Ina Garten's Blueberry Muffins Are Golden—Here's Why I Make Them Almost Every Week

Loaded with fiber, antioxidants and make-ahead convenience, they’re the answer to healthy snacks and busy morning breakfast routines.

Ina Garten is best known for her unabashed love of butter and heavy cream. So it might surprise you to learn that one of my go-to, healthy, make-ahead breakfasts is her Blueberry Bran Muffin recipe. These blueberry bran muffins check all the right boxes for me. They're wholesome yet satisfying, quick and easy to make, bake up with an impressive dome and are a great way to smuggle some extra fiber and antioxidants into my family's diet. I make a batch every few weeks, so I always have a fiber-rich breakfast or snack on hand.

Related: I Had An Ina Garten-Inspired Dinner Party and This Was, by Far, the Most-Loved Dish

How to Make Ina's Blueberry Muffins

With a simple ingredient list featuring nutrient-dense ingredients like Greek yogurt, blueberries, and wheat bran (which also happens to offer this surprising digestion-friendly benefit!), these muffins come together with minimal effort in about 40 minutes (including baking time).

First things first–get your oven preheated to 350°F and brush the top of a muffin pan with some vegetable oil so the muffins don't stick. Fill each cavity with paper liners, if you've got them. I prefer to just grease the muffin tin really well with butter or baking spray.

In a medium bowl, stir together the dry ingredients, including the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon. Then, in a large bowl, whisk together the oil, yogurt, sugar, honey, eggs and vanilla until everything is well-combined. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet and stir again until everything just comes together–you don't want to overmix. Finally, fold in the stars of the show–the wheat bran and blueberries. The batter will be nice and thick with gorgeous pops of purple from the berries.

Fill each muffin tin about three-quarters full with batter. An ice cream scoop makes easy work of this, and the portioning is A-plus! Then pop them in the oven to bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let them cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, then dig in and enjoy a couple while they're still warm!

Once the rest of the muffins are completely cool, transfer them to an air-tight container. They'll keep at room temperature for a couple of days or in the fridge for a few more. We always warm them in the microwave and spread a little butter or a peanut butter drizzle over top.

What Makes Ina's Recipe a Favorite

Besides Ina's seal of approval, what drew me to this recipe was its quick prep time and whole food ingredient list. Unlike most bran muffin recipes that use bran cereal, these muffins get a punch of fiber from wheat bran (just like these Banana-Bran Muffins, which I also love). This is a big selling point for me because unless you're explicitly searching, it can be hard to find bran muffin recipes that aren't made with cereal.

The honey's sweetness is perfectly balanced, the muffins are moist with a hearty, nutty base from the bran, and pockets of jammy blueberries provide refreshing bursts of flavor in every other bite. It's an all-around texture and flavor combo that feels simultaneously indulgent and virtuous. Hip, hip! Practically speaking, they’re also fast and easy to prep, endlessly adaptable, and store really well. Plus, my kids love them.

Make-Ahead Tips and Tasty Variations

• While the OG recipe suggests fresh, juicy blueberries, I prefer to use frozen wild blueberries, which hold their shape better during baking.

• For fun variations, I sometimes substitute the blueberries for diced strawberries, raspberries or cranberries (with a hint of orange zest) or even dried fruit like raisins or tart cherries. Chocolate chips and walnuts also make great alternative additions.

• Swap the oil for butter or adjust the sweeteners for different flavor and sweetness variations. For example, swapping maple syrup for honey adds a more pronounced flavor and a subtle, earthy richness that we love, especially in the colder months.

• Double up! Make an extra batch or immediately transfer half to the freezer. They freeze well in zip-top freezer bags and reheat beautifully in 30 to 60 seconds with a short zap in the microwave.

The Bottom Line

There's something super satisfying about presenting these rustic, cozy muffins to my family on a lazy weekend morning and knowing I've got more for quick grab-and-go breakfasts and snacks for the days ahead. Lucky for me, they're a total crowd-pleaser across all ages and nutritious enough to be a regular part of my make-ahead breakfast rotation. Easy, versatile, freezer- and kid-friendly–what more could a busy mom need or want?

Read the original article on Eating Well.