You know how much I love the Oatmeal Pancake Mix, right? I am never without that magical mix in my pantry. And pancakes appear at our breakfast table at least three or four mornings a week because of it. Healthy, delicious, FAST.
Well, enter a new recipe that has nudged and nestled it’s way into my fridge and found a permanent place in our bellies. Healthy? Yep. Perfect for a crazy morning? Uh-huh. Mightily delicious? Yes sirree.
This recipe is the culmination of months of experimenting. My sister and I wanted the perfect bran muffin. We loved the idea of keeping the batter in the fridge and scooping it into muffin tins quickly on a busy morning, but we wanted the muffins to be healthy. Really healthy…but still palatable. Thanks to our mom’s recipe and a few tweaks here and there, I can honestly say, these are the perfect bran muffins.
The shocking thing is that while they are packed with whole grains and are low-fat, they taste amazing. I never miss the excessive oil, sugar or white flour. Served warm with a drizzle of honey and let me tell you, I’ve instantly become a morning person. And if you know me, you’ll recognize that is nothing short of a miracle.
One Year Ago: Southwest Rice and Bean Salad
Two Years Ago: Chicken Tikka Masala
Refrigerator Bran Muffins
Printable Version
Printable Version with Picture
*Makes 48 muffins
INGREDIENTS:
4 cups wheat bran flakes or plain wheat bran
2 cups bran buds (look like little pebbles) or all-bran (look like little twigs)
2 cups boiling water
1 quart (4 cups) buttermilk
8 tablespoons (1/2 cup) butter, melted
½ cup (no-added sugar) applesauce
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
5 cups whole wheat flour
4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
DIRECTIONS:
In a large bowl with a tight fitting lid, place the wheat bran flakes (or plain wheat bran) and the bran buds or all-bran. Pour the boiling water over the bran and mix well. Stir every couple of minutes while the mixture cools to room temperature. The mixture will become very thick and sticky.
After the mixture cools, add the buttermilk, melted butter, applesauce, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Mix well. Add the flour, baking soda and salt. Mix well to combine all the ingredients together.
The batter can be covered well and kept in the refrigerator for up to 30 days. To bake, scoop the batter into greased or lined muffin tins. Fill 3/4 full. Bake at 375 degrees for about 14-16 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
Recipe Source: My Kitchen Cafe Original (with the help of my amazing mom and sister, Em!)
{ 74 comments… read them below or add one }
Ah! Healthy muffins! I need these in my life. I’m obsessed with muffins.
What kind of bran flakes do you use? Also, I tried the lime/cilantro rice last night and it was wonderful!!! Thanks for the great recipes.
I have to say that I have never eaten a bran muffin that I LOVED. They are always dry and taste like cardboard! Your recipe looks like the exeption to the rule! You have never steered my wrong, so I will give them a try. I love that you can keep the batter in the fridge! Thanks for sharing, Melanie!
Oh- and I would love to know what brand of bran flakes you used, too. The quality of the bran is obviously the most important part of this recipe.
Ooo I agree, those do look delicious! And nothing better than when a food can be fast AND healthy!
Im going to make these today after I go to the store! My toddler is obsessed with mini muffins right now, so I am trying to come up with healthy varities! I hope these will turn out well as mini muffins!
What kind of bran flakes and bran buds do you use?
Oh, I can’t wait to try these! Like Kim, I’ve never had a bran muffin that I particularly liked, so I’m excited about these. They sound great, and keeping the batter in the fridge is a fantastic idea.
I don’t know if I ever commented to say I LOVE your oatmeal pancake mix too!! I feel so much better making that for my 2 year old than a boxed mix (even if we do often put some chocolate chips in them lol). There is always a batch of the mix in our fridge. We do find that we need 1 1/4 cups of the mix though… I know you said it would thicken upon standing, but for us, without that extra 1/4 cup of mix, we end up with something more like crepes than pancakes… we’re right be the ocean, so maybe it’s an altitude/humidity difference or something??? Who knows. Regardless, as long as we add that extra 1/4 cup, they are always super!
We love muffins here! For awhile, the only thing my two year old would eat for breakfast was muffins. My kids love mini muffins in there lunch too. Their favorite kind right now are your pumpkin chocolate chip muffins. I can’t wait to try these.
Oh, I want to try these. One question though, do you know if they freeze well? Don’t want to be baking every morning and we are now an empty nest : (
If these are like the ones we had growing up, you can microwave them too. I’ll have to check my mom’s recipe.
Jennie
These look delicious! I’m excited to try them! I can’t tell however, if the ones in your pictures are mini or regular size muffins. I would prefer to make mini muffins, as they’re just the right size for my 2-year-old. Would the cook time need to be adjusted for the smaller muffin?
This might be a silly question, but do you use regular apple sauce or the no sugar added apple sauce? I actually love bran muffins and I can’t wait to try some of these!
Erin – that is not a silly question and I appreciate you giving me the chance to clarify. I always use the no-sugar added applesauce. I’ll edit the recipe to reflect that!
Tracey – the ones I made are regular sized muffins. I’m sure they would work equally well as mini muffins but I would bake them for 8-9 minutes and check often to make sure they don’t overbake.
Lani, actually, these freeze great! I will sometimes make up a batch and then after the muffins have cooled, I pop them in a freezer-safe ziploc bag. They reheat well in the microwave for 30-ish seconds.
What a great recipe. Healthy and perfect for those mornings when you don’t have a lot of time for making breakfast but still want something delicious and homemade to eat.
For all those inquiring about what kind of bran I use – I almost always buy the Kellogg’s brand of bran flakes and bran buds or twigs (All-bran) and have also had good results using Wheaties as the bran flakes. However, my sister makes these muffins exclusively with wheat bran (a fine, flaky substance you can find in bulk in the natural foods aisles oftentimes) in place of the bran flakes and she uses the Bob’s Red Mill brand. It is a very versatile recipe in that way, but I do encourage finding a good quality bran product no matter what brand it is since that is definitely the focus of the recipe.
YOu had me at “hello”. I’m adding bran buds to my grocery list right now and can’t wait to try this.
These sound perfect for rushed mornings. I just found out that I’m going to have to head into school SUPER early this month, and these sound like the perfect solution for a rushed breakfast. Thanks!
I don’t mean to sound like a skeptic, but 30 DAYS! REALLY?!? If it is true this is amazing.
These look wonderful. I can’t wait to try them. Yum!
I’m glad you mentioned that these freeze well. They sound wonderful!
I’m not a baking person, but I sure would love to have one of your muffins.
I plugged this recipe into a recipe calculator (http://www.sparkrecipes.com/) is the one I used and I used Kellogg’s brand products for entering the wheat bran and all bran ingredients. I was mostly curious on the fiber and sugar content per muffin. Here are the results for those interested. Also, I am also really interested in the microwave option….I have individual silicone muffin cups that would work great for that and then my husband who leaves the house before we are up could just pop one in the microwave on his way out….Jennie, any more on this?
Nutrition Facts-Condensed Version of just the main info…gives you more in depth on each vitamin as well…
User Entered Recipe
48 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories
124.9
Total Fat
2.9 g
Saturated Fat
1.4 g
Polyunsaturated Fat
0.2 g
Monounsaturated Fat
0.7 g
Cholesterol
22.8 mg
Sodium
201.4 mg
Potassium
56.0 mg
Total Carbohydrate
23.3 g
Dietary Fiber
2.9 g
Sugars
9.6 g
Protein
3.6 g
Hi Mel, I just wanted to clarify…you said your sister exclusively uses the wheat bran in place of the flakes, which is what I want to do. Does she still use the bran buds or all wheat bran? Thanks, can’t wait to try them!
As a huge fan of your pancake mix, and a lover of bran muffins, I can’t wait to give these a try. They will be perfect for my daughter who has cheer practice before school and has not been making time for breakfast. Thanks Mel!
Hi Patti – my sister Em uses wheat bran in place of the flakes and still uses the bran buds – so in reference to the actual amounts she uses 4 cups wheat bran and 2 cups bran buds or all-bran. Hope that helps!
Michelle – thanks for the nutritional info!
Megan – I know, 30 days sounds extreme, but it really works. I will say this, though, the batter starts taking on a dark, nasty-ish hue after a few days, even. If you can get over that, the muffins still taste great and actually, I never have the batter in my fridge that long. Usually within a week or two we’ve used it up and I am making another batch.
This is an answer to my prayers! I can’t wait to get a batch in my fridge & in my oven! This year I have a kindergartener and a preschooler – the mornings are a struggle for ME, actually, to get it all done and out the door in time -anything QUICK for breakfast is usually sugary and full of fat… THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!
A cookbook I own has a recipe for bran muffins that can be stored in the refrigerator for six-weeks. I’ve never tried them, but I’m just mentioning it because 30 days really is realistic for a lot of refrigerator bran muffins.
That said, I’ve never been tempted to try a bran muffin recip before–but I’m running out to get all the stuff today because you’ve sold me. I’m so excited!
Just wondering what we could use instead of all the white sugar. I love the recipe but really want them even more healthy without white sugar. Any suggestions?
Oh, and I did make these and my kids had them for breakfast this morning. I just cannot have white sugar!
Thank you.
I love bran muffins too, perfect way to use the homemade applesauce I just made!
I have to admit I was skeptical. I made just a 1/2 batch. These are wonderful. All three of my boys and even my husband said they were good (not an easy accomplishment). I did make them with splenda rather than sugar and saved about 30 calories per muffin. Thanks for the fun new recipe.
Nanci – I’m glad these muffins proved their worth since you were skeptical at first! Thanks for checking in to let me know you liked them!
Carla – I’m not an expert on sugar substitutions but if you are concerned about the sugar content, you might try substituting splenda like another commenter mentioned or just decreasing the sugar to 1 cup or 1 1/2 cups.
Just made these for breakfast and they are so delicious! I usually do not like bran muffins (cardboard as I refer to them), but these are so moist and yummy. This is a keeper. Thanks, Mel!!
Glad you liked them, Lani! Thanks for checking in to let me know!
I have been looking for the perfect bran muffin recipe so I have to try this!
I just made these this morning and they are delicious! I have never made bran muffins before so I was a little hesitant – but I trusted you and I am so glad I gave it a try! Major comfort food!
Jess – glad you liked these despite your initial hesitations!
I have been making these and love them! Thanks for the recipe.
Thanks, Heidi!
I just made these for the first time yesterday and had teriffic results. I used 4c wheat bran and 2c All Bran cereal. My super picky, wheat bread hater husband even declared them “awesome”! I baked a dozen and he ate half right out of the oven and took another for breakfast this morning. I was SO tempted to tell him just how healthy they were but didn’t for fear that he wouldn’t touch them in the future
Your pancake mix recipe with the whole wheat flour substitution is already a regular breakfast/snack in our house and I have a feeling these muffins will be a staple as well. THANKS!
Amy – so glad you liked this recipe! Thanks for including your changes. And kudos to winning over your husband with them!
Fabulous fabulous. Made these to help with the Thanksgiving pie/junk-food overload. I halved the recipe, and did a couple things different: made my own buttermilk (added 2T lemon juice to 2c 1% milk); used a little less than the full amount of sugar. They are still plenty sweet, and I’ll try even less sugar next time. I also didn’t have any wheat bran flakes, but I did have Raisin Bran, which is pretty much the same thing. I just used that, so our muffins also have the occasional raisin in them. Used All-Bran cereal (twigs).
I baked them and after they cool I’ll wrap each one into plastic wrap, and then freeze them in a large ziplock for a fast breakfast/snack. That is, if I have any left…the little 2.5 year old around here has eaten 3 in a row!
These are just fabulous! Thanks for another good one!
Oh and one more thing: I used my Bosch to mix everything. I had started the first parts in a large mixing bowl with a wooden spoon, but decided quickly that it was going to take too much effort (my Bosch has made me the laziest person on the planet), so I just dumped it all into the mixer with my wire beaters. Fabulous, and nothing but clean-up of the mixer for me, as far as “work” goes!
Thanks for this recipe. We’ve been enjoying them all week, it makes me happy to see my 18 month old eating such a healthy breakfast
Thanks, Nicole!
Julianne – so glad you like these muffins and thanks for including your variations. I’m glad the little bug likes them, too!
Having never tried bran muffins before, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but the sweetness and moistness were great! We loved them. Thanks for the recipe(s).
SJ – glad you liked your first try with bran muffins!
Mel, where can I find bran buds? I am opposed to all-bran and Wheaties since they have so many additives, including corn syrup. Is there a way to just use more wheat bran? I live in Japan, and some specific ingredients are hard to find. I did convince a visitor to bring a whole bunch of wheat bran.
Hi Anne – I don’t blame you for avoiding the other cereals. I admire you, actually! To be honest, the bran buds might have just as many additives. I’ve never looked closely. Really, though, you could try using all wheat bran. My sister has done that before. It makes the muffins a bit more dense than normal but she loves them that way.
I’m so torn. My 2 year old loves these muffins. I still prefer my old recipe loaded down with sugar :-X BUT after making them morning after morning for my son, they did grow on me and I actually liked them the more I ate them. So next time I make them I have no idea which recipe I want to use.
Just a side note, after like 2 weeks, my batter was a funny color ontop. It was like a greyish color instead of brown, but once I scooped into the batter it was the regular color. It made me leery of eating it! Is that normal?
Haley – I’m glad these muffins have grown on you. My batter also develops a weird-ish color but I just mix it all around and use it anyway.
Thank you so much for such a fantastic and quick breakfast recipe. I am a big fan of bran muffins but haven’t had a good one in a long time. I made these this morning before church and they were so moist and delicious and came out as good as I imagined. This batter will certainly become a staple in our fridge right beside your equally wonderful oatmeal pancake mix! I just ate another one for an afternoon snack and it was still just as moist and yummy. It feels great making healthy homemade meals for my family without a big fuss or mess. I plan to make some mini muffins to freeze for a quick afternoon snack for my kiddos. (Idea stolen from my sister-in-law.
)
Heather – isn’t it great when something healthy tastes good, too? Love the mini muffins idea!
I make these often. We love them. I make the batter plain and then sometimes add goodies as I bake some up. We like dried cranberries or raisins but I must admit are favorite is semi-sweet chocolate chips. If I don’t add chocolate they are wonderful hot with a little cream cheese.
These were so good! My 3-year-old and 21-month-old even liked them, and I love the fact you can mix up a huge batch and bake them fresh every morning for a month (if the mix lasts that long!) Thanks as always for the great recipes.
Melanie – I totally messed up when I made these this morning. I used 4 cups of wheat bran and 2 cups of the bran flakes! oops! But, they turned out great! My hubby ate a few hot out of the oven and loved them. Then, my picky five year olds and 1 1/2 year old each ate 2 for lunch! I bought “unprocessed wheat bran” instead of the all-bran cereal (why does everything have to have high fructose corn syrup in it? ahh!). Then, I used whole wheat pastry flour. It worked great, and I’m so glad I have batter in the fridge for tomorrow! Thanks for the healthy recipe!
In an effort to learn some baking skills before leaving home my 18 year old is baking one new thing a day for 30 days (lucky me!). He made these today and we LOVE them! So easy and quick and super tasty. He’s going to play around with adding cinnamon and raisins to the next lot. Can’t wait!
Hi Melanie,
I was looking for a healthy muffin for school breakfast and this is perfect! I was wondering if it would work if I just used 6 cups of All Bran (the twigs) instead of the 2 different types? Thanks again for this recipe. It looks perfect!
Melanie – I’ve never tried it that way but it’s definitely worth a try. I think you might miss out on a little texture differences but if you try it, let me know how it turns out!
Thanks Melanie. I actually just ran to the store and bought the flakes. These turned out so good! There’s a place in Utah called Rainbow Gardens that have awesome muffins and I think these taste just like them! Thanks for the recipe!
For those looking for bran flakes and buds without HFCS or other funky stuff, I noticed both at Trader Joes today (the ingredient list looked nice and straightfoward). Anyway, I just pulled my first batch out of the oven and they are mighty tasty. The kids are enjoying their after-school snack. Thanks for another great recipe!!
I am adding this to my healthier approach to getting my kids to eat better. So I guess it will start with me. My question for you is will this recipe work if I substitute the buttermilk. I know the buttermilk helps to keep the muffins moist. My youngest has an allergy to milk in comparison to the those with peanut allergies. I was wondering if I could use soy milk as a substitute?
Brenda – I don’t use soy milk so I’m not sure how it substitutes in baking. You’ll probably have to play around with the recipe and see how it turns out using the soy milk. Good luck!
Wow. Super easy and so yummy. I’m a health nut when it comes to my kids and this was excellent. My 4 yr old daughter basically made them and they were perfect.
Excellent muffins. The whole family loved them. Just informationally, we used Great Value (Walmart) Bran Flakes and All Bran Buds, and half white wheat, half whole wheat flour. DELICIOUS. Thanks for the recipe.
these are also great for individual servings–microwave 1/4 cup in a mug or bowl for 1-2 minutes, and voila!-one quick muffin!!
These were amazing muffins! Just what I was looking for. I was searching the internet for refrigerator bran muffins like my mom used to make, and stumbled across your blog. I have to say I think your blog is great, and I have made 3 of your recipes (slow cooker oatmeal, bran muffins, and chocolate chip bars) in the last 24 hours — they all were wonderful! Thanks for inspiring me to make good food for my family!!
Ok. I have been wanting to try these muffins ever since I made your pancakes ( which we love by the way ) and I’m so glad I didn’t half the recipe because they are great! Thank u so much for sharing all of your recipes! My husband is skeptical of any food that doesn’t come from your blog but if I tell him it came from Mel’s he is all about it. You are our no fail go to! Thanks again! And congrats on expecting a girl! I have a baby girl and love love love having a daughter ( ;
I had one of these muffins at work today and immediately asked for the recipe!
Question? It seems like 4 cups of bran flakes would not be as much as 4 cups of wheat bran (due to the air between the flakes). Is it truly 4 cups of either?
Dot – it really is 4 cups of either. The way the bran flakes break down in the boiling water must make up for the difference in how they measure compared to the wheat bran. I almost always use the flakes and my sister always uses the wheat bran and they turn out great either way.
{ 1 trackback }