Ginger Pear Bran Muffins

A friend of mine brought these muffins to our Women's Bible Study and I fell in love and immediately asked her for the recipe. They are super healthy, too!

2 cups wheat bran

1 cup oat bran

1 cup whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

2/3 cup plain yogurt

1/3 cup canola oil (I used vegetable oil because that's what I had on hand)

2/3 cup honey

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

2 cups peeled & mashed very ripe pears (about 3 pears) or 2 15-oz cans of pears, drained and mashed + 1/3 cup of the pear syrup

1/2 cup finely chopped candied ginger, preferably uncrystallized (crystallized is fine)

Place oven rack in middle of oven and heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a standard size muffin pan or line cups with paper liners .Combine wheat bran, oat bran, whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl and set aside.

Combine eggs, yogurt, canola oil, honey, and vanilla in a small bowl and mix well. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix with a rubber spatula just until combined.

Gently stir in the pears and candied ginger.

Generously fill muffin cups with batter. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25 to 28 minutes.

Cool muffins in pan for 10 to 15 minutes, then carefully remove from pan and serve warm, or let cool on a wire rack.

Store muffins in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze. Defrost muffins at room temperature, or in the microwave if you're really in a hurry.

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Trader Joes sells bags of uncrystallized candied ginger in their dried fruit section. I used crystallized ginger from the bulk section of Fred Meyer. I also used vanilla yogurt and omitted the vanilla extract.