After my wisdom teeth saga was over, the baking fever took over. The days of lying around in pain were behind me, and all I wanted to do was bake!
Looking around the cabinet, I spied a half-used bag of oat bran. What better way to use up oat bran than by making bran muffins? There was even a recipe for “applesauce bran muffins” on the box. Of course, this recipe used white flour, brown sugar, and lots of vegetable oil, so I needed to make a few changes. I also decided to boost the nutritional content by adding carrots, coconut oil, and a few handfuls of raisins.
Most muffins are full of refined sugar, flour, and oil, but these contain none of the harmful ingredients! High in fiber, vitamins, and minerals to jump start your day and…
“Get up and Go!”
~Full of fiber and vitamins, these muffins will surely energize you for the whole day. Gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, and sugar-free!
Ingredients
- Dry:
- 1 cup oat bran
- 1 cup oat flours (make your own by simply processing oats in a blender or food processor until smooth)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Wet:
- 2 eggs
- 2 Tablespoons coconut oil
- 2 apples (or 1 cup applesauce)
- 2 carrots, finely grated
- 1/3 cup raisins
- 1/3 cup walnuts, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400* and grease or line 12 muffins cups. I used coconut oil to grease mine.
- Mix together dry ingredients in a bowl.
- In a saucepan, chop the apples and add a small splash of water. Let simmer and cover for 5-10 minutes, or until soft. Smash with a fork until it resembles a chunky applesauce. Alternatively, you may use 1 cup of pre made, unsweetened applesauce. Mix the applesauce with the rest of the wet ingredients.
- Combine the wet and dry, and then fold in raisins and walnuts.
- Spoon batter into cup and bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Let muffins sit in tin for one minute, and then cool on rack for five minutes before serving. The muffins continue to cook and set while in the muffin pan for the extra minute, and the cooling rack helps prevent the muffins from becoming soggy.
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http://www.spoonfulofsugarfree.com/2012/02/07/get-up-and-go-muffins/Enjoy with a drizzle of coconut oil, optional.
Mmmm…Nice and toasty straight from the oven.
Also great in mini-size! The baking time may need to be reduced for 10-12 minutes, though, when using mini muffin tins.
Health Benefits:
- Oats: Click HERE for a post about the benefits of oats.
- Cinnamon: Studies have shown that it can help lower LDL cholesterol, help regulate blood sugar levels, has anti-clotting effect on blood, and it can boost cognitive function and memory.
- Coconut Oil: Coconut is widely misunderstood because of it’s high fat content; however, coconut’s saturated fat is made up of medium-chain fatty acids. These medium-chains are easy to absorb and digest, and are converted quickly into energy. This means that the body has no opportunity to store the medium-chain as fat. Coconut is also a great source of dietary fiber with a whopping 5 grams per oz!
- Apples: a flavanoid called phloridzin that is found only in apples may protect post-menopausal women from osteoporosis and may also increase bone density. Boron, another ingredient in apples, also strengthens bones. The pectin in apples lowers LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, and it supplies galacturonic acid to the body which lowers the body’s need for insulin and may help in the management of diabetes.
- Carrots: Carrots are best known for their eye-helping benefits. This is because the orange vegetable is full of beta-carotene, which converts to vitamin A in the liver. The antioxidant also has many anti-aging properties that can slow down the aging in cells. Helps prevent against sun damage, and can keep skin, nails, and hair healthy and vibrant.
My whole family devoured this treat. We ate through three batches in three days! I had to hide some of the muffins in order to take pictures. If someone ever tells you no-one likes unsweetened muffins, think again and try these!
Thought-provoking, mind-prodding question of the day:
What is your favorite muffin flavor?
I used to live near a bakery that sold all sorts of different muffins. They specialized in mini muffins, so I was able to pick three mini muffins in different flavors to try. My favorite was the chocolate cheesecake muffin. Now I cringe at the thought of eating a “muffin” full of sugar and cream cheese, much more of a cupcake than a muffin!
Yum! These look so good, I’ll definitely be making them. I like the addition of carrots, raisins, and coconut oil!
he he there funny looking and I like it!! They look wonderful! I am loving processing oatmeal into oat flour, so much better for you! I also love the combination you used of apples, carrots and raisins!
Get up and go! Love the name
It’s great that your family went through so many batches so quickly. I’m a bit fan of putting raisins in muffins. A muffin I made lately had lots of different dried fruits with banana. SO good.
Leanne,
Oooooo! I am excited to see that recipe!
I would have done the same thing..got to baking! These sound tasty…when I have used oat bran in the past, it’s a little too much for my tummy to handle so I would sub that ingredient…they look delish!!
I’ve also had success with substituting quinoa flakes for the oat bran if you would like to try that!
Yum yum! These look really amazing. Thanks for outlining all the health benefits too!
I’m a sucker for a good (and sugary) blueberry muffin…I have to admit, I still like that crunchy, sugary top. But I bet there’s a delicious sugarfree version just waiting to be made. =)
Clair,
Hmmm…maybe to get the crunch, you could trow a few oats and nuts on top and broil for the last few seconds to get nice and crunchy?
oohhh I love the sound of these alex! My kind of muffin right there. I can’t really remember the last time I made or even ate a muffin actually- I need to change that seriously.
I know you did the numbing/anesthesia part of your wisdom teeth procedure a little differently, but I have to say that for me, it was one of the worst few weeks of my life. I actually still have a part of my lip that never got the feeling back!
Bailee,
Yes, I felt pretty darn awful for about a week, but oh my goodness-weeks for you? And you still don’t have feeling back? Wow, did the dentists do something wrong?
Gorgeous pictures!
Thanks, Jane!
My favorite muffins are probably Pumpkin Chocolate Chip…or these Whole Wheat muffins from Cooking Light that seem very similar to these…LOTS of goodness crammed into a fiber-packed bite.
I do have a thing for plain bran muffins with raisins. My grandmother used to make AMAZING ones that probably just came from a box. But whatever.
Hey Alex, these look WONDERFUL!!!! Do you think I could substitue chia gel for the eggs? if so, how much do you think?
Thanks!
hope
Hi Hope,
You could probably sub the eggs for chia. It might be a bit more crumbly, but I don’t know because I haven’t tried it. I would use 3 tablespoons of gel per egg. Let me know if you try it!
love the name of these muffins!! so cute and love the photos too!! they sound wonderful
I made these last night but used Goji berries instead of raisins and 1 tbsp oo and 1 tbsp coconut butter to replace the 2 tbsp of coconut oil.
They were AMAZING.
I also made the socco / pesto pizza from your site this week. Also amazing.
You rock!
*socca
Morgan,
YAY! I am so glad you enjoyed them
And the pizza, too! Wahoo!
These look really yummy and I like the use of oats + oat flour, I LOVE oats!! My favorite muffin flavor is without a doubt pumpkin chocolate chips, love it!
Ana
Ana,
I have yet to try a pumpkin chocolate chip muffin! Sounds tasty.
I add chopped, thawed spinach, fiber one cereal, walnuts, and use home canned apple sauce *sugar free instead of oils and eggs.. Toss in some ground flax too! They bind together well and are essentially a oat, bran, veggie nut muffin with some cranberry bites! Yummy and freezer safe for a whole week or more muffin supply.
Sounds great, Kris! Will have to try!
I’m new to coconut oil and was planning on picking some up this week. However! You said to drizzle it on top of the muffins. Are you heating up the solid oil for it to be runny? Or is there various kinds of coconut oil. If so what should I be shopping for?
- the newb
Hi Janna,
Make sure you buy an “extra virgin” coconut oil. You want an oil that is the least treated as possible, definitely do not buy hydrogenated coconut oil. As for the drizzling, I love the taste of coconut oil and like to put some on top. However, it is not required for the recipe. Coconut oil solidifies when it is colder than 75*. If it is warmer than that, the oil will be a liquid and be able to “drizzle” smoothly.
Hope this helps!
Hi
These looked so amazing, but I didn’t have any carrots so I used zucchinis instead, had a few other substitutions and add some other stuff (ie protien powder)! they don’t look as nice as yours but wow they taste amazing!! thanks for the idea
Ana,
Wow! I’m glad you liked them. I guess I’m going to have to try the zucchini and protein next time.
I have no oat bran at home, but I so much want to make them as i have tons of carrots in my fridge:) Unfortunately, I don’t have any quinoa flakes either. Any other suggestions for the oat bran? Will any gf flour work?
Galina,
You can try substituting whole oats for the bran? It might have a different texture, but I’m sure it would still be tasty.
I tried these muffins too and really enjoyed them, but then my naturopath informed me that oats are a glutinous grain
She suggested trying polenta or rice flour instead, have you tried either of those?
Sue
Sue,
Look for certified gluten-free grains. They do sell them! I haven’t tried rice flour or polenta with this recipe, though, sorry!