Toronto Bran Muffins
Submitted by michelleg
Quick bran muffins made with bran cereal and cake mix for a semi-homemade shortcut that still tastes scratch-baked. Golden, tender, and butter-brushed on top. Ready in 30 minutes, makes a dozen.
YIELD
12 servingsPREP
10 minCOOK
20 minREADY
30 minSometimes the best baking hacks are the ones that have been hiding in recipe boxes for decades.
Bran cereal soaks in hot milk until soft, then gets beaten with eggs and oil before a box of cake mix gets stirred in just enough to bring it all together.
The batter rests while the oven heats, and 20 minutes later you’ve got a dozen golden, tender muffins with that hearty bran flavor.
The finishing move? Wiping each warm muffin top with softened butter for a glossy, rich crown that makes them look (and taste) like they came from a proper bakery.
Pro Tips
- Don’t overmix the batter. Once the cake mix goes in, stir only until the dry ingredients are moistened. Lumpy batter makes tender muffins. Smooth batter makes hockey pucks.
- Let the cereal soak fully. Those 10 minutes matter. The bran needs to absorb all the milk so the muffins stay moist instead of gritty.
- Butter the tops while still hot. The warmth melts the butter into a thin, glossy coat that keeps the muffin tops soft instead of crusty.
- Grease the tins well. Bran muffins love to stick. A solid coating of shortening in every well saves you from mangled muffins.
Ingredients
Directions
Combine cereal with hot milk in a 1½ quart mixing bowl and let it stand about 10 minutes---or until the cereal has absorbed all of the milk.
With the electric mixer on high speed, beat in the oil and eggs until completely blended.
Remove the beaters. Switch to a sturdy spoon and dump in the cake mix, stirring only to moisten all of it thoroughly---but don’t overmix or overbeat or the muffin texture will be heavy and tough. The batter will be a bit lumpy. Cover the bowl and let the batter stand 15 minutes while you preheat the oven to 400 F, and grease 12 muffin tin wells in Crisco, evenly. Divide batter equally between the 12 wells. If you are using cupcake tin wells, you will have 15 muffins. Bake at 400 for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Wipe tops of each while still warm in softened butter or margarine.
Comments
