Do you have a recipe for bran muffins like they have in the bakeries? They are dense and moist. My recipes for bran muffins tend to be too dry. Thank you, Marge .Mary Ann Weleski

This recipe has been mainstay of mine for years. I have found that bran muffins tend to over bake quickly. An great tip from Cook's Illustrated reminds us that the muffins are baked through when they retract ever so slightly from the sides of the cups and the tops spring back very gently. Don't look for an active spring. The muffins will still be baked through even though a wooden pick withdraws from the centers with a few moist crumbs clinging to it.

Bran muffins from Cooks Illustrated

1 1/4 cups bleached all purpose flour 1/4 cup whole wheat flour 1 1/4 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. baking soda 3/4 tsp. salt 1 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon 3/4 tsp. ground allspice 1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg 7 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened 1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp. dark brown sugar 2 large eggs 2 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract 3 Tbsp. unsulphured molasses 1/4 cup sour cream 1 cup plus 3 Tbsp. buttermilk 1 1/2 cups wheat bran 1 cup raisins

1. Adjust oven rack to lower middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Mix flour through nutmeg in a medium bowl; set aside. 2. Beat butter in large bowl of electric mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Add brown sugar, increase speed to medium-high and beat until combined and fluffy, about 1 minute longer. Add eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly before adding the next. Beat in vanilla, molasses and sour cream until thoroughly combined and creamy, about 1 minute longer. Reduce speed to low; beat in buttermilk and half the flour mixture until combined, about 1 minute. Beat in remaining flour mixture until incorporated and slightly curdled looking, about 1 minute longer, scraping sides of bowl as necessary. Stir in bran and raisins. 3. Spray a twelve mold muffin tin (each mold measuring 1/2 cup) or a six mold muffin tin (each mold measuring one cup) with cooking spray or coat lightly with butter; divide batter evenly among molds using spoon or ice cream scoop. Bake until a toothpick inserted into center withdraws cleanly or with a few moist particles adhering to it, about 25 minutes. Set on a wire rack to cool slightly, about 5 minutes. Remove muffins from tin and serve warm. Makes 12 small muffins or 6 jumbo muffins