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For years upon years upon years, drawing close to a decade and a half, I’ve been making 6-Week Bran Muffins. They’re really more of a Bran-ish muffin really… Why Bran-ish? Because it doesn’t fit in the normal bran muffin box. They’re lighter both in color and texture than the average bran muffin, gently sweet and über-easy. Oh- and you can store the batter in your refrigerator for 6 weeks. More on that in a moment…
6-Week Bran Muffins are simpler and more convenient than just about any other muffin in existence (aside from the ones you buy.) No cutting in of fats, no measuring ingredients with bleary eyes and un-caffeinated hands in the morning, no hungry children curled around your feet moaning while you try to rustle up breakfast. This does not guarantee that your children will wait patiently for the muffins. Mine don’t.
Mix your wet ingredients, mix your dry ingredients, mix them together and stash in the refrigerator for up to six weeks. No joke.
You may have encountered a version of this recipe before on the cereal box of a major breakfast cold-cereal manufacturer. It’s been around for what seems like eons. It’s not hard to see why 6-Week Bran Muffins are a perpetual favourite. With under 10 minutes of hands on time, you have a muffin batter that can sit in your refrigerator for up to 6 weeks.
This allows you to bake as few or as many as you’d like fresh every single day.
You can bake these 6-Week Bran Muffins plain, as is, with the batter straight from the refrigerator, or you can gussy them up a bit. Stir in frozen blueberries, raspberries, dried fruits, or chocolate chunks or chips. Any way you choose, they’re the simple, perfect solution to a hot breakfast or afternoon snack.
Would you like some more excellent muffin recipes? Check out these Hawaiian Muffins, 100% Whole Grain Apple Cinnamon Muffins, Blackberry Walnut Bran Muffins, Spicy Bacon Cheddar Zucchini Breakfast Muffins, Lemon Blueberry Muffins, Morning Glory Muffins, Chocolate Banana Oatmeal Blender Muffins, and Bacon Mesquite Chiles-and-Cherries Chocolate Muffins.
Use these to make 6-Week Bran Muffins:
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Six Week Bran Cereal Muffins
Rate RecipeIngredients
- 5 1/3 cups all-natural bran flakes
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup wheat germ
- 2 1/4 cups raw sugar can substitute white granulated sugar if necessary, coconut sugar, or sucanat
- 5 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 pinch salt
- 4 cups buttermilk
- 1 cup neutral oil like canola or vegetable oil
- 4 large eggs beaten
- Optional additional ingredients for baking:
- fresh or frozen blueberries or dried fruit
- chocolate chips
Instructions
To prepare muffin mix:
- In a large bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir just until evenly moist. Scrape the muffin mix into a large container (of about 1 gallon capacity or larger) with a tight fitting lid. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours before using. Label the container with the date the batter was mixed. You can store and use the batter for up to 6 weeks.
To bake Plain Bran Muffins:
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line muffin tins with paper sleeves or spray the muffin cups with non-stick cooking spray. Fill the prepared muffin wells 2/3 full.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes for standard sized muffins or 10-12 minutes for mini-muffins. Muffins are done when a straw, skewer or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Allow muffins to rest in the tins for 5 minutes then gently turn out onto a cooling rack.
To bake Bran and Fruit Muffins or Chocolate Chip Bran Muffins:
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line muffin tins with paper sleeves or spray the muffin cups with non-stick cooking spray.
- Scoop the desired amount of muffin batter into a bowl and gently tuck in your chosen fruit or chocolate chips.
- Fill the prepared muffin wells 2/3 full. Bake for 15-20 minutes for standard sized muffins or 10-12 minutes for mini-muffins. Muffins are done when a straw, skewer or toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean. There may be some fruit juice on the skewer, but there shouldn't be any sticky batter.
- Allow muffins to rest in the tins for 5 minutes then gently turn out onto a cooling rack.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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This post was originally published January 25, 2011.
Reader's Thoughts...
Marla Meridith says
These muffins look GREAT!
DessertForTwo says
My grandma used to make these and keep them in her fridge to bake off 2 each morning. IN fact, my grandma was the original scaler-down of desserts. I should write a post about it, but I just might bawl my eyes out. ANYWAY, we were talking about muffins…LOVE THESE and love your video <3
Rebecca says
I’m a Grandma’s Girl, too! Except my Grandma was Mrs. Loaves and Fishes. Somehow she stretched a little to feed many! So no wonder where we both get it from! You SHOULD write a post about your Grandma! MWAH!
Rie says
I am someone who doesn’t do well with change. That said, your new “site” is pretty!!!!! I’ll just have to get used to it (teehee)………Guess it’s just another reason to improve me computer skills. (I do like the scrolling recipes on top…..Reminded me about the pasta with sausage…YUM) Love the idea about the muffins. That said, could you bring back make-ahead-Mondays??? LOVED that……Any way, everything is lovely……xoxoxox
Rebecca says
Aw, thanks, Rie! I’m not a big one for change either, but this one I love. Please check out the pretty new recipe index. It’s so much more functional and attractive than the one I had before. And the search? Whoo. You’re going to love that. All you need to do is enter a keyword or two (bacon, for example) and everything I’ve ever made with bacon in it pops up. And I will consider the Make-Ahead-Mondays! I’ve missed those, too! xo
Kristen Chidsey says
I absolutely love this video and your new site design. Everything looks great.
Rebecca says
Thank you so much, Kristen!
Michelle | A Latte Food says
I love, love, love this so much! I can’t believe this is good for 6 weeks! Fresh baked muffins everyday sounds like pure heaven!
Rebecca says
Hey Michelle! Isn’t it fun? It’s probably all a function of the wonderful, preservative qualities of buttermilk. Man, I love having that stuff around! And my boys adore these muffins, so we honestly cannot keep it for 6 weeks! 😀
Mary says
I couldn’t possibly be more excited about this recipe. I’m trying these muffins this week!
Rebecca says
I am so excited that you’re trying the recipe! Please let me know how your crew likes it!
Marne says
Have you ever tried using the Uncle Sam cereal before instead of the bran cereal? Just wondering if that would work the same in the recipe. Thanks so much!
Rebecca says
I haven’t actually tried it. I’d love to know how it turns out if you try it!
Nancy says
For some reason, the comment I osted on May 15 says “Nancy recently posted..Photo Blogging 101, Part 1.” I neither added that line nor wrote that post. Not sure where it came from.
Nancy says
We also try to avoid HFCS (and certainly aspartame), and these look fantastic. But I’m a cookbook editor and self-avowed food safety nut, so I have to ask: Is it really safe to leave raw egg batter in the fridge for that long? It’s always been my understanding that once eggs are out of the shell, they have a few refrigerated days before they start having issues.
Kathryn says
Good news….An FYI for you, you may want to check the All Bran again. I had craved these a couple of years ago, and gave up for the HFCS reason that you mention. Kellog’s must have gotten the message, I just bought a box and the only ingredients are; wheat bran, sugar, and malt flavoring. Just made these, using All Bran Original.
Rebecca says
You have no idea how happy this makes me, Kathryn! I never thought I’d say this, but I can’t wait to go check out the labels on the bran cereal again!
ejodee says
This is very closel to a muffin recipe on the box of Hodgson’s Mill Wheat Bran, but doubled. Ingredients: Wheat Bran. The Hodgson’s Mill recipe can be multiplied also.
http://www.hodgsonmillstore.com/en/Wheat-Bran-Unprocessed-Millers-Bran/71518-01018-001_Group.aspx
I make this recipe all the time. You can add almost anything you can think of to this recipe and it will still turn out. Including various combinations of moist or dried fruit and nuts. I usually grate a large apple into this batter and do not need to compensate moist ingredients.
I like to bake but you do not need to bake this recipe. I put about 1/2 cup of batter in a bowl with a pat of butter, and microwave it. On my microwave it doesn’t matter whether I use high power or baby it more with half power and longer time, so I microwave it for 1:45 on high. It is delicious and although different in appearance it is the same texture as a baked muffin.
April in CT says
So, I made these for our road trip and they were a total HIT! I cut the recipe in half and made half chocolate chip and the rest with dried cranberries and pecans. We were visiting family so it was nice to have them to snack on all week while there as well. They were well loved even by family members who wouldn’t normally touch anything that sounds anywhere near healthy. These were really easy to eat in the car and a much healthier option than the gas station temptations. I used Nature’s Path Bran with Flax and I didn’t have wheat germ so I substituted ground flax seed meal instead. These are going to be a constant in our household.
Karen D. says
Whipped these up last night and baked some this morning! They are yummy! I made mini muffins with dried cranberries and raisins. The batter is thick after sitting overnight. Can’t wait to try these with diced apple inside and cinnamon sugar on top.
helpmeet says
For up to six weeks?! NEATO! So, that has me wondering if this can be adapted for a recipe without the bran cereal (to reduce costs, etc.)? Rebecca, have you played around with this 6 week recipe more? Example: A favorite of ours here are banana muffins, which I’m wondering now if I can make it’s usual base, omitting the bananas until just before baking. I’m not talking bran cereal, but adapting the six week concept to other muffins. Or is there something special I’m missing that makes it possible to store this for six weeks but not another recipe? Now that I explained that backwards and forwards about 3 times, I hope I made sense! LOL
Rachel says
If you are ever looking for a cereal free bran muffin recipe this one is pretty good.
http://www.farmgirlfare.com/2007/02/back-into-bran-muffins.html
actually I think I need to add that one to the muffin list on my fridge…
April in CT says
Absolutely can’t wait to make these!! We’re going on a few long road trips in the coming months and these would be a perfect stomach friendly treat to help counter act some of that nasty fast food I know will come into play. I’ll have to check our local health food store for a good bran cereal.
Amy says
I started reading labels big time when Haley’s peanut allergy was diagnosed. And oh ya. HFCS is in EVERYTHING. I swear, it’s taken over the world. I read somewhere that it actually contains a chemical that causes cravings, which is why manufacturers use it. People eat more…people buy more.
Well, you know it’s been well documented over at my place how much I love a good muffin. “…and stash in the refrigerator for up to six weeks.” Seriously?…printing.
Nicole says
I was just thinking I needed to mix up breakfast and these sound simple and healthy. It’s amazing that you can use the mix for 6 weeks. My kind of recipe.
Heather says
What am I missing? I still can’t see the link to Amazon.
Thanks for the recipe. Can’t wait to try it. Sounds like a great way to have a healthy, fast breakfast.
Rebecca says
Heather- If you look just above the actual recipe, there should be a box with an image of the Smart Bran cereal and an Amazon.com link. If that doesn’t work, you could try this:
Nature's Path Organic Smart Bran, Psyllium & Oatbran Cereal, 10.6-Ounce Boxes (Pack of 6)
Carollee says
Did I miss the link to Amazon? I was going to buy the cereal and try these out and make my life simple, but I don’t think I saw the link to Amazon.
Rebecca says
Carollee- Thank you! For some reason, the link up and disappeared on me. It should be back in place now 🙂
Sharon says
Another option: Trader Joe’s Bran Flakes do not have HFCS or Aspartame! Yay!