Gingerbread Bran Muffins
These Gingerbread Bran Muffins are packed with cinnamon, spice and everything nice! A batch of these muffins is perfect for holiday breakfast!
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Me: Ok, so add that teaspoon of cinnamon.
Robbie: Ok.
Me: And next we need half a teaspoon of allspice.
Robbie: Ok. Umm, Dad?
Me: Yes?
Robbie: How much is a smackerel?
Me: Uhhh…
Robbie has been enjoying reading Winnie the Pooh books at bedtime lately. As any Pooh fan knows, that bear of little brain is a huge fan of honey. No matter the time of day, Pooh is often in search of a little smackerel of honey. So it’s not too surprising that Robbie wanted to know how much a smackerel is. The problem is that no-one knows how much a smackerel is! It’s a Pooh word, and like I said, Pooh is a bear of very little brain.
Nevertheless, I went to the fountain of all wisdom (Google) to see how much a smackerel is. Turns out that other folks have asked this question in the past, too. Disney even created a poll to decide how much honey is in a smackerel. It seems like most people think a smackerel is a lot – like enough to be able to swim in it. A container of honey large enough to swim in – now that sounds like a sticky mess. I personally feel like a smackerel is more like a pawful. Of course, a pawful is a very vague description, too. Oh, bother. I have no idea how much a smackerel is.
Gingerbread Bran Muffins
Gingerbread Bran MuffinsWhile I might not know how much honey is in a smackerel, I can say with 100% certainty that these Gingerbread Bran Muffins are delicious! No poll needed there. I love all types of muffins, and bran muffins are right up there on the list. I know bran muffins can get a bad rap, though. A bad bran muffin is basically the same thing as a brick. But a good bran muffin is delicious! The wheat bran combined with the oats and raisins makes for a delicious morning treat. And then add in all of the flavors of gingerbread? Yup, these Gingerbread Bran Muffins make for a special morning treat during the holidays!
These Gingerbread Bran Muffins are a cinch to make, too. Just mix the liquid ingredients in one bowl and the dry ingredients in another bowl. (The list of ingredients might look long – but a good bit of those are just spices that give us that iconic gingerbread flavor.) Stir the liquid and dry ingredients together and pour ’em into muffin tins. *Boom* Gingerbread Bran Muffins. And bran muffins don’t tend to rise as much as other muffins, so you can go ahead and fill the muffin tins almost all the way to the top.
While these Gingerbread Bran Muffins are delicious when they’re still warm from the oven, I have to admit that I prefer these on Day 2. I think the flavors come together a bit after the muffins sit. I love slicing these muffins in half, adding a bit of butter and then toasting ’em up in the toaster oven. A toasted gingerbread bran muffin tastes amazing come about 9am when I’m looking for my next cup of coffee!
I hope you enjoy these muffins as much as we did! Enjoy the holiday season!
Did you make a batch of these Gingerbread Bran Muffins at home? Leave a comment, or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog). Happy baking!
Gingerbread Bran Muffins
Ingredients
- 1¼ cups buttermilk
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ⅓ cup molasses
- 1 cup wheat bran
- ⅓ cup + ¼ cup old-fashioned rolled oats divided
- ½ cup raisins
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup whole wheat flour
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp ground allspice
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Lightly spray a muffin tin with baking spray, or line muffin tin with paper liners. Set pan aside.
- Using a medium mixing bowl, add buttermilk, vegetable oil, eggs, vanilla extract, brown sugar and molasses; stir until well combined.
- Add wheat bran and ⅓ cup of oats; stir until well combined. Let mixture sit for 15 minutes to allow oats to soften.
- Place raisins in 1 cup of very hot water; let soak for 15 minutes. (Note: Soaking the raisins can be skipped, but I find that this helps the raisins plump up a bit.)
- Using a separate bowl, add both flours, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, cloves and salt; stir until well combined.
- Once oat mixture has rested, combine the oat mixture with the flour mixture; stir until just combined. Drain raisins and fold them into the batter.
- Divide batter evenly into prepared muffin tin.
- Sprinkle remaining ¼ cup of oats evenly on top of the muffins.
- Bake for 17-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.
- Let muffins cool in pan for 5-10 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack.
Looking for more tasty gingerbread recipes? Check out these other favorites, too:
I’m thinking that you catch a mackerel, smack it on the head and that’s how much would be in a smackerel. Wait, what if the mackerels aren’t the same size. Heck, I don’t even know what a smackeral is, so I couldn’t know how much is in a mackerel.
Love bran muffin and gingerbread is a favorite. win-win…
You and the family have a great Thanksgiving
Hmm, I think your logic makes perfect sense, Ron. A smackerel certainly has to be related to mackerel in some way. Now if only I could find a mackerel around here so I know how much a smackerel is… 🙂
Either way, I can say that gingerbread + bran muffin is a fun combination for the holiday season! Thanks so much, my friend!
Who knew that a smackerel could result in online debates! Ha, people are very curious creatures:) I don’t care much for it, but in my understanding a smackerel of honey is whatever you could consume at once. That’s right, that’s a very variable measurement. Pooh would have approved it! But Pooh wouldn’t have approved that these muffins don’t have any honey! And I totally agree with him because honey and gingerbread goes do well together. But both Pooh and I are in a good mood (Cause all these festive treats), so we forgive you. Besides, even without honey these muffins look and sound splendid!
Your definition of a smackerel does make sense. However, I am surprised to hear that you don’t care much for honey. Truthfully, I don’t eat honey all that much, but whenever I do, I always thinking to myself, “I should eat honey more often – it’s delicious!”
No matter – I can say with 100% certainty that gingerbread and bran muffins go quite well together. In fact, I’m thinking about making another batch this week! I hope you had a great weekend, my friend!
I was a huge Winnie the Pooh fan growing up – how did I miss the smakerel measurement? Love it that Robbie put that together while you were cooking – cute and smart! 😉
Loving these gingerbread spiced bran muffins, David! Festive, delicious, and nutritious – what more can you ask for?
Robbie really is a smart cookie – and he’s always catching me off-guard with questions like how much is a smackerel. I mean it’s a legit question – and I can’t even hope to answer it!
Either way, I can say with 100% confidence that these gingerbread bran muffins are a tasty treat for the holiday season. Thanks, Marissa!
well david a bit of bran is always good for the inner workings. sounds like a spicy little mixture here Yum! a smackerel? i think a big pawful sounds about right!
A big pawful sounds like a logical amount! Either way, I can say that gingerbread + bran muffins is a great combination – perfect for a holiday treat! 🙂
What a perfect smackerel- i mean, muffin. Love what you did with the top.
Haha! It is a perfect smackerel of a muffin – that is the proper way to use ‘smackerel’ right? 🙂
A smackerel! Huh??? Well, I guess it’s one we may never know. I always love a good muffin and the gingerbread flavor you’ve added to these bran muffins is just perfect to go with my morning coffee! A great way to start the day!
I think we may never know how much a smackerel is – but I can say with total certainty that gingerbread bran muffins are delicious! And, yes, these are a great way to start the day during the holidays – with a nice cup of coffee, of course! I hope you and your family had a great Thanksgiving, Kathy!
I love bran muffins and I love what you’ve done here to give it a gingerbread kick making it all festive too. The two bowls method, one of dry ingredients, one of the wet ingredients is how I like to do my baking. So much easier when you put it that way. Thanks David!
Yes! A good bran muffin really is hard to beat. (Too bad bran muffins are often bricks…they don’t have to be!) The gingerbread spin on these is quite tasty – perfect for the holidays. Thanks, Neil!
Not a fan of Pooh but the wife is. She was big fan of the bear during her teenager years. After checking smackerel I thought thats the amount of honey you put on that bran muffins 🙂 Anyways I agree that looks delicious even without smackerel
Haha – I think your definition of smackerel could work quite well here! Thanks so much, my friend. 🙂
Love this my friend loves bran muffins just looking for a recipe to give her a treat
Hey Mary! I love bran muffins as well, and I also love gingerbread flavors (especially during the holidays). This is a fun combination of the two – I hope you (and your friend) enjoy them!!