Jessica's Favorite Muffins

These bran muffins are naturally sweetened with mashed bananas, honey, and a touch of corn syrup. No butter, no oil, no egg yolks. The bananas provide all the moisture and fat the batter needs to stay soft.

Toss the blueberries in with the dry ingredients before mixing. This coats them in bran, which prevents the berries from bleeding their juice into the batter and turning everything purple. Smart trick that works with any berry muffin.

The high oven temperature bakes these fast, giving the tops a golden dome while the inside stays moist. Check at 12 minutes. Overbaked bran muffins dry out quickly because there’s so little fat in the batter to keep them tender.

Kitchen Tips

• Use ripe bananas with plenty of brown spots. They mash smoother and bring more natural sweetness, which means you won’t miss the sugar.
• Don’t overmix the batter. Stir until the dry ingredients are just incorporated. Overmixing bran muffins makes them tough and gummy.
• These are best eaten the day they’re made. If storing, wrap individually and freeze. Reheat in the microwave for 20 seconds.

Variations

• Swap blueberries for diced apple and add a teaspoon of cinnamon for an apple bran muffin.
• Stir in a handful of chopped walnuts for crunch and healthy fats.
• Replace honey with maple syrup for a deeper, more caramel-like sweetness.