Mormon Muffins

There's this great place I used to go to as a kid.  It's called Rainbow Gardens.  It's lovely, and wonderful.  As a kid we'd go bowling there for birthday parties.  They had the best penny candy selection as well as sticker collection.  And they had the best Christmas displays.  You could find all sorts of fun gifts there, or if you really liked someone, you'd get their wedding gift there.  The restaurant inside is famous.  It's where all the ladies would lunch.  My mom and her sisters would go there.  I'd go there with the work girls.  Turkey Enchiladas and a Mormon Muffin is what I always ordered.  The Mormon Muffin was the best part of the whole meal.

I'm not sure why they're called Mormon Muffins.  Maybe we Mormons have the corner on fiber, or maybe it's the muffins wholesomeness.  Just like me.  (I'm sure my mom and James would beg to differ on this point.)  Just teasing, but I can say these muffins are very very tasty!!  This recipe came directly from the Rainbow Gardens website.  They're so kind!  I love a person who shares their deliciousness.  (I feel like a hypocrite saying that since I won't share my GH Bread recipes.  I might go to heck!  Don't judge me to harshly.)  But the recipe is easy and makes a ton of muffins.  I made about 3 dozen enormous muffins.  If you don't fill the muffin cups heaping you'll probably get 4 dozen.  But I like them big, and round, and puffing over the edges.  The muffins freeze well, or you can keep the batter in the fridge for 6 weeks.  It's that kind of recipe.  So trust me on this and make a big batch of goodness.  You're innards will thank you!

Rainbow Gardens

Mormon Muffins

Recipe courtesy of Rainbow Gardens

2 cups boiling water

5 teaspoons baking soda

1 cup shortening

2 cups granulated sugar

4 eggs

5 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 quart buttermilk

4 cups all-bran cereal

2 cups bran flakes

1 cup chopped walnuts

2 c. chopped dates

Directions

Combine water and baking soda. Stir until dissolved. Cool.

In a large mixing bowl, cream sugar and shortening.

Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Add the soda water.

Combine flour and salt and add to cream mixture alternately with buttermilk.

Fold in both cereals and nuts.  At this point let your batter sit for an hour or even better overnight.  At first the batter is rather thin, but as soon as the cereal sogs up a bit it will thicken right up.

Fill greased or paper lined muffin cups full.  Mine are actually heaping full.

Bake at 350°F for 25-30 minutes until they test done.

Muffin batter may be kept for 1 week in refrigerator and baked in smaller batches if desired.