Banana Bran Muffins

 

 

After my guy’s car suddenly died three weeks ago, my parents raced to the rescue and offered to let us borrow my dad’s “I-woodwork-on-the-weekends-and-sometimes-need-to-haul-long-heavy-boards” white Ford pickup truck until we found a specialized auto shop willing to work on our problem vehicle. However, they accidentally forgot that the truck needed a smog check by the end of the month, so earlier this week, I climbed into the cab and slowly crawled across town to the test station to check that off the “To Do” list.  

 

As I inched along the back roads, I chuckled a bit to myself when I realized how comical I probably looked to the other drivers: a tiny, barely 5’3” dark blonde girl behind the wheel of a big tall truck? Thank goodness we live in a half-college, half-farmland town where people rarely question strange sights—otherwise I would’ve gotten laughed right off the roads!

 

 

After turning into the parking lot, I eased into a spot, jumped out (literally—I’m that short!), and pulled open the front door of the smog shop. Before the mechanic could offer a greeting, his shaggy-haired golden lab mix bounded up to me, dropping a graying weathered baseball at my feet. I nearly melted into a puddle right there on the grease-stained floor; the quickest way to my heart has always been through chocolate, cute dogs and baseball!

 

 

I handed over the truck keys before sinking into one of the cushioned chairs in the entryway to wait. Roxy, the playful pooch, hopped up next to me, tucking her long legs underneath her in a perfect dog show “Sit.” I offered my palm for her to sniff. She licked it for a few minutes, then laid down to sprawl across three of the chairs.

 

With her doggie kisses as permission, I started scratching behind her ears like my old childhood golden retriever always loved. Although she perked up every time the mechanic switched machines for the different smog tests, she lowered her head back down to the cushions for more ear rubs after confirming her owner was still okay.

 

 

Twenty-five minutes later, the mechanic announced that the truck passed and apologized for taking longer than normal. (Apparently, the Ford designers stuffed a critical part in the very back, hardest-to-reach spot under the hood, and he spent an extra ten minutes trying to find it with a flashlight and side mirror welded to a stick. Oops!) I immediately smiled and told him not to worry; the time flew by with the sweet, comforting dog beside me!

 

 

Just like Roxy, these Banana Bran Muffins are sweet and comforting—the perfect healthy breakfast! Warm molasses permeates throughout every moist morsel, followed by the sweet banana and cozy oat flavors. Baked with purely wholesome, clean-eating ingredients, these low-fat muffins will stick to your ribs and keep you full all morning long!

 

 

Bran muffins characteristically contain molasses. Since that ingredient always brings back of fond memories baking whole wheat bread with my dad as a little girl, I knew I needed to include it in my recipe too! Molasses provides that rich dark brown color and deep earthy sweetness. It’s a fairly strong flavor and masks some of the banana’s brightness, but the two are still an irresistible pairing!

 

Mashed banana works doubly hard in these healthy muffins. It (a) supplies structure by acting as an egg replacer {so it’s really easy to make these vegan!} and (b) adds most of the moisture instead of relying on excess fat. You actually only need 1 tablespoon of oil for the entire recipe!

 

 

There’s a special secret to making extra moist bran muffins: soak the oat bran for at least 10 minutes. If you add the bran in with the flour and other dry ingredients, it doesn’t get a chance to soften, which results in dry and crumbly muffins. Stir the bran together with the milk, mashed banana, and vanilla before measuring and mixing together the other ingredients. By the time you’re done with everything else, the oat bran will look like a bowl of cozy oatmeal—that means it’s ready!

 

 

With more oat bran than flour, these muffins barely rise at all in the oven, so fill each muffin cup all the way to the rim. Even with all of that batter, they’re still surprisingly low-calorie! Bake these treats until the tops feel just barely firm; the toothpick test doesn’t always work because they’re so moist. Do not overbake the muffins—we just put in all that effort softening the oat bran to make sure they stayed moist!

 

 

Hearty and healthy, these skinny Banana Bran Muffins taste homey and satisfying, like Grandma’s baking or freshly baked breakfasts at a B&B. With their cozy molasses and moist texture, it’s pure torture to wait for them to cool and nibble away at the edges. You might want to bake a double batch—these sweet treats won’t last long in your kitchen!

 

With most of my baked goodies, I sample one or two before shipping out the rest to neighbors and friends. But these muffins… I don’t plan on sharing a single crumb! Well, except with my dad. We’re headed to another baseball game this afternoon, and they’ll be the perfect mid-morning snack for him on our drive to the ballpark!

 

 

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