I’ve been away from blogging for a few months while starting a tie dye business. Cherry Chip Designs started as a kitchen accessories store on Etsy, as a product to link to this blog. (Cherry Chip is the name of Doris’s favorite cake mix. And she has a lot of recipes in her box that use a cake mix shortcut.)

Cherry Chip Designs has quickly evolved to include both the online store and an in-person location, specializing in kitchen towels, aprons, table linens, t-shirts, baby gear, bags, and more! I have had a lot of fun getting this new endeavor up an running, but I am also excited to pivot again and get back into building this blog.

I look forward to getting myself more organized in the future and pulling out Grandma’s recipe box again. In the meantime, I’m sharing an original recipe today for banana nut bran muffins. I love bran muffins and have had a hard time finding a good recipe, so I created my own! It’s adapted from Better Homes and Garden’s basic muffin recipe. It’s a go-to recipe of mine for a healthy snack.

What is oat bran?

I feel like oat bran has declined in popularity, probably going by the wayside around the same time as the fat-free diet. I have to go to a health foods store to buy it in our small town. My favorite brand is Bob’s Red Mill, which can also be purchased online in either regular or gluten-free.

Oat bran (or “bran”) is full of fiber and has more nutrients than traditional oatmeal. This makes it a great go-to when you need to add extra fiber to your diet. It’s the same grain as oatmeal, but oat bran is a less processed version.

Cooking tips

You do not need a mixer for this recipe. Simply combine all your dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately, and then stir to combine. (You’ll notice that I love recipes that don’t require dirtying a mixer!)

Bananas should be mushy, like bananas you’d use for making banana bread.

Bran muffins tend to stick to muffin cup wrappers, so for that reason I recommend that you grease your muffin tins and omit the paper wrappers.

The best method I have found for filing muffin cup tins is to use a stainless steel scoop with a trigger. To fill muffin cups 2/3 full, you’ll use about two scoops of a standard size cookie scoop or about one ice cream scoop filled about halfway. These are super handy gadgets; if you don’t have any, I recommend this set of scoops on Amazon which comes with three different sizes.

Storage & serving

Muffins should be cooled completely before storing. They will stay fresh in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days. To freeze, wrap each individually in plastic wrap and then freeze the wrapped batch in a container or large freezer bag.

Banana nut bran muffins make great snacks or on-the-go breakfasts! If you try this recipe, let me know how you liked it in the comments below!