Healthy Breakfast Bran Muffins

I'm sure I am not alone when I feel as though I am on a never ending diet of some sorts. From the caveman diet to Atkins I think I have tried most of them!

Sometimes the constant struggle just gets to you and the problem I always seem to have is something healthy I can eat for breakfast. I'm not good in the morning and more likely to pop the lid to the biscuit tin than sort myself a decent breakfast.

The majority of the cakes I bake always tend to be luxurious and full of sugar and all things naughty, so really they aren't much good to me!

So I wanted something healthy but tasty, we enjoy visiting the many coffee shops in and around Exmouth and Exeter, and my other half has always been partial to a breakfast muffin. They look delicious and full of good stuff but was shocked when I realised a Starbucks Bran muffin was 420 calories! I thought I'm sure I can make something similar for half that amount and it still be tasty.

So I set to work trawling the net and adding a few tweaks I came up with the following recipe. It has about 240 calories and 2.4g fibre in each muffin.

As with all muffins it uses oil rather than butter, and this is where the majority of the calories come from but oil is traditonally known to have more healthy unsaturated fats and less harmful fats than butter. Sunflower oil also has more levels of polyunsaturated fats helping to reduce that bad cholesterol.

Instead of using white refined sugar soft dark brown sugar is used which has a lower calorific value.

Ingredients Make 10

100g Bran Flakes

250ml Milk, warmed (Semi or Skimmed)

60g Wholemeal Flour

60g Plain Flour

2 tsp Baking Powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

75g Raisins

1 Large egg

100g Soft dark brown sugar

100ml Sunflower oil

2 tbsp Demerera sugar

Marmalade (optional)

Method

1. Pre-Heat the oven to 200c/400F/Gas 6 (less if you have a fan oven I out mine on at about 180)

2. Line a muffin tin with 10 paper cases. Put the bran flakes in a bowl and add the warm milk, let that soak until cereal is soft. You can measure out the other ingredients while this happens.

3. Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and spices into a large bowl. Add the bran from the sieve into the mixture. Stir in the raisins.

4. Beat together the egg, sugar and oil and add to the flour mixture, along with the soaked cereal and any milk left in the bowl. Mix.

5. Spoon the mixture equally between the cases.

6. If you like add a small tsp of marmalade to each muffin on the top and push in. Then sprinkle with demerera sugar.

7. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes. When cooked a cocktail stick should come out clean. Cool in the tin slightly and then transfer to a cooling rack.

8. Store in an airtight tin for up to 5 days.

Enjoy they certainly haven't lasted long at mine....