By the end of the week, any bananas left in the fruit bowl are past their prime—just right for these moist bran muffins. Add a handful of dark chocolate chips to enhance this fiber-rich treat.

Ingredients

  • 2 large eggs
  • ⅔ cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1 cup mashed ripe bananas, (2 medium)
  • 1 cup buttermilk, (see ingredient notes)
  • 1 cup unprocessed wheat bran, (see ingredient notes)
  • ¼ cup neutral oil, such as canola or avocado
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup whole-wheat flour
  • ¾ cup all-purpose flour
  • 1½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup chocolate chips (optional)
  • ⅓ cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat 12 muffin cups with cooking spray.
  2. Whisk 2 eggs and ⅔ cup brown sugar in a medium bowl until smooth. Whisk in 1 cup bananas, 1 cup buttermilk, 1 cup wheat bran, ¼ cup oil and 1 teaspoon vanilla.
  3. Whisk 1 cup whole-wheat flour, ¾ cup all-purpose flour, 1½ teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon cinnamon and ¼ teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the dry ingredients; add the wet ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula until just combined. Stir in ½ cup chocolate chips, if using. Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin cups (they'll be quite full). Sprinkle with ⅓ cup walnuts, if using.
  4. Bake the muffins until the tops are golden brown and spring back when touched lightly, 15 to 25 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Loosen the edges and turn the muffins out onto a wire rack to cool slightly before serving.