By the end of the week, any bananas left in the fruit bowl are past their prime—just right for these moist bran muffins. Add a handful of dark chocolate chips to enhance this fiber-rich treat.
Ingredients:
2 large eggs
⅔ cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup mashed ripe bananas, (2 medium)
1 cup buttermilk, (see ingredient notes)
1 cup unprocessed wheat bran, (see ingredient notes)
¼ cup neutral oil, such as canola or avocado
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup whole-wheat flour
¾ cup all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup chocolate chips (optional)
⅓ cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat 12 muffin cups with cooking spray.
Whisk 2 eggs and ⅔ cup brown sugar in a medium bowl until smooth. Whisk in 1 cup bananas, 1 cup buttermilk, 1 cup wheat bran, ¼ cup oil and 1 teaspoon vanilla.
Whisk 1 cup whole-wheat flour, ¾ cup all-purpose flour, 1½ teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon cinnamon and ¼ teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the dry ingredients; add the wet ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula until just combined. Stir in ½ cup chocolate chips, if using. Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin cups (they'll be quite full). Sprinkle with ⅓ cup walnuts, if using.
Bake the muffins until the tops are golden brown and spring back when touched lightly, 15 to 25 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Loosen the edges and turn the muffins out onto a wire rack to cool slightly before serving.
