Where I live there is a local bakery that has the BEST raisin bran muffins I have ever had. We like to warm them up and then put honey on them, and boy are they delicious. In fact, most bran muffins you get at a bakery are just amazingly scrumptious.

The problem is, that while they are technically a “bran” muffin, most bakeries put in so much sugar, brown sugar, white flour, and other ingredients that it completely takes the muffin from a nutritional snack to a calorie-laden, fat filled bad idea. Those muffins I like from our local bakery? They are a whopping 380 calories each!

So, I set out to make some actually healthy bran muffins that were still edible. And it turns out it is possible. I swapped out the oil for applesauce, used only 1/4 cup brown sugar, changed the all-purposed flour to whole wheat flour, and stuffed it full of fiber filled prunes and raisins to sweeten them up.

The result? A tasty muffin that comes in at only 105 calories, less than 1g fat, 3g protein, and 4g fiber.

Healthy Raisin Prune Bran Muffins (makes 16 muffins)

1 ½ cup Wheat Bran
1 cup buttermilk (sub 1 cup milk + 1 teaspoon lemon juice)
1/3 cup applesauce
1 egg
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ salt
½ teaspoon ground cloves
1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon
150 g (about 1 cup) chopped prunes
½ cup jumbo black raisins

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375°
2. Mix Bran and Buttermilk, let stand
3. Combine applesauce, egg, brown sugar, vanilla (stir with a spoon)
4. Add to Bran Mixture
5. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, ground cloves, cinnamon and add to Bran mixture and stir with a spoon until just blended
6. Add prunes and raisins
7. Spoon into prepared muffin tins
8. Sprinkle sugar crystals on top
9. Cook for 15-17 minutes at 375°

Nutritional Info (1 muffin)

Calories 105
Carbs 22g
Fat .7g
Protein 3g
Potassium 103mg
Sugars 9.7g
Fiber 4.2g
Sodium 72mg
Cholesterol 11mg
Calcium 5%
Vitamin C 1%
Vitamin A 4.5%
Iron 6.5%

Click here to print out this recipe for keeping. 🙂