Magic No-Pumpkin Pumpkin Muffins

At midnight on weekends, normal college students party it up. But it has long been proven that I am not normal. I find Friday at midnight a perfect baking time. Don't you? I haven't made muffins this semester yet and settled on muffins.

I like bran muffins. I started making them last year when I was watching my girlish figure and have since developed some pretty delicious bran muffin hybrids. This is probably my favorite recipe, I first made them this summer and did a double take when I ate the first one. It tastes like a pumpkin muffin. It contains no pumpkin. It is magic.

It’s probably all the cinnamon in it, really. Or the fairy dust…

Even if you don’t think they taste like pumpkin, they’re pretty darn good and super healthy to boot. Loads of fiber and low fat. They’re lightly sweet, which makes them good for breakfast or a snack or for hiding if your roommate’s bed. What?


Magic No-Pumpkin Pumpkin Muffins:

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cups boiling water
1/2 cups oats
1/2 cup whole bran cereal or bran flakes
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
dash nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cups whole wheat flour (depending on how thick your batter is, this can be reduced to ¾ cup, I added too much water too my bran mixture so I added some more flour)
½ cup all purpose flour
(tasting these cold, they could maybe use a little molasses)

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a small bowl, combine the bran and oats and cover with the boiling water. Set aside for 10 minutes to let the bran-oat mix absorb the water. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Meanwhile cream the sugar and butter together until smooth. Add the eggs and beat until light in color.
3. Add the maple syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt to the mixture to combine.
4. Add bran-oat mixture and mix to combine.
5. Add the flours, mix just until lumpy-- you don't want to overmix.
6. Line muffin tin with muffin liners or spray with oil. Fill 3/4 full and bake for 15 minutes.
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Viola! I think this is one of those recipes in which the fat (butter) could successfully be replaced with applesauce, I'll try it and post the results. As you may have guessed by the picture, these are good with apple butter. And don't be freaked out by the sugar-free label on my apple butter, there's no weird sugar substitutes in it, just no added sugar. I've been curious about making my own apple butter but the good people at Patterson Farm make some good apple butter without me lifting a finger so that may not happen for awhile.

Speaking of, Joe and I went to Patterson Farm to go apple picking last weekend. I am absolutely delighted by fruit trees, there are no fruiting trees in Alaska (beside a few sour crab apples and chokecherries, which would probably kill you) so fruit growing on trees is quite the magical concept to me. I about died when I went to California for the first time. "THERE IS FRUIT ON THAT TREE, LOOK! LOOK! A LEMON!" Anyways. We picked 5 lbs of apples on Sunday and I had all sorts of plans for baking them. And then we ate them all by Thursday. At least we binge on healthy things, I guess. I love apples.

Next up: maple leaf sugar cookies. I saw a tree with yellow leaves today so I feel justified in my baking autumn-y treats. Also, I have a test next Thursday and I have to de-stress somehow, I see a lot of baked goods in my future. I apologize, waist line.

p.s I met a man named Freginal. As in, a combination of Frank and Reginal. So awesome.