Carrot Cake Bran Muffins
Yields: 12 muffins
 
These hearty muffins are full of warm, cozy flavors from the molasses and spices. They’re about as soft and tender as cupcakes too! Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 6 days.
  • 1 ½ cups (180g) oat bran (measured like this and gluten-free if necessary)
  • ⅓ cup (80g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
  • ⅓ cup (80mL) nonfat milk
  • 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup (120g) whole wheat or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp (14g) coconut oil or unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
  • 1 large egg, room temperature
  • ¼ cup (60mL) honey
  • ¼ cup (60mL) molasses
  • 1 ½ cups (160g) shredded carrots (about 3 large, peeled first)
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F, and lightly coat 12 muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray.
  2. In a medium bowl, stir together the oat bran, yogurt, milk, and vanilla.
  3. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a separate bowl. In a third bowl, whisk together the coconut oil or butter and egg. Stir in the honey and molasses. Mix in the bran mixture. Add in the flour mixture, stirring until just incorporated. Fold in the shredded carrots.
  4. Divide the batter into the prepared muffin cups. Bake at 350°F for 20-23 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes before carefully turning out onto a wire rack.
Notes: For the gluten-free flour, use the following blend: ½ cup (60g) millet flour, ¼ cup (30g) tapioca flour, ¼ cup (30g) brown rice flour, and ¾ teaspoon xanthan gum. Most store-bought blends (like this one!) should also work, as long as they are measured like this.

Other readers have had success substituting wheat bran for the oat bran. I have not tried that myself and cannot personally vouch for that substitution.

Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.

Pure maple syrup or agave may be substituted for the honey. Do not substitute pancake syrup because it will not produce the same taste or texture. I don’t recommend substituting anything for the molasses; it’s required to produce the iconic bran muffin flavor. (And you'll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too!)

Do not buy pre-shredded carrots. They are not as moist and will result in subpar muffins.

{clean eating, low fat, low calorie}
Recipe by Amy's Healthy Baking at https://amyshealthybaking.com/blog/2015/04/19/carrot-cake-bran-muffins/