Sometimes only a bran muffin will do with your morning cup of coffee. And I prefer them sweet and chewy – exactly the way I’m not supposed to have them these days. Well, I’ve been playing around, trying to come up with a low carb version of that sweet, chewy bran muffin.

This batch turned out pretty much as I intended. It’s a bit more crumbly than I’d like but the taste is perfect. My recipe calls for a few “specialty” ingredients: erythritol, carbalose and polydextrose. All can be ordered on-line from www.netrition.com . They are staples in my low carb kitchen and they make wonderful substitutes for the old, carby stuff we used to eat… with very similar results.

So, here’s my recipe for Sweet, Chewy Bran Muffins:

Sweet, Chewy Bran Muffins

3 cups wheat bran
1/2 cup erythritol, granulated (or granulated sweetener of choice; Splenda won’t give the same results)
1 cup Carbalose
1/4 cup polydextrose
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk OR soured milk (put 1 tblsp vinegar in 1 cup measure, then fill with milk)
1/3 cup softened shortening or oil
1 egg

Mix all dry ingredients together thoroughly
Mix shortening/oil with egg and milk
Add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. It will be a very thick mixture.

Divide among 12 greased muffin cups. They will be almost filled to top but these don’t rise much.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until they are firm to touch and you see just a bit of browning on top.

Let them cool for a few minutes before removing from pan. These will be very tender and may crumble more than “regular” bran muffins but the taste is wonderful.

Carbalose, erythritol and polydextrose can all be ordered from www.netrition.com