Applesauce Bran Muffins

On weekday mornings, I do not get up until I absolutely HAVE to.  Every second of sleep is precious, and getting up in time to eat breakfast at home is not a option in my book.  

But... neither is skipping breakfast.  

Thus, my breakfast must be portable (and must be accompanied by french press coffee.. more on that another day). 

It also must be less than 150 calories.  I want to save them for something good.  Like cookies!  

So, enter my daily bran muffin.  

It's a mere 110 calories (3 grams of fat, 3 grams of fiber), but it gets me through the morning without feeling like I may starve.  It goes with my coffee.  It's a whole lot easier to eat while driving than cereal. Trust me.

Here's how I make them:

1. Put 2 cups All Bran cereal (shreds of bran) in a large bowl and cover with 2 1/2 cups low fat buttermilk.  Let this stand for 5-10 minutes to soften.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and prepare your muffin pan.  I just spray mine with cooking spray, but you can use muffin cups if you prefer.
3. Add 1/4 cup vegetable oil, 1/4 cup applesauce and 2 eggs to the buttermilk mixture and stir vigorously to break up cereal.
4. Add 2 cups whole wheat flour, 3/4 cup sugar blend* (or 1 1/2 cup of sugar), 1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.  Stir just until combined.  If batter is too stiff, add a couple more tablespoons of buttermilk.
5. Put 1/3 cup of batter into each muffin cup, then bake for 17-19 minutes.

*I use the Domino Light sugar/stevia blend, but Splenda for Baking would work too.  You can also use regular sugar, bringing the calorie count to 130.

Typically I make the full recipe, but only bake 6 muffins at a time so they stay nice and fresh.  The batter can be kept in a tightly covered container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

If you want a little something chewy inside, raisins or dried cranberries make good additions.