INGREDIENTS:

Dry ingredients:

• 2 cups whole-wheat flour
• 1 ½ cups wheat bran (1 tablespoon reserved for tops)
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• 1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated

Wet ingredients:

• ½ teaspoon orange zest, grated
• 1/3 cup orange juice
• 1 2/3 cups buttermilk
• 1 extra large egg
• ½ cup blackstrap molasses
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Chunky ingredients:

• 1 cup Golden Delicious apples, peeled, chopped in ½-inch pieces
• ½ cup dark raisins
• ½ cup walnuts, chopped
• 2 tablespoons, walnuts, chopped, reserved for tops

DIRECTIONS:

1. Position a rack in the middle and preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a muffin or line with papers and set aside.

2. In a wide, shallow bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.

3. In a deeper medium bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients.

4. Pour the wet over the dry, quickly scatter on the chunky, and fold together lightly until just mixed. Fill the muffin cups equally and bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick or skewer inserted into a muffin comes out clean.

MAKES 12-16 MUFFINS, DEPENDING ON PAN SIZE