Honey Bran Muffins - Don't use Olive Oil!!!

"She Said"...

It has been a slow week on the food front mostly because I have been so busy running around. Finally on Thursday night I got a chance to make the Honey Bran Muffins I have been wanting to make for the last two weeks. I made them once before and I remember them being so yummy and I figured they would be quick and easy to grab on our busy mornings throughout the week. The recipe calls for mixing the ingredients together, covering and refrigerating for at least 3 hours or overnight. The kids are tucked into bed, J's not home yet and I start making my muffins and then I run into a snag... the recipe calls for vegetable oil and I am fresh out since I used the last of it to make donuts a few weeks ago. Olive Oil is one thing I have plenty of so I go to the Internet and search on whether I can replace the Vegetable Oil with Olive Oil. The response was: "Most Definitely, you won't notice a difference in the taste". WRONG! BIG FAT WRONG! I made the Bran Muffins with Olive Oil, chilled overnight and made the muffins Friday morning. The whole time I was pouring the batter into the muffin cups all I could smell was Olive Oil. I made mini muffins for the girls and a dozen regular sized muffins for me and J. I get them cooked and cooled and take a bite and the only thing I can taste is the Olive Oil!!! Big disappointment :( The only good news is that my pickiest eater loved them! She ate 4 minis in a matter of minutes and was still asking for more! J took one bite and threw it in the trash and said, "yea, you can really taste the Olive Oil." I will be making these again on Sunday night with Vegetable Oil this time.

These muffins are really worth making so here is the recipe. I got it from allrecipes.com (one of my favorite recipe sites).

HONEY BRAN MUFFINS

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups pineapple juice
2 cups golden raisins (I use dried cranberries and sometimes I just omit this all
together.)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil (do not replace with Olive Oil!!)
1/2 cup honey
5 eggs, beaten
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoons salt
4 cups whole bran cereal (I use All Bran)

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a small bowl, combine pineapple juice and raisins. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. Stir in cereal. Set
aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl combine brown sugar, oil, honey, and eggs; mix well. Add cereal mixture, and mix well. Fold in the pineapple juice, raisin mixture. Batter will be thin; it will thicken as it chills. Cover, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight.
4. Stir chilled batter. Fill greased or paper lined muffin cups 3/4 full.
5. Bake in a preheated 400 degree F oven for 15 to 17 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack.

For the mini muffins I baked them for 12 minutes.