Slightly Decadent Chocolate All Bran Muffins

If you want to have All Bran muffins in a way you have never before had them, then these are for you. The muffins are moist, with a soft, gooey chocolate center with a bonus walnut half. You can make these even more decadent  by using both dark and white chocolate for the center. That will definitely give you your chocolate high for the day. You can also kid yourself into believing that they are healthy for you since they have All Bran and dark chocolate! They are very good with morning coffee....you do get your cereal in.....and also a sweet, gooey reward at the center! Other ideas for the filling include, chocolate, blueberries and walnuts, 1 teaspoon of "Dulce de Leche", Raspberries and white chocolate, candied orange peel and dark chocolate, 1/2 teaspoon of crunchy peanut butter and half of a Medjool date!

Ingredients

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup Brown sugar or Panela Redonda

1 tablespoon molasses

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups half and half

1 cup Kellogg's® All-Bran® Original cereal

1/2 cup Scottish oatmeal

¼ cup dried, shredded,unsweetened coconut

1 egg, slightly beaten

1/3 cup Greek style yogurt, plain

¼ cup oil

1 teaspoon orange extract

12 dark chocolate chunks (I used Ghiradelli Semi sweet dark chocolate bar with 60% Cacao. Cut each square into 4 pieces)

To make this even more decadent, buy a bar of the White chocolate as well and prepare it the same way.

24 chocolate chips (approximately)

12 walnut halves (If you don't like walnuts or are allergic to them, use 2 whole Raspberries in each "sandwich" instead!)
1/2 a Granny Smith apple, peeled and shredded. This is optional but it does make the muffins quite moist.

Directions

1.In large bowl stir together flour, baking powder, oatmeal, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

2. In saucepan combine half and half, molasses, orange extract, and the brown sugar, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Bring to a simmer but do not boil. Allow to cool to lukewarm then this to the all-bran cereal, and dried coconut. Let stand about 2 minutes.

3. Have ready in a small bowl, the walnut halves, chocolate chips and cut up chocolate squares.

4. Lightly whisk the egg, oil and yogurt till thick and creamy. Add this and the lukewarm half and half mixture to the dry ingredients, and quickly mix. Be careful not to over mix the batter, stirring until just combined. Portion out mixture into 12 muffin cups (I use Reynolds foil Jumbo sized cups). Place in the center of each muffin, one walnut half, and one chocolate chunk (or two if you are using the white chocolate square as well, sandwiching the walnut half between the two pieces of chocolate).

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Quickly cover this with batter so that is fully covered, and the muffin liner is about 2/3 full. Dot the top with the chocolate chips. Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 15-20 minutes or until a cake tester at the edge of the muffin (not the center) comes out clean (you may see melted chocolate on the tester but there shouldn’t be any uncooked batter clinging to it). Cool on rack.

Apricot Blueberry Baked Oatmeal

I like baked oatmeal for breakfast. It's a change from just having oatmeal in a bowl very morning. This combination uses a variety of dried fruit for sweetness, as well as fresh blueberries. I also use a Colombian Brown Sugar, of which I am especially fond. It has a caramel flavor and adds depth to whatever I make, more than ordinary brown sugar can do. It's called Panela Redonda.

It's a little more difficult to work with but the resulting flavor, especially when caramelized in the oven, is just amazing.

Ingredients:

1 cup quick-cooking or old-fashioned oats, uncooked

1 cup Scottish oatmeal

1/2 cup flax meal

¼ cup dry, shredded coconut

½ cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon honey

1/2 cup dried cranberries

½ cup dried apricots, chopped

1/3 cup sliced almonds

2 teaspoons ground coriander

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon fine sea salt

2 large eggs

1 medium Granny Smith or other slightly tart apple, peeled and coarsely shredded

2 cups milk

1 1/3 cups half and half

2 teaspoons pure orange extract

½ cup fresh blueberries

¼ cup Panela Redonda, broken into pieces

Directions

1.      In a large bowl, combine the oats, oatmeal, chopped nuts, flax meal, coconut, baking powder, and salt. 

2.      Mix the sugar, honey, coriander, dried fruit, and orange extract, with the milk and half and half. Slowly bring to below boiling, stirring frequently to prevent it from burning. Remove from heat and allow to cool to lukewarm temperature.  Add in the shredded apple.

3.      Heavily grease a 8x8x2 inch baking tin or Pyrex dish (If I’m using Pyrex, I put about 1-2 tablespoons of butter in the dish, microwave to melt, then swirl around to coat the bottom and sides just like you would do when making a bread pudding).  

4.      Whisk the eggs, and add the lukewarm milk mixture to this.

5.      Pour into the bowl with the dry ingredients, and mix well. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Use a wooden spoon to distribute the solids evenly. Once the mixture has thickened, arrange the fresh blueberries and Panela pieces on top. This way, the berries and Panela will stay on the top of the mixture). Refrigerate for a few hours (6 hours at least) or overnight for the dry ingredients to absorb the wet mixture. 

6.      Prior to baking, add a few more pieces of the Panela.

Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and fifteen minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, in a water bath, until the center is set, firm to the touch, has a golden color, and a cake tester inserted comes out relatively clean (I use a food thermometer to make sure that the center temperature is 164 degrees Fahrenheit or just above).  OPTIONAL: For a nice, caramelized crust topping, place under the broiler for 3-5 minutes, watching very carefully that it does not burn (the sugar may darken but it adds flavor).