Easy honey bran muffins a Mimi’s copycat. A bran muffin with molasses that is soft, a little chewy, sticky, and packed with amazing flavor and gooeyness, and they are on the healthy-ish side! Use oat bran or wheat.
If you are into copycat recipes, you might try my Flour’s Famous Banana Bread, Panera’s Broccoli Cheese Soup or Chipotle Chicken! Both spot on!
I had to tweak the recipe slightly; the original recipe called for 4 teaspoon dry milk powder; I looked at the grocery store (truly), but honestly, I couldn’t be bothered, especially for just 4 teaspoons.
So, I did a little math conversion and came up with replacing said milk powder with cream or ½ & ½ and a little less water and wow did they turn out yummy!
Simple Ingredients for Honey Bran Muffins
- Light Brown Sugar, Honey & Molasses | You will make a glaze as well as use this in the bran muffins themselves.
- Oil | I like a heart-healthy oil like Avocado oil
- Egg | Room temperature is best, I always use large eggs
- Heavy cream or half & half | This acts as a binder
- Orange zest | Adds great flavor, take a few seconds and zest an orange.
- All-purpose flour | I use organic unbleached all-purpose flour
- Wheat Bran or Oat Bran | either can be used successfully, some readers have even used crushed bran cereal
- Baking Powder, Baking Soda and Salt | Make sure your leavenings are fresh!
How to make Mimi’s Honey Bran Muffins
Preheat oven to 350° F (175° C) and spray muffin tin (12 cup) with spray oil.
Step 1 | Make Honey Glaze
In a small bowl, whisk your glaze ingredients together and set aside. If using all natural cane sugar, whisk for a bit longer to break down the larger granules. Set aside.
Step 2 | Make bran muffin batter
In a separate bowl, add dry ingredients; flour, wheat bran, sea salt, baking powder, and baking soda, whisk to combine; set aside.
Fresh Tips
- If you can’t find wheat bran, use oat bran instead!
In a bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer, mix brown sugar, honey, molasses, and oil and mix on medium speed until smooth.
Add egg, water, cream (or half & half) and (optional) orange zest and mix until incorporated, scraping sides of bowl occasionally.
Slowly add your dry ingredients with mixer on low speed until mixed.
Step 3 | Assemble and Bake
Stir glaze one more time. Then using a small cookie scoop or tablespoon, scoop about ⅔ of a tablespoon of glaze into the bottom of each muffin cup, spreading it around and up the sides; this will ensure that the glaze is evenly distributed and gets all over that muffin!
Using a medium or large cookie scoop, scoop batter into muffin cups, about ⅔ full, careful not to overfill them, they do overflow a bit, but you don’t want them overflowing onto the bottom of your oven.
Fresh Tip
- Some readers have said they only get 7-9 muffins from this recipe. The only thing I can figure out is that they are using a bigger muffin tin, as you can see from the image below, the batter fills up all 12 spots.
- I recommend this muffin pan; it’s my favorite USA-made pan.
Bake for 20 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.
As soon as they are done, line a cooling rack with a piece of parchment paper and carefully flip the muffin tin over, allowing those beautiful bran muffins to escape.
They don’t look like much, but once you invert them — watch out baby!!
Eat immediately (especially yummy with a pat of butter) or cool and reheat (also with a pat of butter and maybe a drizzle of honey!).
Storage Tips
Cool completely and store in an airtight container on the counter for up to 5 days; it may be frozen for up to 6 months.
Variations and Substitutions for Oat Bran Muffins
- Fruit Additions: Add diced fruits such as apples, bananas, blueberries, or raisins (hello, honey raisin bran muffins) to the batter.
- Nut Additions: Chopped nuts like walnuts, almonds, or pecans can add a crunchy texture and extra protein to your muffins.
- Spice Additions: Add spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, or ginger for extra warmth and flavor.
- Yogurt: Substitute some or all of the liquid in the recipe with yogurt for added moisture and richness. Tho, I haven’t tried it.
- Flour Substitutions: If you’re looking to make the muffins gluten-free, you can substitute wheat flour with alternative flours such as almond flour, coconut flour, or oat flour. Keep in mind that you may need to adjust the amount of liquid in the recipe to achieve the desired consistency.
- Egg Replacements: If you’re vegan or allergic to eggs, you can use substitutes like flaxseed meal or chia seeds mixed with water, mashed banana, applesauce, or commercial egg replacers.
- Oil Substitutions: You can use melted coconut oil, olive oil, or applesauce for a healthier option.
- Sweeteners: Try making these with Monk fruit sugar replacements.
- Buttermilk: I haven’t tried using buttermilk, you would need to change your leavening amounts, if you try it, let me know how it works.
- Whole Wheat Flour: For added fiber and nutrients, you can use whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose flour or in combination with it, though you may need a little more liquid.
High Altitude Sticky Honey Bran Muffins
I bake at 5280 feet above sea level and adapt my recipes for others baking at high altitudes. This recipe has also been successfully tested at sea level and other altitudes. For just about everyone, the recipe stays the same, for altitudes above 7,000 feet:
- Add 2 tablespoons additional flour
- Reduce baking powder to ¾ teaspoon
- Increase cream or water by 2 teaspoons
- Increase oven temperature to 375° F (190° C) and bake for a few minutes less.
What to serve with Oat Bran Muffins
- We love a chai latte with our bran muffins!
- Make it a breakfast party and serve these Panera Orange scones!
- See below for more ideas.
Best drinks to serve with bran muffins
Whip up a warm drink to make these oat bran muffins even more special! We suggest our Christmas chai latte (not just for Christmas), or this luscious Golden Milk latte and a personal favorite, Starbucks White Hot Chocolate.
Starbucks White Hot Chocolate Recipe
A quick and easy recipe on how to make a Starbucks White Hot Chocolate recipe at home. Save time and money, by making this fast copycat white hot chocolate recipe in the comfort of your own home.
Turmeric and Ginger Tea
Golden Milk or Turmeric Tea is a powerful, soothing, warm, immune boosting, antioxidant loaded, anti-inflammatory drink that also aids in sleep!
The Best Christmas Morning Chai Recipe (Dutch Bros)
This holiday season enjoy this copycat Dutch Bros Christmas Morning Chai recipe. A chai latte that is spicy and flavorful chai tea mixed with half and half and swirled with white chocolate syrup. Delicious hot or cold.
Our favorite and most popular breakfast treats
Why is it so fun to whip up a fun treat for the family breakfast? Try our faves, these popular Panera orange scones, and our Panera Pumpkin Muffins; go healthy with this chocolate chip banana bread, or take it over the top with this Flour Banana Bread.
Best Pumpkin Muffin Recipe with Streusel (Panera Copycat)
Easy Panera Pumpkin Muffin recipe, a one bowl simple muffin recipe. Make regular or jumbo pumpkin muffins topped with buttery brown sugar crumb topping and a dusting of powdered sugar.
Healthy Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Sweetened with maple syrup and ripe bananas, this recipe for Healthy Chocolate Chip Banana Bread cuts the refined sugar and gluten without losing the delicious homemade taste. The recipe makes either bread or healthy banana chocolate chip muffins and is gluten free, dairy free, grain free, and Paleo friendly.
Best Orange Glazed Scone Recipe (Panera Bread Copycat)
Panera Bread Orange Scone recipe, our tested, step-by-step orange scone recipe will guide you can recreate the same fluffy, citrus scones.
Best Easy High Altitude Banana Bread Recipe (+ Gluten-Free Option)
The best High Altitude Banana Bread, read the reviews! A banana bread with 4 bananas that is more moist and amazingly delicious! It freezes great, too! Plus instructions to make at any altitude, gluten-free adjustments too.
Please enjoy bran responsibly! —————– I crack myself up!!
Recipe lightly adapted from Lou Lou Girls.
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Video
Equipment
Ingredients
Honey Glaze
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar I used all-natural cane sugar, regular white sugar works too
- 3 tablespoons light brown sugar packed
- 3 tablespoons butter melted (not margarine)
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 teaspoons water
- pinch kosher salt
Bran Muffins
- 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 cup oat bran or wheat bran, they are interchangeable
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar packed (may try dark brown sugar too)
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 tablespoons molasses unsulphured
- ¼ cup vegetable oil I like avocado oil
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream or half & half
- 1 ½ – 3 teaspoons orange zest Optional, Mix in or just sprinkle on top
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350° F (175° C) and spray muffin tin (12 cups) with spray oil.
- In a small bowl, whisk together granulated sugar (3 TBL), brown sugar (3 TBL), honey (2 TBL), melted butter (3 TBL), water (2 tsp) and pinch of salt. Whisk longer to break down the larger granules if using all-natural cane sugar. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl add dry ingredients; flour (1 cup), wheat/oat bran (1 cup), salt (¼ tsp), baking powder (½ tsp), and baking soda (1 tsp) and whisk to combine, set aside.
- In a bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl, mix brown sugar (⅓ cup), honey (¼ cup), molasses (2 TBL), and oil (¼ cup) and mix on medium speed until smooth.
- Add egg (1 room temp), water (¼ cup), cream (2 TBL) (or half & half) and orange zest (1 ½-2 tsp) and mix until incorporated, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Slowly add your dry ingredients with a mixer on low speed until mixed.
- Stir glaze and using a small cookie scoop or tablespoon, scoop about ⅔ of a tablespoon of glaze into bottom of each muffin cup, spreading it around and up the sides, this will ensure that distribution of the glaze is even and gets all over that muffin!
- Using a medium or large cookie scoop, scoop muffin batter into muffin cups, about ⅔ full, careful not to overfill them, they do overflow a bit, but you don't want them overflowing onto the bottom of your oven. *If your muffin pan is deeper or larger than most, fill until about ½ full or make fewer larger muffins.Bake for 20 minutes until toothpick inserted comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- As soon as they are done, line a cooling rack with a piece of parchment paper and carefully flip the muffin tin over, allowing those beautiful bran muffins to escape.
- Eat immediately (especially yummy with a pat of butter) or cool and reheat (also with a pat of butter and maybe drizzle of honey!) Please enjoy bran responsibly! ————- I crack myself up!!
Notes
Nutrition
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This Chocolate Bread Pudding uses whole food ingredients; turning bread, chocolate, cream and eggs into a rich, decadent chocolate delight! Perfect for a special breakfast or dessert!
Blueberry Crumble Cake
This deliciously moist coffee cake is studded with fresh (or formerly frozen) blueberries, topped with a brown sugar crumble, then drizzled with a creamy vanilla glaze that hardens as it cools giving the cake the perfect crunch/crisp to chewy/moist ratio. Dreamy!!
Kerri Stephen
Delicious. I had made this recipe once before using oat bran and they were good. Wheat bran was a challenge to find but I ordered some online and made the recipe again, absolutely delicious! I did add a splash of vanilla, sprinkle of cinnamon and a handful of raisins. I only had 3/4 cup of AP flour left so I topped it off with WW flour. This is a keeper.
Love your tweaks to them Kerri!! So glad you loved it with wheat bran, sorry it was so hard to find!!
Tina C
Just made these wonderful muffins tonight! I’m not sure why others aren’t getting a dozen. I got a dozen and even overfilled them a bit. I didn’t have any cream or 1/2 & 1/2 so used the powered milk you mentioned from the original recipe. They turned out perfectly. Glad you let us know they wouldn’t look good until they were flipped. I may try adding some pineapple next time. Thank you for sharing this recipe!!
Thanks so much Tina!! I love your twist on them! And love the idea of pineapple making them even more moist.
Vicky
Can I use Kellogg bran cereal? Do I process it down to a powder or let it soak in hot water before adding?
Hi Vicky, I’ve never tried that before, so I’m not sure how it would work. I’ve always used wheat or oat bran. I think a reader tried doing that one time though you might want to browse the comments. If you try it, let me know how it turns out! Kathleen
Drew
Came out great! Mine didn’t spread as much as the pictured ones, but they are just as moist and sticky. I will be making this recipe again for sure!
So glad they are just as moist and sticky! Thanks so much Drew, so glad you loved them!
Janeen
I remember a bakery in my hometown that had bran muffins just like these. I will always use this recipe for bran muffins. It is the best!
Thank you so much Janeen!! So appreciate you sweet words!
CC
glaze is the best part, I want to double it next time lol XD
My favorite part too!! Thank you for your kind word!
Patty Eatmon
Is there something I can substitute for the molasses?
You could use dark corn syrup Patty, but for the best flavor and texture I’d stick with molasses! But if you try it let me know how it works out.
Debra
I too “over did” the amount of glaze and will cut back just a little as these are the only muffins I will eat! They remind me of Marie Calendar’s!
LOL! YAY, so glad you loved them and they reminded you of Marie Calendar’s! Never thought of that one! Thanks for your kind words Debra!
Anna P
Yummy. Will make again, but will use less glaze.. I think I overdid it with the amount of glaze, but the muffins alone are DELICIOUS. I miss Mimi’s muffins as there’s no Mimi’s around where I live.
I’m so glad you were able to modify it to your liking, Anna! And glad that you can make these any time you have a craving for Mimi’s muffins!
Brenda A
These muffins are great! I didn’t use the glaze and they are delicious! The best bran muffin recipe ever!
That’s so wonderful, Brenda, thank you so much!
Jolene
Followed directions to the tee. Made exactly a dozen and it came out so delicious. Family said it’s a keeper. Thank you for the recipe…
You are so welcome Jolene! Thank you for that kind comment!
Debra
Because I love oranges I used OJ in place of water, Added more zest in muffins and added zest to the glaze! Next morning the orange flavor and aroma was devine!
That sounds divine!!
Paula
Debra, did you replace water with orange juice in the glaze and also in the muffin recipe??
Hannah
Love this recipe! Thank you!
Thank you Hannah, so glad you loved it!
Roz
These came out beautifully. We all love these muffins! So delish. Thanks.
So glad you love them, Roz! Thank you for your kind comment!
Gia
Can plain yogurt replace the cream?
I have never tried that, let me know how it works out.
Amelia
These muffins are fabulous. I add two teaspoons of cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg, 1/8 teaspoon of cloves, 1 teaspoon of vanilla, and because I add 2 1/2 defrosted frozen bananas, I add 1/4 cup of flour. Incredible flavor. The best bran muffins I’ve ever eaten.
Thank you for the recipe.
I love your twist on this, Amelia! YUM! Going to have to try it myself! Thank you for your kind comment!
Darcelle Mealin
I just made these muffins and they are absolutely delicious!! I loved Mimi’s Cafe bran muffins and have been looking for a copycat recipe , and here it is , it taste just like the ones at Mimi’s . Thank you so much for posting it. Oh , and my husband said they were outstanding ????
Thank you so much Darcelle, so glad you and your husband enjoyed them!
Michelle
Best bran muffin recipe ever! I added some left over flax seeds (whole, cooked) and made bite sized muffins instead. Definitely a keeper! Thank you so much for sharing!
Yum! Doubly good for you with flax in them too! Thank you for your kind words!
Lara Moreno
Excellent, looks just like the photo, tastes just like the restaurant made it. I paid $16 for 4 from the restaurant last week. Bravo!
Thank you Lara, love that so much and yes love saving money and enjoying the yummies!
Ieva
Absolutely loved these muffins! We used orange blossom honey and the flavour of the glaze was divine! The muffins themselves were really tender and moist too! Great recipe!
So glad you loved them!
Claudia Lamascolo
These looked good I had to try it and they were delicious and was a big hit!
Yay!! Thanks!
Irena
Yum, these remind me so much of the sticky date pudding but with more of a honey profile. Super moist, delicious, sweet – all around winning muffins!
I’ve never had sticky date pudding, but so glad you loved them and now I’m intrigued!
Tayler
I’ve made these muffins several times and they always turn out perfectly! Making them again this weekend!
YAY! So glad they are a go-to recipe for you!
Shadi
Love how easy this recipe is. Can’t wait to try it this weekend.thank you for the recipe!
Super easy!!
Tavo
The muffins were delicious! Super easy to make and tasty! Thanks for the recipe!
So glad to hear! Thanks for your kind words!
Ieva
Such nice and moist muffins! Absolutely delicious and easy to make! We all loved the honey glaze on them!
That honey glaze is the best!!