Big Bran Muffins with Raisins and Dates

I made these muffins for part of Mom's birthday breakfast. This recipe makes an incredible bran muffin--very moist, flavorful, and delicious! One problem I always have with bran muffin recipes is deciding what a recipe means when it calls for "wheat bran." In this case, it is NOT cereal, but unprocessed wheat bran. I used Bob's Red Mill brand--but you can probably buy it bulk at Winco.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups + 2 tablespoons (13 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour

4 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 tablespoon baking powder

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon table salt

3/4 cup (5 1/4 ounces) vegetable oil

2 teaspoons honey

1/4 cup (3 ounces) molasses

1 cup + 2 tablespoons (8 1/2 ounces) light brown sugar, packed firm

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 teaspoon maple extract

1 1/2 teaspoons butter extract or flavoring

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

2 cups (16 ounces) buttermilk

1 cup (4 ounces) toasted wheat germ

1 cup (2 1/4 ounces) wheat bran--not the cereal

1/2 cup (2 3/4 ounces) whole dates, plumped with scalding water, drained and coarsely chopped

1 cup (5 1/2 ounces) dark raisins, plumped with scalding water and drained

Instructions:

1. Whisk first five ingredients together in a bowl; set aside.

2. In a large bowl, whisk next 7 ingredients together. Whisk in eggs, then buttermilk, wheat germ, and bran. Let batter rest 10 minutes.

3. Whisk dry ingredients into wet mixture to partially blend. Continue mixing batter with a rubber spatula, making sure that ingredients at the bottom are incorporated into the batter. Fold in raisins and dates.

4. Cover batter with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight.

5. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees (I baked mine at 375 degrees). Spray muffin cups (2 x 12-cup muffin tins) with Baker's Joy (or grease them). Using an ice cream scoop, place a portion of the batter into each cup, filling to the brim. Fill empty muffin cups with water to ensure even baking. Bake until muffin tops brown and are set, about 15 to 20 minutes. Let muffins cool in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature. Makes about 20 muffins.