Glazed pumpkin bran muffins: Lowfat deliciousness + a shitload of fiber

By Nikki

We've been eating these for breakfast (and sometimes dessert) all week. We toast them and put a little butter or cream cheese on them, and my thinking is this is fine because there is very little fat in the recipe. I count 4.3 grams and less than 1 gram of saturated fat. (OK, that's not counting the optional walnuts.)


They are surprisingly moist. The pumpkin is subtle and does a good job masking the bran. I hate how most bran muffins taste like raisin bran. These don't. (Note: After I took this picture, I was making these at home for Dad and he had the idea for the glaze. Wow, does it make them better---looking and tasting.)

 Makes 24 muffins

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 3/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 cups All Bran
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 cups canned solid pack pumpkin
• about 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 4 oz. cinnamon applesauce in a 1 c measuring cup
• Fill the 1 cup measuring cup holding the applesauce to the 2/3 c line with vegetable oil 
• about 1/c raisins
• about 3/4 c walnuts (optional)

For glaze:

• about 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1.5 TBSP skim milk

1. Preheat the oven to 325. 
2. Combine All-bran and buttermilk so that cereal gets coated. This is so it softens and isn't crunchy in the muffins. Set aside. 
3. Combine flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices in a medium bowl.
4. Whisk eggs, sugar and brown sugar in a large bowl.
5. Add buttermilk/cereal mixture to egg/sugar mixture in large bowl.
6. Add dry ingredients to large bowl mixture and stir.
7. Add pumpkin, applesauce and oil. Stir until blended.
8. Add raisins and walnuts.
9. Drop muffin liners into muffin pan. Fill each to the top for a nice muffin top. 
10. Bake 30 minutes.
11. Let cool
12. For glaze: mix powdered sugar and milk. Drizzle over muffins when they are cool.

These freeze well (before the glaze). The original recipe is from Epicurious. I adjusted it some based on the reviewer comments and from Dad's ideas.