What I Do For Love Bran Muffins

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Author Notes: One of my husband's favorite breakfast foods is a bran muffin. He had been buying them at the grocery store (ick). So I set out to make a bran muffin he would really like. I tried a bunch of recipes, but couldn't really capture the sweet moist character of a mass-produced muffin (even though mine tasted better and were certainly healthier). I found a recipe in "Cook's Illustrated" called Better Bran muffins (May 2007), and started making that one, with some variations. While I still use its not-so-secret ingredient--All Bran cereal-- I've modified the recipe to make it my own. My husband adores these muffins, so now I'm making them nearly every week. I call them "What I Do For Love" because when the muffin tin goes into the oven, there's a huge mess to be cleaned up--multiple ingredients to put away, many dishes to wash, a food processor to clean. But these are delicious and they freeze well. (And in the photo, the pumpkin seeds are a little dark because I overcooked them--oops!--they still tasted good!) - drbabs

Food52 Review: WHO: drbabs, an optometrist from Huntington, NY who cooks up a storm of deliciousness in her spare time.
WHAT: A better bran muffin, created to cure her store-bought muffin-eating husband of his bad habit.
HOW: As drbabs mentions, these muffins are a bit of a process -- large bowl, medium bowl, small bowl, whisk, spoons, muffin tins -- but you would do anything for love, wouldn't you?
WHY WE LOVE IT: Light, airy, and chock full of wheat germ, All-Bran and other oldy and goody all-stars of the 80s health food movement, these muffins are a yummy and virtuous way to start the day. - A&M

Makes 12

• This recipe is a Wildcard Contest Winner!
• This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Holiday Breakfast II