Baking time is always a favourite in our house however usually when we bake there is a squabble or two over who gets to pour in the ingredients, who gets to stir etc… As my eldest is the more co-ordinated she does usually get to do the lion’s share and so while she was at school today my 2 year old and I took the opportunity to make a batch of bran muffins.
One very excited little baker.
My little ones LOVE muffins however I tend to avoid the ones from the shops or bakeries as they are often sugar laden and I don’t really like giving them to the kids. This recipe comes from the site KITCHme which I came across a while ago while searching for something or other. When I make these muffins, I also toss in a handful of pecan nuts and a small finely grated carrot along with the raisins so as to give them that little bit extra. On one occasion when I had run out of carrots I substituted with dried cranberries and the kids were none the wiser.
Sorting muffin cases.
Keep an eye out for little fingers on the grater.
Grating carrots for some hand-eye co-ordination.
As it turns out flour isn’t great to eat but it does leave a fun flour moustache.
Such concentration.
I have this mini silicone muffin mould that I bought with every intention of making trendy mini tart cases etc… before we had kids. Skip forward a few years and it is still brand new and never been used and so now I use it to make mini muffins for the kids. They make great on the go snacks for the kids that are big enough to rid them of the grumpy hungries but are small enough so their appetites aren’t spoiled for their main meals.
TA DA!
Ingredients (Makes 12 depending on muffin cup size)
• 1 1⁄2 cup wheat, bran
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1⁄3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 2⁄3 cup brown sugar
• 1⁄2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1⁄2 tsp salt
• 1⁄2 cup raisins
Method
1. Prep 20 min Cook 20 min Ready 40 min
2. Preheat oven to 190 degrees C. Grease muffin cups or line with paper muffin liners.
3. Mix together wheat bran and buttermilk; let stand for 10 minutes.
4. Beat together oil, egg, sugar and vanilla extract and add to buttermilk/bran mixture. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Stir flour mixture into buttermilk mixture until just blended. Fold in raisins and spoon batter into prepared muffin tins.
5. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of a muffin comes out clean.
I have never seen a child so happy to eat something with bran!