This is the recipe to sway the hearts of haters who give side-eye to bran muffins. Berries and dates may draw the bran muffin skeptics in, but the secret to this recipe’s success is the mellow, warming sweetness of maple syrup and the tenderizing properties of full-fat yogurt. These muffins are even better the day after you make them, which is some kind of witchcraft I can’t explain.
Ingredients
- 1 stick (113 g) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for greasing
- 15 (106 g) fresh Medjool dates, pitted
- 1 cup (236 ml) boiling water
- 1 cup (120 g) whole-wheat flour
- ¾ cup (94 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 large whole egg plus 1 large egg yolk
- ⅔ cup (133 g) packed dark brown sugar
- ½ cup (118 ml) grade A dark maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract
- 2 cups (450 g) full-fat plain yogurt
- 2 cups (116 g) wheat bran
- 2 cups (220 g) fresh or frozen blueberries
- ¼ cup (63 g) turbinado sugar
How to Make It
- Position a rack in the center of your oven and preheat the oven to 400°F. Butter a 12-cup standard-size muffin pan, or line with individual muffin papers.
- Combine the dates and the boiling water in a small heatproof bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it stand until the dates are very soft and fall apart easily, about 10 minutes. Mash the dates and hot water together to create a gooey, chunky mixture.
- Sift the whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon together in a large mixing bowl. Add the salt and any bran from the whole-wheat flour that was caught in the sifter to the flour mixture; set aside.
- Whisk the egg and egg yolk together in another large bowl until well combined. Add the brown sugar, maple syrup, and vanilla; whisk vigorously until the mixture is pale and well aerated. Add the melted butter, yogurt, and dates and whisk to combine. Stir in the wheat bran and let the mixture sit until the bran is evenly moistened, about 5 minutes.
- Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and fold to combine until no dry bits of flour remain. Add the blueberries and fold them into the batter gently, until they are distributed evenly throughout.
- Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups. Do not level or flatten the surfaces of the muffins. Sprinkle each muffin with 1 teaspoon turbinado sugar.
- Bake the muffins for 10 minutes, rotate the pan 180°, and reduce the temperature to 375°F. Continue baking until a cake tester inserted into the center of a muffin comes out with only a few crumbs attached, 16 to 20 minutes. Cool the muffins in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and cool for 10 minutes more before serving. These muffins keep well in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
