Have you read about or tried chia seeds?
They are the latest super food… an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants and fiber.
They look like small, greyish seeds…bigger than poppy seeds.
They look like small, greyish seeds…bigger than poppy seeds.
I picked up a bag at Costco and I have been adding them to our muffins and oatmeal.
I even adapted my 6 week bran muffin to include some chia seeds.
I have been making this bran muffin recipe for many years…it’s my favourite bran muffin recipe….moist & tasty.
{I am always so disappointed when I buy a bran muffin and it’s dry and tastes like sawdust. Yuck!}
{I am always so disappointed when I buy a bran muffin and it’s dry and tastes like sawdust. Yuck!}
This recipe makes between 5 and 6 dozen muffins and can be kept in the fridge for up to 6 weeks and used as needed.
{It has never been around my house for 6 weeks…more like 3 weeks!}
Sometimes I bake 6 muffins. Sometimes 12.
It works great for packed lunches and snacks, as well as breakfast and bedtime snacks.
One of my favourite breakfasts is a bran muffin fresh from the oven, a soft boiled egg and some fresh fruit.
So if you are looking for a high fiber muffin with nutritious ingredients…this may work for your family.
And don’t worry…no one will taste the chia seeds and say, “Eww! Mom! What is in these?”
The chia seeds blend in perfectly with all the other ingredients.
And don’t worry…no one will taste the chia seeds and say, “Eww! Mom! What is in these?”
The chia seeds blend in perfectly with all the other ingredients.
It takes only 15 minutes to mix up and put in the fridge.
And it is so nice to have this in the fridge so a quick batch of muffins can be baked at any time!
6 Week Bran Muffins with Chia Seeds
3 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups white flour
1/2 cup wheat germ {optional}
3/4 cup chia seeds
5 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Stir dry ingredients together in large bowl
.{I have a large tupperware bowl with a cover that I love for this recipe}
Set aside.
Wet Ingredients:
1 cup shortening
{ I use 100% lard, and not hydrogenated vegetable shortening, although next time I will try coconut oil as my readers have suggested!}
2 1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs.
1 quart buttermilk.
{If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, add a few tablespoons of lemon juice or vinegar to equal amount of milk and use as a substitute. I have done this many times!}
In mixer or with hand mixer, cream shortening and sugar together. Add eggs…one at a time.
Mix well.
Add dry ingredients alternately with buttermilk to wet ingredients.
Your mixture will look like this:
Pour mixture into large bowl.
Add 6 cups of all-bran cereal and pour 2 cups hot water over top.
Mix well.
Cover tightly.
Label and put in the fridge.
After the mix sits in the fridge for a day or so…it will thicken and look like this:
And after the mix is scooped and baked at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, the result will be these:
I hope you enjoy these wonderful muffins!
They are so good with a little fruit.
They are a favourite of mine.
And the convenience of having a large quantity of the batter around to bake at anytime is awesome!
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I've heard so much about chia seeds but haven't found them yet – never thought to look at Costco…duh! Your muffins sound delish, I remember my mom often having bran muffin batter in the fridge years and years (and years LOL) ago. A suggestion – with all of the healthy ingredients you have in your muffins, it's a shame the cup of shortening takes away from that. You might want to try virgin coconut oil instead. It's solid at room temperature like shortening and has a mild taste.
A recipe – Yeah! I used to have one similar to this and I LOVED having the batter on hand. Forgot all about it… They do make the most delicious bran muffins. Moist is right! SO glad you posted the recipe as I'm sure mine is long gone by now.
I agree, try some coconut oil. It's so yummy in baked goods.
I used to make similar muffins for breakfast before I had kids and still worked outside the home…then forgot all about them. Thanks for the reminder! Must make up another batch. As for chia seeds, love them in smoothies, soup, rice pudding, chili…they hide well in anything. I also sprout the seeds sometimes in a wet paper towel in a bowl. They grow quickly and the sprouts have great flavour.
Sounds like a great thing, thanks for sharing. It looks so inviting!
YUM!
My family loves bran muffins and i have to try chai seeds!
I use alot of flax seed on my oatmeal so i will use this too.
This recipe looks great and love that you can keep it so long and bake as you like! Fantastic as always Angie!
Pamela xo
how funny! my sisters and i were just talking about them on friday! thx for the recipe! can't wait to taste them!
m ^..^
I've been hearing a lot about chia seeds lately but I have yet to try them. Your muffin recipe sounds like a great way to check them out!
These look great. I've been reading about chia recently, so this recipe couldn't have come at better time. I would never have thought of refrigerating dough/batter before cooking, great tip.
I always love a new recipe, but I'm wondering 1)Can I freeze these, if I want?.. and 2)Can I add raisins, and if I do, do you have a suggestion how much?.. half cup? a cup?…. Thanks so much for sharing your recipe! I've never yet heard of chia seeds till now. I've got to find out if I can get them around here, or if I'll have to order them from somewhere… Have a great week! ~tina
These looks so healthy and yummy! I'm trying it this week 🙂
These look good; I wonder if you could swap chia for flax? I've bought a jar of flax and am adding it to my morning cereal or oatmeal. Tiny steps, tiny steps…
Costco has everything! I never would have thought to look there and now I have a recipe to try them in. Thanks for sharing…just wish I had one of these to go with my coffee in the morning:D
Hi Angie,
I have never had chia seeds, but after seeing this post I will try them. The muffins look delish and I love the thoughts of a healthy breakfast for the family. I will definitly be trying these. Thanks for all your great tips too!
Danielle xo
I have never paid attention to chia seeds until I read your recipe and I was into Winners yesterday and seen some. Didn't realize how many benefits they have. Thanks!
Oh my gosh, this is genious! LOVE it!