cranberry bran muffins

And just like that, it's winter in New York. The fashionistas have traded in their gladiator sandals for riding boots, there is a serious chill in the air and I think it actually snowed (or at least hailed) for almost a full minute today. So I'm sure it's no surprise that I'm finding it harder than ever to crawl out of my warm cozy bed in the mornings. Which is a problem given that I have a 9am class. With a professor who takes attendance. And doesn't tolerate lateness. So you can't blame me for doing whatever it takes to get myself up and out the door. Unfortunately, for the past week or so, whatever it takes has been the promise of buying a giant banana walnut muffin with my coffee. Needless to say, both my wallet and my waistline are begging for mercy. So I needed a replacement fast--something healthier, but still good enough to make the trek across the cold bedroom floor worth it.

Enter these Cranberry Bran Muffins--good enough to get me out of bed, but healthy enough that I'm not regretting my breakfast by noon.

Cranberry Bran Muffins
Adapted from The Healthy Oven Baking Book by Sarah Phillips via Epicurious
The original recipe is available here

1 cup wheat bran
2/3 cup whole wheat flour
2/3 cup all purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup lowfat buttermilk
1/2 cup Greek yogurt (I used fat free)
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup sugar, plus 2 tablespoons
1 large egg
1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
a pinch each of cinnamon, allspice and cardamon
2 cups cranberries

Preheat oven to 350, and place liners in 12 muffin tins. Put cranberries in a bowl, sprinkle them with 2 tablespoons of sugar. Mix together until cranberries are coated in sugar, and set aside. Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. Place all of the remaining ingredients except for the cranberries in another bowl and whisk until frothy (Note: the original recipe calls for a hand mixer, but since mine was at Boyfriend's and I didn't feel like getting out the KitchenAid, I used a whisk and it turned out fine). Make a well in the dry ingredients, pour in the wet ingredients, and mix until just combined. Stir in half of the cranberries, and spoon batter into prepared muffin tins. Press the remaining cranberries over the tops of the muffins, and sprinkle with additional sugar, if desired. Bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until tops are golden and a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.