Banana-Bran Muffins

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat 12 muffin cups with cooking spray.
2. Whisk eggs and brown sugar in a medium bowl until smooth. Whisk in bananas, buttermilk, wheat bran, oil and vanilla.
3. Whisk whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the dry ingredients; add the wet ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula until just combined.
4. Stir in chocolate chips, if using. Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin cups (they’ll be quite full). Sprinkle with walnuts, if using.
5. Bake the muffins until the tops are golden brown and spring back when touched lightly, 15-25 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes.
6. Loosen edges and turn muffins out onto a wire rack to cool slightly before serving.

Tips

Ingredient Note: You can use buttermilk powder in place of fresh buttermilk. Or make “sour milk”: mix 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar to 1 cup milk.

Unprocessed wheat bran is the outer layer of the wheat kernel, removed during milling. Also known as miller’s bran, it can be found in the baking section. Do not substitute bran cereal in this recipe.

Per Serving: 203 calories; 6 g fat (1 g saturated fat, 4 g mono unsaturated fat); 36 mg cholesterol; 34 g carbohydrates; 6 g protein; 4 g fiber; 184 mg sodium; 219 mg potassium

Nutrition Bonus: Fiber (17% daily value).

Exchanges: 2 starch, 1 fat

Contributed by: EatingWell.com

By the end of the week, any bananas left in the fruit bowl are past their prime—just right for these moist bran muffins. Add a handful of dark chocolate chips to entice children to enjoy a fiber-rich treat.