Blueberry Buttermilk Bran Muffins

I was good to my word, dear reader. Here is the recipe for the muffins I made to put in the freezer. I made a triple batch (my husband ate two muffins before they were even cool...with butter, which kind of defeats the purpose of a healthy muffin). Oh well!

These little beauties are not only moist and scrumptious, but they are very healthy for you too. No need to feel guilty when diving into one of these muffins. They are mildly sweet, low in fat and cholesterol, high in fiber and packed full of vitamins, minerals and even some antioxidants for good measure. These freeze nicely when sealed in a Ziploc bag after they have completely cooled. Grab one on the way out the door on the way to work or school. You can feel good about starting your day this way, as opposed to a bowl of sugary cereal or a high cholesterol bacon and eggs breakfast. For a variation you can replace the applesauce with an equal volume of canned pumpkin (then make sure you add 1/2 tsp. of pumpkin pie spice) and then replace the blueberries with golden raisins or chopped dates. If you prefer your muffins a bit sweeter, you can add an additional 1/4 cup of brown sugar to the mix, but we think these are tasty as they are.

1 1/2 cups all bran cereal
1 cup low fat buttermilk

1/4 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup applesauce
1 egg
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup dark molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup grated carrot
1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1-1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1-1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup dried blueberries (or 1 cup fresh)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line muffin cups with paper muffin liners. Mix together wheat bran and buttermilk; let stand for 10 minutes. Beat together wheat germ, applesauce, egg, brown sugar, molasses and vanilla and add to buttermilk/bran mixture. Mix in the carrots. Sift together flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Stir flour mixture into buttermilk mixture, until just blended. Fold in dried blueberries and spoon batter into prepared muffin tins. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, (shorter period of time if you are using a convection oven) or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool and enjoy!