Snow Day...Baking Day!

There is nothing I love more on a Snow Day than being trapped inside with no where to go and baking and cooking all day. While this wasn't exactly the winter storm the weather channel was predicting, I still used it a good day to clear my schedule and cook all day. For breakfast I made another recipe from my new Weight Watchers Complete Cookbook...Jumbo Bran Muffins. A muffin with a cup of hot chocolate was the perfect thing to start our lazy day off with. I didn't have a jumbo muffin pan, so I made 12 regular size muffins instead. These muffins were pretty good...very filling with all the bran and whole wheat flour...3 points each. They are quite dense. I used cranberries instead of golden raisins, but either will work. The unprocessed bran can be found on the baking aisle beside the flour.

Jumbo Bran Muffins

2 tablespoons + 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar

1 tablespoon butter, cut into small pieces

2 tablespoons chopped walnuts

1 1/2 cups unprocessed bran

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 large egg

2 egg whites

1/3 cup sugar

2 tablespoons molasses

1 cup fat-free buttermilk

2/3 cup golden raisins

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Spray non-stick muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray or line with foil or paper liners.

To make the crumb topping, in a medium bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of the all-purpose flour and the brown sugar. With a pastry blender, cut into the butter until the mixture is crumbly. Stir in the walnuts.

In a large bowl, combine the bran, whole wheat flour, the remaining 1/4 cup all purpose flour, the baking soda, baking powder and salt. In a large bowl, with an electric mixture on medium speed, beat the egg, egg whites, sugar and molasses until blended. Gradually beat in the buttermilk. Gradually add the bran mixture, mixing on low speed until just blended. Stir in the raisins.

Spoon the batter into muffin cups, fill each about 2/3 full. Sprinkle with the crumb topping. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 23 minutes. Cook in the pan for 5 minutes.