Fiberlicious!

Here is a recipe for really good bran muffins. They are packed with fiber and other good things.

I found the recipe on the King Arthur Flour website and I adapted the recipe according to what I had in my pantry when I first made them two weeks ago.

And, if you are following the Weight Watchers program, they come in at 4 points plus for one good sized and filling muffin.

Ingredients:

4 ounces boiling water (1/2 cup)
1 1/2 ounces bran cereal (1/2 cup) (not flakes, preferably a wheat bran) (I used Kellogg's All-Bran)
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce (I used one of those single serving cups)
1 large egg
5 1/4 ounces King Arthur White Whole Wheat flour (1 1/4 cups)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt (I use kosher salt)
4 1/2 ounces currants (3/4 cup)
8 ounces plain fat free Greek yogurt (1 cup)
2 ounces fat free milk (1/4 cup)
1 7/8 ounces brown sugar (1/4 cup)
4 1/2 ounces bran cereal (not flakes) (1 1/2 cups)

Directions:

1) In a small mixing bowl, pour the boiling water over the half cup of bran cereal. When cooled, mix in the applesauce and the egg.

2) While the water/bran mixture cools, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the currants.

3) In a large measuring cup (or bowl), combine the yogurt, milk and brown sugar, and stir into the dry ingredients. Stir in remaining cereal, then the softened bran mixture. Cover the batter and refrigerate overnight.

4) When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375 degrees for 15 minutes. Line a muffin tin with papers, and spray the insides of the papers. Or just grease the muffin cups themselves, if you like a crustier muffin edge. (I use the papers).

5) Stir the batter once or twice, then scoop a heaping 1/4 cup of batter into each prepared muffin cup.

6) Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

7) Remove from the oven, cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes before removing the muffins from the pan.

To freeze, wrap each muffin individually in plastic wrap, then into a freezer bag. They will keep for at least one month (if they last that long).

Following are a few ideas for substitutes and add-ins.

- substitute dried cranberries, raisins, dates, dried apricots or dried (or fresh) blueberries for the currants
- add nuts (walnuts, pecans, any kind of nut that you like or have on hand)
- use half boiling water and half molasses to soften the bran cereal in the first step
- add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
- add 1 tablespoon of wheat germ
- chop up a fresh apple and add it to the batter
- add a small can of drained pineapple tidbits

Some more information from the King Arthur Flour website:

The batter will keep for up to a week, covered in the refrigerator. You can scoop and bake as much as you need when you need it.

If you only want to bake one or two muffins, you can use greased custard cups instead of the muffin tin. If you use the muffin tin, put an inch of water in the empty wells to keep the pan from warping.

Makes 12 muffins.

Enjoy!