Apple Currant Bran Muffins

For some reason a baked good at breakfast time always seems so comforting.

There's just something so nice about rolling out of bed, groggily making your way downstairs, and then being greeted by a home baked muffin or slice of bread.  I swear it's the perfect start to any morning.

But sometimes I run into a couple problems.  The main one being that I don't have any yummy baked treats lying around the have.  The other problem is that sometimes I just have to have some baked goodness and head down to the local bakery to pick something up.  And I'm sure you all know that a sugary cookie over oatmeal, while delicious, isn't the best breakfast choice.  There have been far too many days when I find my belly grumbling less than an hour after breakfast.  Not good.

These muffins, however, helped to solve both those problems, as well as making sure I get to have the most comforting morning possible.  Here's how.

To ensure you'll always have a muffin handy, all you have to do is carve out some time to bake them.  And it doesn't have to be a lot of time either, I'd say an hour would be plenty (and that includes baking time).  Then, once the muffins are cooled, all you gotta do is pop 'em in the freezer.  They'll be wating there for whenever a craving striked.  A minute or so in the microwave is all you need before they're soft, fluffy, and reading for eating!


As for avoiding the bakery cookie situation, well, with the muffins so accessable, you'll never have to run to the bakery at all.  Belly grumbling won't be an issue either, because these muffins are super filling.  But I bet you knew that just from this posts title.  Apples and bran?  Well that's a fiber bomb if I've ever seen one!  And fiber = filling.

Check out the recipe guys, it's a good one!

Apple Currant Bran Muffins - inspired by this recipe

• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 cups wheat bran
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup oat flour (make your own by grinding oats into a fine flour in a food processor or coffee grinder)
• 1/2 cup buckwheat groats
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup mashed apple (microwave apple chunks in a bit of water first to get them soft)
• 1 cup applesauce
• 4 egg whites
• 2 1/2 tbsp molasses
• 1 medium/small apple, chopped into small pieces
• 1/3 cup currants

Preheat oven to 425F.  In a small bowl, mix together milk and vinegar.  Set aside.  In a large bowl, whisk together bran, flours, buckwheat groats, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  In another bowl, mix together mashed apple, applesauce, egg whites, and molasses.  Pour wet ingredients into dry and mix until completely incorporated.  Fold in chopped apple and currants.  Pour equal amounts of batter into the cups of 1 or 2 greased muffin pans.  Bake for 5 minutes at 425F.  Then, lower heat to 400F and bake muffins for another 10 minutes.  Let cool before removing from muffin pans.  If desired, you can freeze your muffins.

With christmas mere weeks away, and Hanukkah already started (it's so early this year!), I'm sure everyone could use a clean recipe.  I certainly can.  With all the latkes, cookies, and truffles I've been consuming lately, anything that's not fried and/or full of bad fats is definitely something my body could use.  And when the taste of is great too, there's no reason not to eat it.

So.... get ready for the best morning of your life!

Revisited Recipe of the Day:

Lemon Blueberry Muffins