Apple Bran Muffins

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 12 (2½-inch) muffin cups with paper liners or spray with nonstick cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine together: 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour 2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp baking soda ½ tsp salt ¼ tsp ground nutmeg In a medium bowl beat with an electric mixer at medium speed until blended: ½ cup sugar 2 tbsp butter or margarine, softened Whisk in: 1 ½ cups Mott’s applesauce (or any unsweetened applescause) 2 egg whites 2 tbsp molasses Add and stir until moistened: 1 ½ cup wheat bran flakes cereal Stir applesauce mixture into flour mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter evenly into prepared muffin cups. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Immediately remove from pan; cool on wire rack for 12 minutes. Serve warm immediately or cool completely and store. FoodNotes: 1. May use the entire egg, if desired. 2. 1 cup wheat bran may be substituted with 1 cup oat bran, OR I cup rice bran or ¾ cup rolled oats; however, it will affect the texture of the recipe because different brans absorb moisture differently. (Bran is the outer layer of a wheat or oat berry which is removed from refined grains in the milling process.) 3. Although the word “bran” appears in the phrase “bran flakes” and actual bran is in the flakes, you won’t be able to make a straight substitute for real bran because Bran Flakes cereal is a processed food and contains other ingredients that will affect the final flavour and texture of your recipe. 4. Ingredients of Kellogg’s Bran Flakes are: Whole grain wheat, wheat bran, sugar, corn and barley malt extract, salt, Vitamins and minerals: iron, thiamine hydrochloride, d-calcium pantothenate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, zinc oxide. TRY: ¾ cup wheat bran, ½ cup rolled oats, and ¼ cup cornmeal.