Spiced Banana Bran Muffins

This perfectly lovely muffin recipe is from the side panel of the Kroger Bran Flakes box. Who woulda thought that they'd be so yummy? They are everything a bran muffin should be: Moist, flavorful, and just the right balance of sweet and salty. In fact, they remind me more of banana bread than banana muffins. And who doesn't like banana bread? As if that weren't enough, they're pretty healthy, too. Here are the details if you're interested and/or hungry for something new for breakfast:

Ingredients

1 cup bran flakes cereal
1/4 cup skim milk
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup melted margarine
2/3 cup mashed ripe banana
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped (optional)

Directions

Heat oven to 375-degrees F. Soak cereal in milk in a large mixing bowl for 5 minutes. In a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda and spices). Add "wet" ingredients (honey, margarine, and mashed banana) to cereal mixture. Stir wet ingredients until well mixed. Add flour mixture to wet ingredients and gently stir until combined. Fold in nuts, if desired. Spoon into greased muffin pan, filling 2/3 full. Bake for 20-25 minutes. (They almost always take at least 25 minutes for me.) Cool 5 minutes then, remove from pan.

Hope you enjoy them!