©2012 Dee McCaffrey
Recipe taken from The Science of Skinny: Start Understanding Your Body’s Chemistry and Stop Dieting Forever by Dee McCaffrey

Makes 12 regular size muffins

Nutrition per muffin without raisins and walnuts: 92 kcal; 4.6 g total fat; 0 g saturated fat; 0 g trans fat; 4.5 g protein; 24 g carbohydrate; 3 g dietary fiber; 12 g sugars; 0 mg cholesterol; 209 mg sodium.

Nutrition per muffin with raisins and walnuts: 143 kcal; 1.4 g total fat; 0 g saturated fat; 0 g trans fat; 3.5 g protein; 29.6 g carbohydrate; 3.5 g dietary fiber; 16 g sugars; 0 mg cholesterol; 211 mg sodium.

 

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Dee’s Flourless Oat Bran Muffins

Servings 12 muffins
Calories 92 kcal

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups oat bran
  • 2 1/8 tsp non-aluminum baking powder
  • 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt

Wet Ingredients

  • 1 cup unsweetened almond milk (see notes for other milk options)
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce (see notes for other options)
  • 2 large egg whites (see notes for other options)
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp liquid stevia extract
  • 1/2 cup honey or other sweetener (see notes)

Third Set of Ingredients (optional)

  • 1/2 cup raisins
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F.  Line muffin pans with paper muffin cups.

  2. Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix together thoroughly. 

  3. In a separate mixing bowl combine all wet ingredients except the honey. Whisk until the mixture becomes somewhat frothy. 

  4. Slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix thoroughly. Next, slowly add the honey to the mixture while stirring.  The batter should become lighter in texture. 

  5. Fold in the raisins and walnuts, if using.

  6. Fill muffin cups and bake for 20 minutes or until the muffins are golden brown and knife inserted in center comes out clean.  Let cool in the pan 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Recipe Notes

VARIATIONS: 

BLUEBERRY MUFFINS

Instead of raisins and walnuts, add 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries.

BANANA-NUT MUFFINS

Instead of applesauce, add 1 large ripe mashed banana. Omit raisins and increase chopped walnuts to 1 cup.

BLUEBERRY BANANA MUFFINS

Instead of applesauce, add 1 large ripe mashed banana. Omit raisins and walnuts and replace with 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries.

PUMPKIN PECAN MUFFINS

Instead of applesauce, add 1/2 cup canned pumpkin.  Replace cinnamon and nutmeg with 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice.  Replace walnuts with pecans and omit raisins, or replace raisins with 1 cup dried cranberries for a great cranberry-pumpkin muffin.

Dee’s Notes:

Milk: You can use any type of milk (cow's milk or non-dairy milk) in this recipe and there is no noticeable difference in the texture or taste.  I have a preference for using either almond milk or coconut milk.  When I use almond milk, I use a full cup of it. When I use coconut milk, I thin it out by using ½ cup of lite coconut milk plus ½ cup water. 

Raw Honey:  Honey can be replaced with the same amount of another natural sweetener. I have used brown rice syrup, coconut nectar, and pure maple syrup.  Each has their own unique taste, but they all work great in the recipe.

Egg Whites: Egg whites can be replaced with a chia seed gel or flax seed gel, and there is no noticeable difference in the texture or taste.  I have a preference for chia seed gel.  Combine 2-1/2 tbsp chia seeds with 1/2 cup water and let set for 15 minutes or  more until the mixture becomes a thick gel.  Add to the recipe in place of eggs whites.

Stevia:  The use of stevia in the recipe allows me to add additional sweetness without adding additional calories, carbs, or sugars.  Blending small amounts of stevia with other sweeteners like honey works very well in recipes, and there is no overpowering sweetness from the stevia. Without the stevia, the muffins may not be sweet enough, but you can omit it and see what you think. If they are not sweet enough without the stevia, you can add additional honey or other sweetener.

If you omit stevia and use additional honey or other liquid sweetener, the batter will be too thin.  To rectify, you can add 1/4 cup oat bran or more to achieve the right consistency.

Mixing:  Mixing can be done by hand, but using a stand up electric mixer, such as a Kitchen-Aid mixer, allows more air to be incorporated into the batter and gives it a lighter texture.  I pour the batter into the baking cups and bake the muffins immediately.  This seems to allow the muffins to rise better.

Oat Bran: Oat Bran can be purchased online, at natural food markets and also at mainstream grocery stores.  It can be found in the grocery store aisle where they sell the hot cereals.  You might also find it in the bulk foods. Two brands that are most popular are Bob’s Red Mill and Quaker Oat Bran.

Dee McCaffrey, DCN, MS
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Dee McCaffrey is an organic chemist turned nutritionist and weight loss expert. She is an internationally acclaimed author who lost 100 pounds and has kept the weight off for over three decades. Dee frequently conducts nutrition lectures and cooking classes at venues throughout the United States. She has appeared on numerous TV and radio shows throughout the U.S. including National Public Radio (WNPR), The Doctors, Better TV, The List, and The Dr. Steve Show. Dee and her husband Michael McCaffrey are the founders of Processed-Free America, a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing a global awareness of the effect processed foods have on our health, and the healing properties of natural whole foods. In addition to her published books, Dee has developed an award-winning nutrition curriculum for children, and a certification program for adults to who want to teach the Processed-Free lifestyle to people in their communities. Dee holds a doctoral degree in Human Clinical Nutrition and Integrative Health, and is an adjunct faculty member at several colleges. She a professional member of the National Association of Nutrition Professionals (NANP), The American Nutrition Association (ANA) and the American Association of Nutritional Consultants (AANC). She lives in Tempe, Arizona with her husband and two cats.