Carrot Bran Muffins

I think bran muffins get a bad rap.  They're considered healthy, bland, tasteless, and dry.  Let me tell you, the only one of those adjectives that describes this bran muffin is healthy.  My mother-in-law makes delicious bran muffins, they're enormous and super-moist.  I asked her for her recipe and then tweaked it a bit to reduce the amount of fat and add in some extras, like the carrots and raisins.  I was very pleased with the result, a delicious and moist bran muffin, full of good things.  These muffins make a satisfying breakfast or healthy snack.

Carrot Bran Muffins

Makes 36 muffins. (I like to freeze mine and thaw them in the microwave when I want a quick breakfast.)

3 cups bran flakes, crushed
1/4 cup shortening
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce (you can use sweetened, just decrease the amount of sugar)
1 cup boiling water
2 eggs
2-1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups buttermilk
2 carrots, grated
1 cup raisins

1.  Mix together crushed bran flakes, shortening, applesauce, and water.  (Be sure to crush your flakes, I learned this the hard way once and ended up with inedible muffins!) Let it sit for about 10 minutes to allow bran flakes to get soggy.

2.  Stir in sugar and eggs.

3.  Mix in flour soda, salt, and buttermilk.

4.  Carefully stir in grated carrots and raisins, being careful not to over mix your muffins.  If muffins are over-mixed, you'll end up with peaks...I grew up with muffins like this, we called them mountains and thought they were the greatest things!  So, if you want to, go ahead and over-mix! :)

5.  Scoop muffin batter into greased muffin tins, filling each cup 2/3 full.

6.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes until done.