Honey-Glazed Apple Bran Muffins (Gluten-Free... or Not!)

These delicious  Honey-Glazed Apple Bran Muffins are moist, tender, studded with sweet chunks of apple and laced with cinnamon. They rise up with high-domed tops and come together quickly with one bowl and no mixer!

If you enjoy muffins but wish they could be a little healthier, these Honey-Glazed Apple Bran Muffins have your name (and mine) written all over them. They're loaded with fiber and laced with cinnamon and bits of sweet, tender apple. The honey-butter glaze makes the muffins look gorgeous and it also seals in the moisture so these guys are great the day you bake them but don't go stale overnight.

You're probably going to laugh (or shake your head), but the inspiration for these Honey-Glazed Apple Bran Muffins came from a visit to a consignment store. When Scott and I are out and about, we have a hard time passing up a good consignment or antique shop. They can be fun places to find little treasures for the house or, for us, props for the blog.

I happened to spot this blue and white muffin pan at an interesting shop that we ran across in Greenville, SC last week. As soon as I saw it, my mind started swirling with ideas for new muffin recipes. I wanted something delicious but healthy-ish and something with a touch of fall. Taking all that into account, I decided to adapt one of our favorite muffin recipes, our Honey-Glazed Bran Muffins, adding chunks of juicy apples and a swirl of cinnamon. So here you go, meet our Honey-Glazed Apple Bran Muffins!

Besides the fact that these are the best bran muffins we've ever had the pleasure of meeting (or eating), I also love that they can be stirred up quickly with just one bowl and no mixer needed. You can also mix up the batter the night before and make a delicious breakfast pretty effortless. And the fabulous aroma as they bake will wake up your family or guests without having to say a word.

What is wheat bran?

This muffin recipe calls for wheat bran, in addition to whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour. What is wheat bran? According to Healthline, "Wheat bran is the hard outer layer of the wheat kernel. During the milling process, the bran is stripped away from the wheat kernel and becomes a byproduct. ".

A nutrient-rich ingredient

Wheat bran is low in calories and fat, but it's loaded with fiber which helps keep you satiated and satisfied. Fiber is also thought to help lower cholesterol and it helps keep our systems regular.

Wheat bran contains high amounts of niacin, which lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease and regulates blood pressure. Another nutritional benefit of wheat bran is that it's a good source of plant-based protein, with right around 5 grams of protein in half a cup.

Wheat bran has a sweet, nutty flavor, adds great texture and helps take these muffins from "cake for breakfast" (my description of most muffins) to a decently healthy, nutrient-rich option for any time of day!

Gluten-Free... or not

This Honey-Glazed Apple Bran Muffins recipe can easily be adapted to a gluten-free rendition. A friend tipped me off to the way to do this. Simply switch the wheat bran to oat bran and use your favorite brand of cup-for-cup gluten-free flour. I've used King Arthur's Measure for Measure Gluten-Free Flour with delicious success!

Honey Glazed

The two-ingredient honey glaze is a big part of the magic of these muffins. It's simply equal parts of honey and melted butter that's brushed on the hot muffins after they emerge from the oven.

It drys as the muffins are cooling and forms a pretty shiny glaze which tastes delicious and keeps the muffins moist and tender inside.

So, add any missing ingredients to your shopping list and take 15 minutes to stir up a batch of these fabulous Honey-Glazed Apple Bran Muffins. It will make an ordinary morning quite special without indulging in lots of extra calories and fat. The delicious aroma that wafts through the house will be sure to arouse even the sleepy heads!

Cafe Tips for making these Honey-Glazed Apple Bran Muffins

• This recipe makes 16 good size muffins. If you only have one 12-cup muffin pan, you can make a small loaf of bread with the remaining batter.
• Wheat bran is inexpensive and available at most grocery stores, but it can be a little tricky to find. Most stores that carry Bob’s Red Mill products will carry it and will stock it near the oatmeal or in the flour section. Health food stores will often carry it in bulk. If you can’t find wheat bran, check with your store manager or order it online and have it delivered to your door.
• What kind of apple to use for these muffins? Any good baking apple will work, Braeburn, Fuji, Honey Crisp, Pink Lady, Winesap, Gala... however, I like to look for a red-toned baking apple like a Fuji, Braeburn, Gala or Winesap as I think the red skin adds a pretty touch to the appearance of the muffins.
• I like to reserve a small handful of the diced apples and sprinkle them over the top of each muffin before baking for a pretty presentation.
• I use my Vidalia Chop Wizard to make quick work of dicing the apple for these muffins. The Chop Wizard is also great for dicing carrots, zucchini, winter squash, potatoes, cucumbers, onions... It is truly a workhorse in my kitchen!
• No buttermilk? No worries! To make your own buttermilk, place 3 tablespoons of vinegar or fresh lemon juice into a 2 cup measuring cup. Add milk (I like to use whole milk, but use whatever you have) to measure 1½ cups. Stir the mixture and allow it to sit for 5 minutes, then add to the batter in lieu of buttermilk.
• These Honey-Glazed Apple Bran Muffins freeze well. Allow the muffins to cool completely, then freeze on a sheet pan, uncovered, for 1 hour. Once frozen, place muffins in a ziplock bag or airtight freezer container. Pull out as many as you want and allow them to thaw before serving.
• This is a somewhat unusual muffin recipe in that you fill the muffin tins almost full rather than ⅔ or ¾ full like most muffin recipes recommend.
• When you spray the muffin pan as you prep for this recipe, spray generously and also around the top edge of each muffin cup as well so they’ll be super easy to remove from the pan.
• You can make this batter the night before, store it in the fridge and then bake up the muffins in the morning.
• The honey-butter glaze is optional, but it’s super delicious and only adds 10 calories per muffin. It will make enough to glaze the top of each muffin. If you want to glaze the whole muffin (it’s delicious!) double the glaze amounts.
• In the market for a muffin pan? I LOVE this OXO Good Grip Muffin/Cupcake Pan. The muffin cups are a little deeper than most muffin pans which helps create tall, beautiful muffins. It’s also really well made, I’ve had mine for several years and it still looks brand new.

Thought for the day:

Show me your ways, Lord.
Teach me your paths.
Guide me in Your truth
and teach me.
For You are God my Savior
and my HOPE is in You all the day long.
Psalm 25:4&5

What we're listening to for inspiration:

Living Hope

If you enjoyed this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review! It’s so helpful to other readers to hear your results, adaptations and ideas for variations.

5 from 2 votes

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Honey-Glazed Apple Bran Muffins

These delicious Honey-Glazed Apple Bran Muffins are moist, tender, studded with sweet chunks of apple and laced with cinnamon. They rise up with high-domed tops and come together quickly with one bowl and no mixer!

Author: Chris Scheuer

Course: Breakfast, Brunch, Snacks

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Apple Bran Muffins, Honey Glazed

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 15 mins

Total Time: 30 mins

Servings: 16

Calories: 205 kcal

Ingredients

For the muffins

• ½ cup mild-flavored oil sunflower grapeseed, canola, corn, vegetable, or avocado oils will all work
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• ¼ cup molasses
• 1 ½ cups buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 cups wheat bran
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 medium-large unpeeled apple cored and cut in ¼-inch dice (about 1½ cups diced apple)

For the glaze:

• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon butter

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

For the muffins:

1. Preheat oven to 400˚F (204˚C). Spray 16 muffin cups with non-stick spray (Or see tip above for making a small loaf of bread in addition to 12 muffins.)
2. Whisk together oil, sugar and eggs in a large bowl until well blended. Add molasses, buttermilk and vanilla. Stir to combine.
3. Sprinkle baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt over the top of the egg mixture. Stir well to combine.
4. Add the wheat bran, whole wheat and all-purpose flours. Stir just until all of the flour mixture is incorporated (do not overmix). Add apples and stir to combine.
5. Spoon batter into prepared muffin tins, filling almost to the top. Bake for 12-15 minutes until firm to touch and a tester comes out clean.
6. Allow to sit in muffin tin for 5 minutes, then remove to a cool rack.

For the glaze:

1. Combine butter and honey in a small microwave-safe bowl. Cover with a paper towel and cook in the microwave on high power for 20-30 seconds until the butter is melted. Stir well with a fork to combine. Brush mixture over the top surface of warm muffins.
2. Serve warm or allow the muffins to cool completely before storing in an airtight container. Freeze for longer storage.

Recipe Notes

For more detailed instructions and lots of tips to ensure success, check out the Café Tips above in the post.

To make these muffins gluten-free, simply switch the wheat bran to oat bran and use your favorite brand of cup-to-cup gluten-free flour for both the whole wheat and all-purpose flour (in other words, use 1¾ cup of GF cup-for-cup flour. I've used King Arthur's Measure for Measure Gluten-Free Flour with delicious success!

Nutrition facts per serving (1muffin)

Calories 205kcal

Fat 10g

Saturated fat 2g

Trans fat 1g

Polyunsaturated fat 1g

Monounsaturated fat 6g

Cholesterol 35mg

Sodium 187mg

Potassium 286mg

Carbohydrates 29g

Fiber 4g

Sugar 14g

Protein 4g

Vitamin A 111%

Vitamin C 1%

Calcium 69%

Iron 2%