Yummy Buttermilk Bran Muffins

During my growing up years, my mom would occasionally make up a batch of bran muffins.  The batter would sit in a big pitcher in the fridge and every morning, we would bake a batch for breakfast.  They were good with some jam on them, but I preferred them with just a big slab of butter tucked in there.

A few years ago, I was sorting through my mom's recipes, looking for old favorites to copy for my collection and I ran across this one.

I scanned it and saved it on my computer and then forgot about it.  Then, a week or so ago, I got a sudden craving for my mom's bran muffins.  I think it must be a winter thing... yummy, hot muffins on a cold morning...  So I pulled up the recipe, and then added some scary (to my husband) ingredients to my grocery list and I prepared to make me some muffins.  My husband was truly terrified to see All Bran and plain bran flakes in the cart.  And he was even more scared when he came home early and saw the nasty looking mixture of buttermilk and bran before I mixed in the flour.  I admit, it looked bad, but knowing that I love the product, I plowed on and made the muffins.
Except this recipe is for a large family of hungry eaters.  I didn't have a bowl big enough to mix it in.  I had to use my two largest bowls.  Keep that in mind if you decide to make them.

The verdict:  Even after seeing what goes in and how funky it looks, my husband was willing to try one and then he ate another one and another.  The kids love them with raspberry jam and the little one eats them plain.  I don't know if it's the buttermilk, or what, but for being so full of healthy stuff, these muffins are delicious.  Try them!

My first ever baking day Tuesday!

Maybe.  Tuesday might not work every week.  It felt like I was baking almost every day, and there are other things I want to do with my afternoons, so I declared yesterday baking day for the week. 

Originally, I had planned to get started immediately in the morning, but my brain doesn't kick in till about 10, so I got a late start.  My 4 year old helped, so that took a bit more time, but we made a lot!  We made bread dough and then made oatmeal chocolate chip cookies while the bread was rising.  Then we punched down the dough and made these oat muffins -still using up apples-while the bread rose again.  Then I remembered that hubby's birthday is this week and I should have made a cake instead of cookies, so after the kids were in bed, I made a little chocolate cake.

The grand tally:
3 loaves of bread
8 rolls (because I only  have 3 bread pans)
2 dozen crumbly cookies -not sure what happened
18 muffins
1 9x9 chocolate cake
1 bowl of cookie dough, because it makes me happy

I wanted to share my cookie recipe, because I love these cookies so much, and with the oatmeal, I can pretend that they are healthy.  I've honestly been making this recipe since I was a little girl.  I'm not sure why they fell apart, maybe I didn't let them sit on the pan long enough.  They still taste good though.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp soda
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
4 Tbs milk
4 cups rolled oats
1 cup chocolate chips, or raisins if you really want to be healthy, or dates or nuts...

Preheat oven to 375
Sift flour with soda and salt into mixing bowl.
Add butter, sugar, brown sugar, egg, vanilla and milk.  Mix until smooth.
Add rolled oats and chocolate chips.
Drop by spoonful on ungreased cookie sheet about 2" apart.
Bake for 10-12 minutes

*food storage friendly changes:
add egg powder, butter powder, or milk powder with dry ingredients, then add needed water when recipe calls for milk.
I used 4 Tbs egg powder and 1/2 cup water in place of the eggs, and 8 tsp powdered milk and 1/4 cup water.