Name: Bran Muffins (Reduced Sugar)
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Ingredients: 1½ cups (7½ ounces/213 grams) all-purpose flour; 1½ cups (2½ ounces/71 grams) wheat bran; 1¼ teaspoons baking powder; ½ teaspoon baking soda; 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; ¾ teaspoon ground allspice; ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg; ½ teaspoon salt; 1¼ cups buttermilk; ½ cup maple syrup; 6 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted and cooled; 2 large eggs; 1 tablespoon vanilla extract; ½ cup raisins , chopped; 2 tablespoons roasted sunflower seeds

Why This Recipe Works

We wanted a better bran muffin, with a moist, tender crumb and plenty of deep bran flavor. We found that maple syrup complemented the bran while still allowing its earthy flavor to shine through. Raisins, which provided pops of sweet, fruity flavor throughout, along with plenty of vanilla and warm spices, ensured that tasters didn't miss the sugar (even though we had gone from 27 grams in our classic recipe to only 13 grams). But as we well knew, sugar doesn't just make things taste sweet—reducing the sugar in our muffins also meant reduced moisture. This problem was only compounded by the fact that bran absorbs quite a bit of liquid, making our muffins inedibly dry. Adding a healthy dose of buttermilk helped to alleviate some of the dryness, but the key to the best texture turned out to be in the ratio of bran to flour: Too much bran produced a dry, crumbly muffin; too little and the bran flavor was lost. After testing various proportions, we found that a 1:1 ratio worked best. Finally, for a bit of crunch and an added layer of flavor, we sprinkled the muffins with nutty roasted sunflower seeds.

Instructions

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 12-cup muffin tin.

Whisk flour, wheat bran, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and salt together in large bowl. In separate bowl, whisk buttermilk, maple syrup, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla together until smooth. Using rubber spatula, stir buttermilk mixture into flour mixture until just combined. Fold in raisins.

Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups and sprinkle with sunflower seeds. Bake until toothpick inserted in center of muffin comes out with few moist crumbs attached, 16 to 20 minutes, rotating muffin tin halfway through baking.

Let muffins cool in tin for 10 minutes, then transfer to wire rack and let cool for 20 minutes before serving.