- 1/4 cup dark molasses
- 1/2 cup raisins, cranberries, or other diced dried fruit
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup miller’s bran (available at natural foods stores, specialty foods shops, and some supermarkets)
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
Directions
- In a large bowl with an electric mixer cream together the butter or oil and the brown sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy (will be far less light or fluffy if oil is used), beat in the egg, the sour cream or yogurt, and the molasses, and stir in the raisins or other dried fruit.
- In a bowl whisk together the flour, the baking soda, the salt, the cinnamon (optional) and the bran, add the mixture to the sour cream mixture, and stir the batter until it is just combined. (The batter will be lumpy.)
- Spoon the batter into 12 well-buttered 1/3-cup muffin tins and bake the muffins in the middle of a preheated 400°F. oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until they are golden brown and springy to the touch. Turn the muffins out onto a rack and let them cool.
Enjoy!
Rayna 🙂
rayna takes the cake 