Best Bran Muffins Ever

Makes 12 muffins or 6 mini-muffins

The Jew & The Carrot contributor, Tamar Fox, swears by these delicious and healthy muffins. They’re perfect for breakfast, spread with raspberry jam. The recipe comes from *her* family’s Tastebook, Vixens in the Kitchen. (Get a copy on Tastebook.com!)

ingredients

1 1/2 cup wheat bran
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
liberal dash of cinnamon
handful of oats
handful of wheat germ
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup melted margarine
1/4 cup molasses
2 eggs
splash of vanilla
1 cup pumpkin puree
2 to 3 handfuls of sunflower seeds, unsalted (optional)
handful or more chopped walnuts
lots of raisins

directions

1
Combine half cup of the bran with a half cup of boiling water and let it steep. In a separate bowl combine the rest of the bran with the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, oats, and wheat germ.
2
In a third bowl - a really big one, with a cover, if you have one - blend together the honey and the margarine.
3
Add the eggs, molasses and vanilla. Now, to the steeping bran bowl, add the pumpkin. Now you have 3 mixtures, and you want to add the dry mix and the pumpkin mix to the molasses mix alternating between the two a little at a time until you’re done.
4
So, add some dry mix, mix, add some pumpkin mix, mix, and so on. Add all the mix ins until the batter is as chunky as you want it. If you can let the batter sit overnight, that’s best. If not, no worries.
5
Bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes. Let cool.