If you could put an apple crisp into a muffin, these ginger apple bran muffins would be how . . .
Honeycrisp Apples
It’s fall!! My favorite season of the year. And I’m not-so-secretly thrilled that my kids are currently obsessed with apples. My daughter just completed her science segment on apples at school (the only apple native to the United States is the crab apple!). My son just likes apples and goes to bed asking for sliced apples for breakfast. They like them dipped in pecan butter, baked down into apple sauce or apple butter — so, naturally, I thought, could we take this into a muffin?
I had made some bran muffins a few weeks back and remembered thinking at the time, how would this do with apple in it? Bran muffins can get a bit dry, so wouldn’t some shredded apple help moisten them up? The apple did precisely that. This ginger apple bran muffin is very moist despite the bran! And the apple flavor really does come across well (which can be a challenge with such a mild flavor).
I doubled the ginger in these muffins from my starting point, making this into a spiced fall muffin — I think it tastes just like apple crisp in a muffin, which means I think these are best enjoyed warm. Which seems right for a cozy fall treat. I also recommend cutting up little apple chunks for bursts of baked apple — my daughter loves these little apple bits, but you can also leave them out if you prefer.
Healthy Apple and Bran Muffins
These are relatively healthy, super-fiber apple and bran muffins. Because they are made with apple, dates, and bran, they are packed with nutrients and natural sweetness (no refined sugars in the recipe!), making them both hearty and satisfying. The only sweeteners are the natural fruits, plus honey and molasses.
I have to say though, I would never suspect that this ginger apple bran muffin was healthy. It just happens to be. The natural sweetness of the apples and the dates somehow just give it a fuller fall flavor — I’m not sure you’d get that same depth of flavor using traditional sugar.
Fiber
Let’s dig into some of the specific ingredients from a fiber perspective. In other words, will these ginger apple bran muffins help my child poop? Yes, for so many reasons!
(And yes, I know, you may be asking why do I have so many recipes devoted to fiber? No, you don’t want to know the answer.)
Apple: Apples are rich in both soluble and insoluble fiber, particularly in the skin. Soluble fiber (pectin) helps regulate blood sugar and cholesterol, while insoluble fiber aids in digestion. Therefore, I don’t recommend skinning the apples (we grate them whole instead)!
Dates: Dates are a great source of fiber, with a combination of both soluble and insoluble fiber that promotes digestive health and helps regulate bowel movements. They also have lots of potassium, magnesium, and calcium. Pregnancy bonus: they help with softening the cervix to induce labor if you’re pregnant and overdue!
Bran: Bran is the outer layer of grains and is one of the most concentrated sources of dietary fiber. It provides mainly insoluble fiber, which helps bulk up the stool and improve gut health. See my “note about bran” if you want more info in my red currant bran muffin recipe.
Ginger: Ginger contains anti-inflammatory compounds, such as gingerol, which helps reduce inflammation, soothe stomach pain, and support overall immune health. Ginger also helps stimulate gastric motility, which promotes the movement of food through the digestive tract. Interestingly, when ginger is cooked or dried, it also develops shogaol and zingerone, which can further reduce inflammation and aid in digestion. So if you’re using ginger to soothe an upset stomach, you should always use dried ginger or cook the ginger to get the maximum benefit.
School Lunches
Another inspiration for this recipe is that my oldest just started full school days. So she now feeds herself lunch every day. Hurray! The only problem is that half of the lunches I send come back untouched. And then she’s starving when she gets home. So I’m looking for things that are easy, tempting, and healthy for her to eat.
I’ve noticed muffins tend to do a bit better with her, so I’ve started trying to send muffins with her to school a couple of times a week (don’t want her to get tired of them by sending them every day!) I send them as either a snack or as part of her lunch. So far, it’s been a success!
They’re sweet enough that she really likes eating them, but the fiber keeps her full. The recipe also contains a good amount of fruit — 3 apples and 6 dates in this recipe. Plus the ginger is good for tummies and the immune system.
So now, on to the recipe!
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Ginger Apple Bran Muffins
Spiced apple crisp in a muffin!
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
6 dates, pitted and chopped
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup molasses
1 tsp vanilla extract
3–4 apples (enough for 1 cup of unskinned, grated apple + 1 cup skinned apple chopped into 1/4 to 1/2 inch cubes)
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
Dry Ingredients
1 2/3 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/3 cup wheat bran
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 400F. Prepare the dates.
Pit and chop the 6 dates. Place them in a saucepan with 1/2 cup of water and heat over low heat, stirring from time to time until they come to a simmer and then absorb nearly all of the water. Then add your 1/2 cup of butter and cook over low heat until completely melted. Then turn off the heat.
2. Prepare the wet ingredients.
Grate your apples until you have 1 cup of shredded apple. No need to peel first. This usually takes me about 2 large apples. Then peel the remaining apple(s) and chop it up into 1/4-1/4 inch cubes until you have 1 cup of chopped apple. Set the cubes aside.
Put the grated apple and its juices into a mixing bowl. Measure out the honey, molasses, and vanilla. Pour the warm date and butter mixture over the top and mix well. Pour in the buttermilk and eggs. Mix until combined.
3. Prepare the dry ingredients.
Measure all the dry ingredients (this does not include the chopped apple pieces set aside earlier) into a bowl together. Whisk together.
4. Combine wet and dry ingredients.
Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients (not the reverse, or you’ll have two bowls that have to be washed in the sink!). Mix until just combined. Fold in the chopped apples.
Scoop the muffin batter into muffin liners. I like to use a cookie dough scoop to make this process a bit neater. I use folded muffin liners to make the muffins easier to remove after cooking (see here for specifics.)
5. Bake the muffins for 22-25 minutes.
They’re done when they are not oozing and you can tap the top of the muffins and they give only slightly. Err on the side of underbaked for these (the bran can cause muffins to dry out easily).
