I love bran muffins ever since I had it at Starbucks 20 years ago although it has a grainy, earthy taste that perhaps many would not like. Bran, also known as Miller’s Bran, is the hard outer layer of cereal grains. Although some grains remove bran, bran is the stuff that consists of much of the nutrients including fibre, essential fatty acids, proteins, vitamins, dietary minerals, antioxidants, and phytic acid, which reduces inflammation and exhibits anti-carcinogenic effects.  Japanese, who calls bran nuka (糠; ぬか), uses it for pickling, stewing fish, and natural beauty treatment.

Besides bran, this recipe (which is adapted from Fitness Pal) is called “Superfood” because we use coconut, apple, honey, and eggs, all of which are documented to have many health benefits. You’ll also find that certain less-healthy ingredients such as butter, white sugar, and flour are missing from the recipe.

I bake the muffins twice with a different amount of honey, because I didn’t want the muffins to be too sweet. The first time, I used 1/2 cup of honey, and the muffins turned out wonderful: Very moist and tasty but a tad too sweet. I also found that the muffins needed a little bit of crunch to break the monotony.

On the second try, I used 1/4 cup of honey, and the muffins didn’t turn out to be quite as moist as the first time. I also added coconut flesh to give it a crunch, but perhaps blueberries may be a better option.

So for the honey, I’m setting the recipe at 1/3 cup but if you want it to be extra moist, 1/2 is great too, or if you want it to be less sweet, 1/4 works too.

The recipe also says that the batter can be made into 12 muffins. I prefer my muffins big partly because they are visually more stunning and appear more rustic, and partly because I find that a normal sized muffin is not enough for me to eat. So I made them into 6 muffins.

Besides the healthy ingredients, this muffin is called Superfood also because it has fewer calories than traditional bran muffins. If you’re making 6 large muffins, each one carries approximately 284 calories; 12 small muffins, 142 cal each.

Lastly, it is an idiot-proof recipe. It is so easy it’s a joke. Just throw everything in and mix, then bake. Viola!

A video recipe here (in case you don’t feel like reading):

DRY INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup Coconut Flour
1/4 cup Bran
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
Pinch of Salt

WET INGREDIENTS

6 Eggs
1/4 cup Coconut Oil (I used Koqo coconut oil which is edible and can be used on the face, body, and hair)
1/4 cup Applesauce
1/4 to 1/2 cup Honey (See introduction)
1 tsp Vanilla Essence
A crunch (Optional. See introduction. I used coconut flesh, but you may use other things like blueberries, raisins, chocolate chips, etc)

METHOD

1. Preheat the ovean to 350F/175C.

2. Sift the DRY INGREDIENTS in a big bowl.

3. Add the WET INGREDIENTS to the bowl and mix well. Divide the ingredients into 6 or 12 portions depending on whether you like big or small muffins (see introduction). I am using a silicon muffin pan which is great because the muffins don’t stick to it. I applied a thin layer of coconut oil to the pan before putting the batter in. But you may want to use muffin paper cups and remember to oil or butter your paper cups.

4. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Let it rest for 10 minutes. Done!

The muffins go well with tea, coffee, and milk!

You may be interested in…
–Recipe: Super Simple Coconut & Ginger Macaroons
–Recipe: Fluffy, Easy Pancakes Made From 4 Simple Ingredients You Have in Your Kitchen
–What to Do with CNY Leftover Oranges Recipe: Orange & Almond Cake From Food52 (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
–Recipe: Buttermilk Fried Chicken Recipe Adapted From 3 Michelin-Starred Chef Thomas Keller

Written by Dr. A. Nathanael Ho.