Banana bran muffins

You'll be saying "Mmmm, bran..." (for real!) 

I've confessed my adoration of bran muffins before. While I love a good honey bran morsel, my favorite bran muffins are more muffin-y. You can find the best ones at Loaf & Jug. I had one of those Loaf & Jug muffins a couple weeks ago and set out to recreate the deliciousness in my own kitchen. These treats come pretty close. 

I heeded some of the comment suggestions of this AllRecipes recipe, adding a mix of spices and trying to make things a touch healthier. I used half butter/half applesauce and half all-purpose flour/half whole-wheat flour. Next time I might try going all applesauce and all whole-wheat — then again, why mess with a great thing? 

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BANANA BRAN MUFFINS

WHAT YOU'LL NEED
1/4 cup softened butter
1/4 cup applesauce (I used cinnamon applesauce)
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 bananas, mashed
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup wheat bran
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 to 1 tsp spice (ex: 1/2 tsp cinnamon + dashes of nutmeg/cloves)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional) 
oats + honey + cinnamon, for topping (optional)

WHAT YOU'LL DO
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a muffin pan.

2. In a large bowl, cream together butter, applesauce, and brown sugar until fluffy. Add mashed bananas, milk, vanilla, and eggs. Mix well. 

3. Stir in flour, bran, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices until just combined. If adding, fold in walnuts. Pour batter into prepared muffin pan. If desired, top each cup with a sprinkling of oats and cinnamon and a drizzle of honey.

4. Bake at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 5 to 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

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I made a half-batch of these a few days ago and have been bringing one with me to work each day this week. I've kept them in an airtight container, and they're still amazingly moist. Other notes: The amount of spice was just right, and you can use any mix of fall-ish spices you have on hand. I think allspice and pumpkin pie spice would be a nice addition. Next time I might forgo the honey drizzle on top — it's yummy, but not necessary. Let the banana bran speak for itself!