When most mothers didn’t work (back in the day), Mama made these for decades while she was a working mother. These are simple, delicious, and incredibly moist. They are also a lifesaver for busy cooks because you can prepare a large batch that is stored in the refrigerator and bake only a few at a time. For their own hot and filling meal in the morning, my kids can scoop one or two into a tin and bake it. Considering that they may be made in advance and baked shortly before serving, they make a delightful complement to breakfast.
| Prep Time: | 10 mins |
| Cook Time: | 15 mins |
| Additional Time: | 4 hrs |
| Total Time: | 4 hrs 25 mins |
| Servings: | 72 |
| Yield: | 72 muffins |
Ingredients
- 2 cups boiling water
- 2 cups bran cereal (such as All-Bran® Bran Buds®)
- 3 cups white sugar
- 1 ½ cups shortening
- 4 eggs
- 4 cups buttermilk
- 5 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 cups shredded bran cereal
- 2 cups raisins
- 5 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Pour boiling water over Bran Buds® cereal in a medium bowl and let stand.
- Beat sugar, shortening, and eggs together in a very large bowl that has a lid (I use a large Tupperware® bowl) with an electric mixer until creamy. Add buttermilk, followed by bran-water mixture. Add flour, shredded bran cereal, raisins, baking soda, and salt. Stir until just combined; do not overmix and don’t stir again.
- Let sit in the refrigerator at least 4 to 6 hours before baking.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease and flour muffin tins or line with paper liners.
- Scoop batter evenly into the prepared muffin cups, filling each about 2/3 full.
- Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes.
- This batter can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 6 weeks (although I must admit I’ve never had it longer than a couple of weeks).
- Over the years I’ve tried making some substitutions/changes with sugars/molasses, shortening/oil, different fruit, whole wheat flour, etc., but always come back to the original recipe. It can be doctored to your heart’s desire, but it’s a great recipe just as-is! Shredded apple, dates, or other diced dried fruit can be used instead of raisins.
- For large muffins (that’s what we usually make) bake until a toothpick comes out clean, 20 to 30 minutes.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 135 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 23 g |
| Cholesterol | 10 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Protein | 2 g |
| Saturated Fat | 1 g |
| Sodium | 167 mg |
| Sugars | 13 g |
| Fat | 5 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |