CRANBERRY BRAN MUFFINS

Braden Family Cookbook

Chuck Braden

CRANBERRY BRAN MUFFINS Cooks Illustrated

Makes 12 muffins

1 cup dried cranberries
1 TSP water
2 ¼ cups (5 oz.) All Bran Cereal
1 ¼ cups (6 ¼ oz.) unbleached all-purpose flour
½ cup (2 ½ oz.) whole wheat flour
2 TSP baking soda
½ TSP table salt (or 1 TSP kosher salt)
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
2/3 cup (4 ¾ oz.) packed light brown sugar
3 TBSP mild or light molasses
1 TSP vanilla extract
6 TBSP (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 ¾ cup plain whole milk yogurt

Adjust oven rack to the middle position and preheat oven to 400 (375 if a convection oven) degrees. Spray regular muffin tin with non-stick spray. Combine cranberries with water in a heat proof bowl, cover w plastic wrap, put 5 steam vents with a paring knife, microwave on high for 30 seconds. Let sit, covered, until cranberries are soft, about 5 minutes.

Process half of the bran cereal in a food processor until finely ground……2 – 3 minutes. Whisk flours, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl to combine, set bowl aside. In another bowl whisk egg and egg yolk about 20 seconds. Add sugar, molasses and vanilla and whisk for 30 seconds. Add melted butter and whisk to combine; add yogurt and whisk to combine. Stir in processed and unprocessed cereal and let this mixture sit for 5 minutes.

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients with a rubber spatula and fold gently until mixture is combined and evenly moistened. Gently fold the cranberries into the batter using a 1/3 cup measure or ice cream scoop, divide batter evenly among muffin cups, dropping batter to form mounds. Do not level or flatten surfaces of mounds.

Bake muffins are dark golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffing comes out clean, with a few crumbs attached, 16 – 20 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking. Cool muffins in pan for 5 minutes. Remove muffins and cool on a rack for 10 minutes before serving.

Note….in my convection oven muffins are done after 16 minutes at 375 degrees.