Blueberry Bran Muffins

As an attempt to sneak some fiber into the kids, I set about making a 'treat' or a healthy-type 'cake' for the kids.

I loved grabbing a Banana Berry Bran muffin from Muffin Break in Australia for a convenient breakfast on my way from the gym to work... and wanted to create something similar.

I uncovered a much-referred-to muffin recipe book "Muffin Magic" by Diana Linfoot. I adapted one of her recipes into my own version below:

BLUEBERRY BRAN MUFFINS

Ingredients:

¼ cup butter

¼ cup Golden Syrup

2 eggs

½ cup milk

½ cup fat free yoghurt

1 cup wheat bran

½ cup plain flour

½ cup wholewheat flour

2 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp baking soda

1 cup blueberries

Method:

Preheat oven to 150℃ (300℉). Grease muffin pan or line with paper liners.

Melt together the butter and golden syrup. Beat in the eggs, milk and yoghurt.

Combine the dry ingredients (bran, flours, baking powder and baking soda) and fold into wet butter mix.

Gently fold in blueberries, taking care not to squash them.

Place mixture in muffin pan and bake for 20 to 25 minutes (or until skewer inserted in middle of muffin comes out clean).

Note:

The original recipe is for 10 muffins - I stretch this to make 12 'smaller' muffins.

Use the golden syrup made from sugar cane (available in Australia and the UK - and at specialty stores and international aisles of supermarkets in the US). Do not use the horrible corn version.

The original recipe calls for a further 1/4 cup sugar - although I don't think this is needed when the recipe uses sweet blueberries. Add sugar if berries are omitted or a sweeter muffin is desired. If using, add extra sugar to egg and milk mixture.

The following nutritional information is applicable to this recipe - using 2% milk and imperial cup measurements without the additional sugar. Nutrition Facts thanks to Livestrong.com

Although much smaller in size, it would appear that this version is significantly lighter in calories than the Muffin Break version!

Making a start!

OK.... so the comments and hints re: blog entries (or lack thereof), are starting to make me feel somewhat guilty. Several notable occasions have been and gone with nary a word from me: Thanksgiving, Paul's (husband) birthday, Christmas, New Year, Luc's birthday (now Master Six), fourth anniversary of being in the USA ...

Truly, I blame the snow, snow, snow and more snow that has fallen during this extreme season we seem to be in the midst of. The 'snow days' causing schools to be closed have been copious. The days of being 'housebound' have been many. The lines at the supermarket prior to a snow 'event' have been interminable. The hours required to shovel snow have been numerous. The number of calories burned shoveling snow have been momentous. The resultant tiredness and aches have been significant. The desire to feast on hearty dinners has been uncontrollable. The need to imbibe hot chocolate spiced with cognac while one has one's feet elevated and eyes closed has been overwhelming. Therefore, not a lot of time, nor energy, to blog.

I started my first blog (gearon.org) just over four years ago as a record of our move from Brisbane to Chicago. (Some - still undetermined - glitch has made this impossible to view for the moment). I started this rum sum mum blog in August of last year as a record of our move from Chicago to rural Virginia. My intention was to keep it regularly updated... Obviously this wasn't one of my new-year's-resolutions of 2010! *SIGH*

Oh well... here I put finger pad to keyboard as a start. Perhaps now I will be able to fall asleep a little easier rather than composing intended blog entries in my head at night...