When I was in high school and well into university, my dad was single parenting my three brothers and I. He worked full time, and my brothers were all in sports, so needless to say, convenience foods were key. It was also the only time in my recollection that I reached for bran muffins on a regular basis. He’d buy the giant ones from Costco, and they were always so moist, and delicious – the perfect high-fiber quick breakfast.

When Spencer said he was adding bran muffins to our cafe menu, I was less than enthused and suggested several times throughout the years that we replace them. Every bran muffin I had tried since those Costco ones just disappointed me. He told me that he would have a lot of angry customers if we got rid of them, but I just couldn’t understand why. So, the next obvious step was to maybe… try one? And so I did…. and my bran muffin world turned upside down!!! Wow! Now THESE are good bran muffins! They are moist, and flavourful and have the perfect amount of crunch from the pumpkin seed. They’re delicious! Better than the Costco ones! I’ve gotta tell my Dad about these :).

Muffins are fun to make with the family too! With Gabi, I measure all the ingredients in advance and have her pour them into the bowl and stir. She likes to peek into the mixer and see the butter and sugar become light and fluffy. Once the muffins are in the oven, we set the timer. “Once it beeps, we check if it’s ready”, I say. Time passes and we hear the long awaited BEEEEP! “IT’S READY, MOMMA!” she shrieks. “It may just be! Let’s check!”, I say. And so the beautiful experience of creating something from scratch and waiting for it to transform into something else that we get to enjoy, has begun.

Ingredients

Yield – 1 Dozen

225g butter, room temperature
212g sugar
115 g honey
115g molasses
5g vanilla
9g salt

137.5g (about 3 ) eggs, room temperature
381.25ml milk, room temperature
3.75ml lemon juice

277.5g flour
225g bran
16.5g baking soda
13.25g baking powder

150g apple, shredded
137.5g pumpkin seed
75g currants, rinsed

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a regular size muffin tin and spray the inside of them with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a stand mixer on medium high, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the honey, molasses, vanilla, and salt, and mix until well combined. Scrape sides down with a spatula throughout to ensure everything is thoroughly incorporated.
3. With the mixer on medium-low, add one egg at a time and mix until just incorporated. Turn off mixer and scrape sides and bottom of bowl with a spatula.
4. Combine the milk and lemon juice and set aside.
5. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, bran, baking soda, and baking powder for about 20-30 seconds, and until well combined.
6. Rinse the currants
7. Shred the apple in bowl with the currants and set aside.
8. The milk mixture should have curdled by now (it’s an easy way to make buttermilk if you don’t have any on hand). Alternate adding the flour mixture and the milk mixture to the stand mixer on medium low, in two or three additions beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Use a spatula to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. Do not over mix.
9. With a spatula, fold in the the currant, apple, and pumpkin seed.
10. Scoop mixture about 2/3 way into your muffin liners.
11. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick is inserted in the middle and comes out clean.
​12. Let cool for 10 minutes and enjoy!