Honey Bran Muffins

I worked in the costume shop for three years at the University I attended.  It really was the best job.  I may not have made the most money a college student could make, but I really enjoyed the work, I worked with incredible people, and I was always doing something creative with my hands.  

It was also the first place that I was introduced to the honey-soaked bran muffin.  Every time a show opened, we had a celebratory lunch, and everyone brought something to contribute.  

Often they were based around the show (maybe a garden party theme, or kid's food, for example), and because the three women who run the costume shop are incredible cooks, the food was always amazing.  Anyway, one time, we were celebrating some show opening, and another seamstress brought in this box of gorgeous bran muffins from a local bakery.  They glistened with a honey glaze, and tasted DIVINE!  It was a life-changing moment in my muffin-eating life.  

Then I discovered that they sold them in a convenience store around the corner from my apartment.  It was a dangerous discovery, but I was too poor to buy them very often, so they were the occasional, delicious treat on my way home.  

A year or so later, I moved to Texas and completely forgot about them. Then, a few weeks ago, I was thinking about some of my best muffins I have eaten and they floated back into my mind.  I decided to try to recreate them, so I scoured the internet for a similar recipe.  I did find a few, but after looking through the recipes, I decided to mix a few techniques and ingredients and create my own.  

It was a glorious day.  They are delicious.  Just look at those honey soaked tops.  I don't think it gets much better than that.  I would say they are a health food, but let's be real;  they are definitely a dessert.  Happy Baking!

*Also, in other news, for those of you who were asking, I have added an email subscription option on the left column above my navigation menu.  

Honey Bran Muffins: 

Heavily adapted from The Lazy Wife's Guide and a friend's grandmother's recipe

serves 18-24 (depending on how much you fill each cup) 

2 cups All-Bran sticks

2 cups boiling water

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

2 cups flour

1 cup buttermilk (or fake buttermilk, see post here about how to make it)

1 egg

1/2 cup honey

3/4 cup melted coconut oil

Combine All-Bran and boiling water in a medium sized bowl. Let it cool.  In a large bowl, combine salt, baking soda, and flour.  Add buttermilk, egg, honey and coconut oil and stir to combine.  Add a cooled All-Bran mixture to flour mixture and stir to combine.  Make honey glaze (see below).  

Honey Glaze: 

1/4 cup melted butter

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup white sugar

1/4 cup honey

1 1/2 Tbs boiling water 

Combine melted butter, sugars and honey in a medium-sized bowl.  Add the boiling water and stir to combine.  One mixture feels pretty well incorporated, pour a little less than a tablespoon in each muffin well.  Pour the batter into the muffin wells, over the honey glaze, but only fill each well about 1/2 way, because you don't want the muffins to rise over the rim very much.  

Cook in an oven preheated to 375°F for 30 minutes.  Remove when the tops are beginning to crack and look golden.  Immediately flip the pan over onto a sheet of wax paper for easy removal.  Let the muffins sit for a minute to cool, then eat immediately.   

 Honey Bran Muffins