Perhaps the first one below is what you're remembering. Both recipes are from Cook's Illustrated, and both are very good. The first one uses Kellogg's All-Bran Original cereal (the sticks & twigs), and the second one uses actual wheat bran. I've copied my notes too. I make bran muffins weekly, alternating between these two recipes. Better Bran Muffins Cooks Illustrated 5/2007 The test kitchen prefers Kellogg's All-Bran Original cereal in this recipe. Dried cranberries or dried cherries may be substituted for raisins. Low-fat or nonfat yogurt can be substituted for whole milk yogurt, though the muffins will be slightly less flavorful. Notes: I use oil instead of melted butter, sometimes toasted walnut oil. Makes 12 small muffins or 6 jumbo muffins 1 cup raisins 1 teaspoon water 2 1/4 cups All-Bran Original cereal (5 ounces) 1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (6 1/4 ounces) 1/2 cup whole wheat flour (2 1/2 ounces) 2 teaspoons baking soda 1/2 teaspoon table salt (I omit) 1 large egg 1 large egg yolk 2/3 cup packed light brown sugar (4 2/3 ounces) 3 tablespoons mild molasses (or light) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 6 tablespoons unsalted butter (3/4 stick), melted and cooled 1 3/4 cups plain whole-milk yogurt 1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray standard-sized muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray. Combine raisins and water in small microwave-safe bowl, cover with plastic wrap, cut several steam vents in plastic with paring knife, and microwave on high power for 30 seconds. Let stand, covered, until raisins are softened and plump, about 5 minutes. Transfer raisins to paper towel-lined plate to cool. 2. Process half of bran cereal in food processor until finely ground, about 1 minute. Whisk flours, baking soda, and salt in large bowl to combine; set aside. Whisk egg and yolk together in medium bowl until well-combined and light-colored, about 20 seconds. Add sugar, molasses, and vanilla; whisk until mixture is thick, about 30 seconds. Add melted butter and whisk to combine; add yogurt and whisk to combine. Stir in processed cereal and unprocessed cereal; let mixture sit until cereal is evenly moistened (there will still be some small lumps), about 5 minutes. (My note: Do not let sit longer than 5 minutes) 3. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and gently mix with rubber spatula until batter is combined and evenly moistened. Do not overmix. Gently fold raisins into batter. Using 1/3-cup measure or ice cream scoop, divide batter evenly among muffin cups, dropping batter to form mounds. Do not level or flatten surfaces of mounds. 4. Bake until muffins are dark golden and toothpick inserted into center of muffin comes out with a few crumbs attached, 16 to 20 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking. Cool muffins in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack and cool for 10 minutes before serving. Big Bran Muffins with Raisins and Dates CookÂs Illustrated 9/1993 You can substitute one cup oat bran for the wheat germ for a wholesome but slightly more dense muffin. My Notes: This was the best recipe so far that used wheat bran. It makes a dark, moist, flavorful bakery style muffin. ItÂs a little bit oily as is, so I make it with ½ cup oil & ¼ cup applesauce. The biggest problem was getting the time & temperature right. 20 mins. at 400 is NOT enough time to cook the insides. The first time I made them, I had to re-bake the first batch after the tops came off revealing a batter filled center. I've never use wheat germ; either I use all wheat bran or half wheat & half oat bran. Makes about 20 muffins 2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons (I use 1½ cups AP flour & 1 cup + 2 tbsp. white whole wheat) 4 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 1 tablespoon baking powder 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon table salt (I omit) 3/4 cup vegetable oil (I use ½ cup oil & ¼ cup applesauce) 2 teaspoons honey 1/4 cup molasses 1 cup light brown sugar plus 2 tablespoons, packed firm (I omit the extra 2 tbsp.) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 3/4 teaspoon maple extract 1 1/2 teaspoons butter extract (I omit) 3 large eggs, lightly beaten 2 cups buttermilk 1 cup toasted wheat germ (I use another cup of wheat bran or oat bran) 1 cup wheat bran (not the cereal) 1/2 cup whole dates, plumped with scalding water, drained, and coarsely chopped (I pour boiling water over dried, sweetened blueberries several times, to plump & to remove excess sugar) 1 cup dark raisins, plumped with scalding water and drained (I use dried cranberries or cherries and pour boiling water over them just like the blueberries) 1. Whisk first five ingredients together in a bowl; set aside. 2. In a large bowl, whisk next 7 ingredients together. Whisk in eggs, then buttermilk, wheat germ, and bran. Let batter rest 10 minutes. 3. Whisk dry ingredients into wet mixture to partially blend. Continue mixing batter with a rubber spatula, making sure that ingredients at the bottom are incorporated into the batter. Fold in raisins and dates. 4. Cover batter with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight (I leave it in overnight). 5. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat over to 400 degrees. Lightly grease the top surface of 2, 12-cup muffin pans, use liners if necessary. Using an ice cream scoop, place a portion of the batter into each cup, filling to the brim (Fill them to the top). Fill empty muffin ups with water to ensure even baking. Bake until muffin tops brown, about 20 minutes. If muffins are not done after 20 minutes, reduce temperature to 350 degrees and bake until muffins test done. (This baking method works for me: Bake 10 minutes at 400 and then 15-20 minutes at 350. Check with pick; make sure center of muffins are completely done.) Let muffins cool in pan for 5 minutes, and then transfer them to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Kate, here is another recipe I can highly recommend. Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table Cream Cheese filled White Chocolate Muffins =========================================== Adapted from Couture Cupcakes- ecupcake.blogspot.com The original recipe called for 4 ounces of white chocolate. I only had two. And like most cupcakes the original one was frosted. Instead I drizzled an icing sugar glaze flavoured with butter and vanilla over the warm cupcake. I also placed a large spoonful of the cream cheese filling in the centre. Definitely a keeper. 2 cups all purpose flour 1 2/3 cups of white sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 ounces quality white chocolate 1/2 butter 1/2 cup water 1 cup of sour cream 2 teaspoons vanilla 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 2 eggs Oven preheated to 350°F Melt chocolate with butter. Stir until smooth. Add water. Mix together flour,sugar, salt and baking soda. Mix together sour cream, vanilla and eggs, add butter chocolate mixture and flour. Beat with either a machine or hand mixer. Pour into muffin tin lined with paper cupcake liners. Option: 1 package cream cheese (8 ounces) 1/2 cup sugar 1 egg vanilla pinch of salt Beat together cream cheese, egg, sugar, salt and vanilla. Fill muffin cups half full with muffin batter, top with a spoon of cream cheese and then cover with more muffin batter. When muffins come out of the oven drizzle with glaze made with one tablespoon melted butter, one cup of powdered sugar, vanilla and a little cream or milk.

My first thought was right there with ideefixe - make them smaller - mini-muffins, so that's what I did. These were wonderful little muffins after I "messed" with the recipe a bit. Here's how I lowered the fat, carbs/sugars, and increased fiber. 1 c. whole wheat flour (spelt would also be a good choice) 3/4 c. Hi-Maize Resistant Starch* 1/4 c. flaxmeal 1/4 c. agave nectar** 2-1/2 t. baking powder 1 t. cinnamon 1/2 t. salt 1 c. milk 2 T. instant coffee granules 2 T. coconut oil (or butter) 1 egg 1 t. vanilla 1/4-1/2 c. mini chocolate chips (I used 1/4-c.) Bake: 350°F oven 11-13-minutes. Yield: 24 mini-muffins. Sprinkle the top with a tiny bit of cinnamon sugar after you pan the batter, OR, dust with powdered sugar after they are baked. This is a "sweet trick" when you lower the sugar in foods. That small amount of sugar hitting your tongue, as well as the sweetness in the chocolate chips, will make them seem sweeter than the amount in them would indicate. I used a 1/4 c. flaxmeal for increased fiber and as a fat replacer. I also used coconut oil. One benefit of coconut oil is that you can generally reduce the amount of fat in a recipe by 25% just switching to coconut oil. I use several brands, but used LouAna brand for the recipe. LouAna doesn't have any coconut flavor. I get it at Wal-Mart and now I can get it at our Kroger-affiliated store, Dillons. I understand Kroger now carries it as well. You'll find it in the shortening/vegetable oil isle. If you aren't familiar with Hi-Maize Resistant Starch, here is some information from Honeyville Grain. I add it to all my baked goods as a replacement for a portion of the flour, in my homemade pudding mix, breakfast smoothie..... *Hi-Maize Resistant Starch (Honeyville Grain - 5#/$16.99 - S/H is $4.49 for your entire order and I generally order several things at a time from them. King Arthur Flour - 3#/$9.95 and 12-oz./$5.95 plus S/H. Information about Hi-Maize from Honeyville Grain: Just 15 grams of Hi-maize (about 1 heaping tablespoon) contains 9 grams of total dietary fiber, which is more than the fiber in 1/3 cup of high bran cereal and twice as much as the fiber contained in 1 cup of oatmeal. 1. Hi-maize is lower in calories than the flour it replaces. Hi-maize delivers between 2-l kilocalories/gram while flour delivers 4 kilocalories/gram. Hi-maize also helps your body burn more fat and may lead to lower fat accumulation. 2. Hi-maize helps maintain healthy blood sugar levels in healthy individuals because Hi-maize increases insulin sensitivity in healthy people. 3. Hi-maize helps balance your energy in the hours following a meal. It has a lower impact in blood sugar and blood insulin than the flour it replaces. For individuals following a "carbohydrate-control" diet, it lowers the "net" or digestible carbohydrates in foods. 4. Hi-maize promotes digestive health. The fiber in Hi-maize is fermented within the large intestine and encourages the growth of friendly bacteria (a "prebiotic" fiber). It reduces harmful compounds such as ammonia, while producing beneficial compounds such as short-chain fatty acids like butyrate, the preferred fuel for colon cells. Hi-maize is ideal for use in a gluten-free diet. 5. Hi-maize is well tolerated. It is slowly fermented and does not produce the uncomfortable digestive side effects sometimes found with fiber. Hi-Maize nutrition per 28g: 40 calories 0 fat 0 cholesterol 15mg sodium 15g carbohydrates 15g dietary fiber 0 sugars 0 protein **Agave Nectar - a natural, honey-like sweetener that is one of the lowest foods on the Glycemic Index of Foods. It doesn't raise blood sugar, BUT, it acts like sugar in baking, contributes to fermentation in yeast breads, browns, unlike chemical sweeteners. I generally use 1/2-3/4 c. agave nectar for each 1 c. sugar. -Grainlady

This is timely. I was out driving around yesterday and saw some woman spreading fertilizer on her lawn. Her muffin top was hanging out all around and jiggled as she walked along. Quite a sight to see.