Carrot Bran Muffins

For some reason I've really been wanting to make bran muffins lately.  I'm not sure that I've ever actually eaten a bran muffin before and I don't typically waste calories on muffins, but I just could not stop thinking about them.  I picked up a little ice cream cone cupcake pan while my mom was in town and decided to break it in with bran muffins.  

I found a recipe on Epicurious and made a few changes to it.  Here's my version:

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/3 cup sour cream*

2/3 cup plain yogurt*

1/4 cup molasses

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup carrot, shredded

1 cup flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup wheat bran

*The original recipe called for 1 cup sour cream, but I only had about 1/3 cup so I substituted yogurt for the rest.  Any combination of the two will work. 

Combine the sugar and softened butter in the bowl of an electric mixer.

Beat until light and fluffy.

Measure out the sour cream.

And/or yogurt.

And molasses.  It kind of looks like the remains of a hot fudge sundae.  But don't be fooled.  It's a tasty mixture of yogurt, sour cream, and molasses.   

 

Lightly beat an egg. 

Add the sour cream, yogurt, egg and molasses to the butter and sugar mixture. 

Beat until combined.

Add the raisins and carrots and mix with a spoon.  

Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl.  

I had to do a little searching to find wheat bran.  After having no luck at Super Target I found it in the cereal aisle at Whole Foods.  When I was at a regular grocery store today I spotted it in the baking aisle, so you might have to look around a bit.  This stuff reminds me of Super Colon Blow.  If only 2.5 million bowls of it went into the muffin recipe...

Mix the dry ingredients. 

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.

Stir just until combined.  Do not over mix it.  No no no.  

If you don't have an ice cream cone cupcake tin, I suppose a plain old muffin tin will do.  I ended up getting 6 ice cream cone muffins and 6 mini muffins, which is probably comparable to 9 muffins or 12 if you want them on the smaller side.  

Thoroughly butter the muffin tin.  

Fill it with batter and put it in the oven preheated to 400 degrees.  It should take about 15 or 20 minutes for regular-sized muffins.  When the tops look done and they're springy to touch they're done.  

They'll look a little something like this, although hopefully not so blurry.  If they are blurry, you are drunk.  

Remember when I said I had 6 big muffins and 6 little ones?  Well, I ate one.  And I am not sorry.  

They make a tasty breakfast or dessert with a little butter and some fresh fruit.  Yum.