I am so stoked for Christmas morning. I love having an easy breakfast buffet set up while emptying our stockings and opening presents. Family members can make their plates and replenish them at their leisure. Christmas morning in our house is a celebration. Rich food abounds i.e. lots of thick cut, smoked, honey and red pepper flake bacon… gooey, cheesy breakfast casserole… mixed berry fruit salad tossed in a mint and lime dressing… creamy stone ground grits covered with a fresh dusting of black pepper and dotted with full fat butter. Lordy, but I can’t wait. To keep my stomach from talking back, I also serve these resplendent muffins. I figure something this healthful will push all that bacon fat out my veins. These banana pecan bran muffins bake up beautifully, fat with tall, rounded tops and just barely sweet.
They’re tender and chock full of the flavors of bananas, pecans and molasses. Blackstrap molasses is a great sweetener as it’s actually healthful being full of iron, calcium, magnesium, vitamin B6 and selenium. No processed sugar there. Besides the fact, it tastes so good! These muffins call for 100% white whole wheat flour yet they’re not the heavy bricks you’d think they’d be. Whole wheat pastry flour can be used with a fine outcome; both flours yield a light and soft crumb. The bananas called for must be really ripe for the most flavor possible. I use Bob’s Red Mill whole wheat flours and their bran flakes as well. Baked off and flash frozen weeks earlier, these muffins are revived to a moist wonder when thawed on the counter and warmed through in the oven. A basket full is always welcome on my breakfast table. Enjoy!
These muffins are quick and easy to throw together. The pecans can easily be substituted with walnuts and or can be eliminated completely for those who can’t eat them. I do suggest letting the batter rest after filling the muffin the whole 10 minutes to ensure a tall, globed top. Oh, and if you cover the entire muffin tin with non-stick spray, your muffins will tumble out with ease.
Banana Pecan Bran Muffins
- 1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 cup wheat bran
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- pinch of salt
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1 cup mashed, ripe bananas (about 3 medium size)
- 3/4 cup almond, soy, nut or whole milk
- 1/2 cup blackstrap molasses
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pre-heat oven to 400°. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners then lightly cover cups and entire top of tin with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large bowl combine flour, bran, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add pecans and mix well.
- In a medium size bowl combine banana, milk, molasses, vegetable oil and eggs. Stir until completely combined.
- Add wet ingredients to dry and stir until almost combined. A few flour spots are fine.
- Spoon mixture into muffin tin evenly. The cups will be filled up to the top but won’t leak over. I use a 2 1/2″ ice cream scoop for even portions.
- Set aside muffins for 10 minutes then bake in the middle of the oven for 17-20 minutes.
- Cool 5 minutes, remove muffins from tin and allow to cool.
The Irreverent Kitchen 