Oatmeal Bran Muffins With Raisins & Pecans

This recipe is from a Williams-Sonoma catalog, which I (of course!) tweaked to suit my own tastes. I love it--it's my favorite "bran" muffin. You can make the mix and keep it in the fridge for 2 weeks if you need to, making as few or as many muffins as you like each day.

• Ready In: 45 mins
• Yields: 18 muffins

Ingredients

• 1⁄2 cup  chopped toasted pecans
• 1  cup  100%  all-bran cereal
• 1  cup boiling water
• 4  ounces unsalted butter, room temp
• 1 1⁄2 cups sugar
• 2  cups buttermilk
• 2  large eggs, beaten
• 1  teaspoon vanilla or 1  teaspoon  orange extract
• 2  cups all-purpose flour
• 2  cups  all-bran cereal
• 1⁄2 cup old fashioned oats
• 2 1⁄2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3⁄4 cup raisins (or craisins, or dried cherries, or currants, or dried blueberries...)

Directions

1. In a bowl, combine the 100% Bran cereal with the boiling water and let stand until cool.
2. In the bowl of your mixer on high speed, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Add the buttermilk, eggs, extract, and soaked bran, mixing well and scraping down the bowl after each addition.
4. Add the flour, All-Bran, oatmeal, baking soda and salt.
5. Mix well.
6. Fold in the raisins and pecans.
7. Cover the mixture tightly and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, but you can refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
8. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
9. Grease or line with paper liners 18 muffin cups.
10. Spoon the batter into each, filling them full.
11. Bake until browned on top and the edges are starting to pull away from the sides, about 25 minutes.
12. Remove from the oven and turn out onto a rack to cool for 10 minutes before serving.
13. Note: This recipe is great for when company comes--I make up a batch, and keep in the fridge.
14. Make as few or as many muffins as I like each morning.
15. My husband likes to have this in the fridge sometimes so he can bake himself a few muffins for breakfast or the commute into work.
16. Good "do ahead" mix.