Banana Bran Muffins

You will need:

1 ½ cups bran flakes
1 cup-ish mashed ripe banana (2 or 3 medium bananas. Either will work.)
½ cup milk
1 egg
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

To make:

Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease or paper line 12 muffin cups. Crush cereal (I just used my hands) and combine with bananas, milk, egg and oil in a bowl and mix well. Let stand for 5 minutes, then stir to break up the cereal clumps.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon in another bowl. Add cereal mixture to the flour mixture, stirring until just moistened. Divide evenly among prepared muffin cups. Bake 20-25 minutes or until a tester toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

These turned out with a nice, chewy (not crumbly) quality, which I imagine would be amplified if you were to substitute whole wheat flour for some of the all-purpose. They didn’t remind me of your “typical” bran muffin at all, but I’m one of those strange people who also love bran muffins. We ate these for breakfast on Thanksgiving, and they’re easy enough to whip up the night before while you’re preparing other items for a big meal.

Enjoy.