Apple Bran Muffins With Apple Butter

I love apples and I love baking with apple butter. I searched zaar looking for a muffin recipe that used both as ingredients but found nothing so I decided to experiment and create my own recipe using the ingredients that I like. This was the end result and I was so pleased with how they turned out that I had to share! You could add 1/4-1/2 cup of nuts or raisins if you'd like but I like them just the way they are. Enjoy!

• Ready In: 1 hr 5 mins
• Yields: 6 large muffins

Ingredients

• 1 1⁄4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1⁄4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 cup sugar
• 1⁄2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1⁄2 cup  wheat bran (or oat bran)
• 3⁄4 cup milk
• 2  eggs, slightly beaten
• 1⁄3 cup apple butter
• 2  tablespoons  oil
• 1  cup  shredded granny smith apple (about 2 small)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. Grease a large muffin tin (I use my "Texas" sized muffin pan).
3. In a medium bowl combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, sugar, and cinnamon and mix to blend.
4. In another bowl add wheat bran and milk and blend well.
5. Then to the bran mixture add eggs, apple butter and 2 tbsp oil and mix to blend.
6. Let bran mixture sit 5-10 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, peel, core and shred the apples.
8. Squeeze out any excess moisture from apples with your hands.
9. Add shredded apples to the bran mixture and mix well to blend.
10. Add wheat bran mixture to flour mixture and stir to blend (batter will be thick).
11. Spoon batter into muffin cups evenly.
12. Bake at 375° for 25-30 minutes or until they just begin to brown and test done with a toothpick.
13. Cool muffins in pan on a wire rack 5-10 minutes.
14. Remove muffins from muffin pan and cool completely.
15. *** Preparation time includes preparing the apples. You can make 12 standard size muffins instead of six large but you'll need to reduce baking time to approximately 15-20 minutes or until they test done.