Blackberry Bran Muffins

This post is sponsored by OXO, a brand I truly love and trust in my kitchen, in partnership with Cookies for Kids’ Cancer. As always, all opinions and experiences are 100% my own and never influenced by a brand/influencer relationship. Thank you for supporting the brands that support The Foodie Patootie!

There’s something about having kids that makes you feel vulnerable. You start out by being vulnerable in that doctors office during your pregnancy appointments, and especially when you get down into the nitty-gritty of labor and delivery, but when you actually have your child living outside of your body, it’s something completely different.

I know my child is never safe from something like cancer. And you know what? That is truly the most terrifying thought there is. I got goosebumps just writing that sentence, but it’s the truth. The best I can do is keep the faith, stay vigilant in my child’s health, and hope hope hope forever and ever for the absolute best.

That’s why I’m so happy to be writing this blog post today. My beloved OXO ^[4] is partnering with chef-supporters of Cookies for Kids’ Cancer, a recognized 501c(3) public charity doing wonderful things. All of the proceeds — 100%! — raised by Cookies fund pediatric cancer research. I’m so incredibly grateful for charities like this because I see the good they are doing and the lives that are positively impacted.

The recipe I have for you today isn’t an original by me. Instead, it comes from one of these chef-supporters – Sarah Sanneh, baker and partner of Pies ‘N’ Thighs in New York City. Sarah, and other participating chefs, are providing recipes to inspire people to host their own Cookies for Kids’ Cancer bake sales. These Blackberry Bran Muffins are so incredibly easy to make, they are the ideal bake sale goodie. Seriously, Max loved them so much that he ate a whole muffin in record time and asked for more after bath time.

I know you moms with kids back in school are getting pulled in a million different directions so how about you do the pulling and get people to do a bake sale with you?! 😀

Let’s talk about these muffins to entice you.

They are:

1. Simple
2. Delicious
3. Fast
4. A healthier alternative
5. Perfect for a bake sale
6. Enjoyed by all

The most “work” you have to do with these muffins is grating the zucchini in the OXO box grater ^[5]. This grater is awesome because it has the attached measuring vessel on the bottom to catch all the shredded pieces. In about one zucchini I had the amount I needed for the recipe. Everything else was just measured using the OXO adjustable measuring cup ^[6], tossed together and then I filled the OXO non-stick pro 12 cup muffin pan ^[7] with batter. SIMPLE.

And I don’t know about you, but berries always go bad in the fridge for me. Luckily, my son Max is a total berry lover so we can’t keep berries for long in my home anyway, but thanks to OXO’s GreenSaver ^[8], I was able to hold onto these blackberries for much longer than I would’ve otherwise.

After just 30 minutes of cooking, we had the most perfect bran muffins. I’ve had bran muffins before, but haven’t made any on my own. I learned that there is no real difference in prep, it’s just an ingredient like any other, but I also learned that bran is very inexpensive. Wheat bran also has many health benefits because it’s high in fiber and magnesium, and is a good source of protein with all the essential amino acids. The list actually does go on and on.

I encourage you to spend the couple of dollars on bran and see how much you love these muffins! Max kept trying to find the hidden blackberries too which was pretty fun.

Join in the Cookies for Kids’ Cancer challenge by registering your event online ^[9]; if you mark that you were inspired by OXO when you register, OXO will match proceeds from your bake sale up to their annual commitment!!!

Products used:

• Non-Stick Pro 12 Cup Muffin Pan ^[7]
• Box Grater ^[5]
• Adjustable Measuring Cup ^[6]
• GreenSaver ^[8]

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of OXO.

Print Recipe ^[10]

Blackberry Bran Muffins

Yield: 12-14 muffins

Cook Time: 30 minutes

A note from Sarah Sannah: No one ever said "Sarah, the world needs a mind like yours to research cancer treatments".  But they did say, "Sarah this cookie is delicious". I'm proud to have something to contribute to the fight against pediatric cancer, especially since Cookies for Kids is made up of thousands of people realizing an impossible dream one cookie at a time.   Sure, fried chicken and butter pecan donuts are good, but have you ever had a zucchini bran muffin?  My penny pinching hippie parents' roots bring my cooking back to the semi-health food breakfasts of the 80's and 90's, when carbs were good but fat was bad and a bran muffin thread the needle of sweet and healthy.  We served this muffin at Pies when we reopened after a 2 year move and remodel and I was in a what is Pies? What is food? Who am I? State of mind. It ends up they weren't a good fit for the Pies breakfast menu, but they are a hit for quick breakfasts for my sons.  

Ingredients:

• 3 2/3 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup bran
• 1 1/2 cups butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
• 2/3 cup molasses
• 1 cup shredded zucchini
• 3 cups sour cream
• 1 1/2 cups blackberries

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees,
2. Mix flour, baking soda, salt and bran together in a large bowl.
3. Mix melted room temperature butter with light brown sugar, molasses, zucchini, and sour cream.
4. Mix wet into dry and gently fold in blackberries (try not to burst!)
5. Fill a muffin tin with batter and bake for 30 minutes.