Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Cranberry Oat Bran Muffins

This versatile muffin recipe came from a small book many years ago called "Simple Living".  And they really are simple. I've varied the recipe over the years adding different combinations of
fruit, dried fruits, nuts, and  spices.  They're all good!  And they freeze really well too.  There's defnitely plenty of fiber in these muffins, and very little fat (other than from the eggs and milk) -- which means I get to add lots of ghee or butter before eating.

It may seem strange at first to use just plain oat bran, with no additional flour(s), but try it.  You'll see that no other flours are needed at all -- they're delicious just as they are, with the canned pineapple giving plenty of moistness.

2-1/4 cups oat bran
1/4 t. salt
2 t. baking powder
1/4 - 1/2 cup brown sugar or xylitol (or sweetener of your choice)
1/2 - 1 tsp. cinnamon or up to 1 tsp total of any spices (I've also used nutmeg and cardamom with the cinnamon)
8 oz can crushed pineapple, in its own juice (including any juice)
1 med. ripe banana, mashed  (very optional)
1 cup milk (of any kind)
2 eggs
1/2 to 1 cup dried cranberries, cherries, raisins, apricots, or any dried fruit
1/2 to 1 cup chopped nuts (almonds, sunflower, or walnuts; or place one large pecan or walnut in the bottom of each muffin tin for a little surprise)
Makes 12 muffins

Preheat oven to 400 and butter the muffin tins.  Mix dry ingredients together, and wet ingredients together, then add wet to dry.  Add the dried fruit and nuts at the end, mix briefly, then add as soon as possible to the muffin tins.  The oat bran will begin soaking up the liquid so it's best to get it in the oven so it can start baking.  Bake at 400 for about 15 minutes, maybe a bit longer if your oven bakes slow.  Enjoy!

Adele Sonora
Nutrition and Health Educator
asonora@cal.net



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