Paula’s Bran Muffins

For those of you who don’t know Paula, my mother-in-law, you are missing out! She is a hoot! Not only is she extremely outgoing like Matt (her son and my husband), she is also a great cook – that is, if you like down-home southern cooking!

Some of the most popular recipes on my blog come from Paula, and do you know why?

  1. Her recipes are simple to make.
  2. Her recipes are “comfort” food.
  3. Her recipes are fattening!!!  (Hey, her name is Paula, and she is just like Paula Deen!)
When Paula first made these muffins for us at the lake this summer, she advertised them as “healthy” bran muffins. I was pretty excited that she made something “good-for-us”, that is, until I saw the recipe. Don’t let the word “bran” trick you into thinking you can eat five of these muffins and not gain weight. That’s what I thought (except I didn’t eat five). With 3 cups of sugar, and one cup of canola oil, these aren’t exactly Cooking Light material.
With that said, I am a firm believer in moderation. I weigh less than 100 pounds and still indulge in sweets and carbs. However, what I do that most people don’t do is exercise regularly (run, do yoga, cross train and lift weights), eat 5-6 small meals a day, and count my calories.
Paula on the other hand, has amazing metabolism, considering how much she eats!! I think she has been blessed genetically. Paula was invited to run the 200m in the 1972 Summer Olympic trials. Pretty cool, right?

As far as taste goes, these bran muffins are out of this world! They are sweet (obviously – with 3 cups of sugar), but not overly sweet. The bran cereal (or granola, if you choose to add) is filling, and the dried fruit is a nice addition. The buttermilk creates a slightly tangy batter. (By the way, I LOVE batter – muffins, brownies, cookie dough, it doesn’t matter – I like all batters, including this one!)

Let me know what you think, I’m sure you will love them!

 

Paula's Bran Muffins
Print
*Baked muffins will keep in the refrigerator for 2-4 weeks. You can also refrigerate the dough and bake at your convenience.
Ingredients
  • 4 eggs, beaten
  • 5 cups flour
  • 1 cup canola oil (for a healthier option use ½ cup applesauce and ½ cup oil)
  • 1½ cups granulated sugar
  • 1½ cups brown sugar
  • 5 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 quart buttermilk
  • 1 (15 oz) box Raisin Bran cereal (you can substitute granola if you wish)
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 1 tsp. almond extract
  • 1 cup dried fruit
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with individual baking cup liners.
  2. Combine the first 5 ingredients. Add in the soda, salt, buttermilk and cereal, in the order listed.
  3. Add almond and vanilla extracts. Stir in dried fruit.
  4. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups and bake for 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of muffin comes out clean or with a few crumbs.

Related posts:

Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread Muffins
Banana Berry Muffins
Sarah's Pumpkin Muffins

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