BUTTERMILK BRAN MUFFINS

I always end up dumping expired buttermilk. A lot of it. I buy it for a recipe, use half a cup, and then forget it exists. This time I decided to use the leftovers to make Buttermilk Bran Muffins from a recipe printed on the side of the carton.

Protip: Don’t be like me. Don’t buy buttermilk. You can easily make your own.

Buttermilk Substitute

1. Place a tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice in a liquid measuring cup.

2. Add enough milk to bring the liquid up to the one-cup line.

3. Let stand for five minutes. Then, use as much as your recipe calls for.

 A lot of muffins taste like dense little cakes. That wasn’t the case with these muffins. They were fluffy, flavourful, and tasted “like breakfast!”

Rating: When I’m a mom pretending to be a 1950’s housewife, I’m going to make these for my babies.

Buttermilk Bran Muffins
2 cups buttermilk
1 1/2 cups bran cereal
2 eggs
1/3 melted unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp grated lemon rind
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400F and lightly coat muffin tins with cooking spray.

Combine buttermilk with bran and set aside.

In a medium bowl combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, sugar, and lemon rind.

Mix eggs, melted butter, and vanilla into buttermilk mixture.

Combine wet and dry ingredients until just blended. Fill muffin tins 3/4 full and bake 20 to 25 minutes.

Yields 12 muffins.