Line a muffin tin with 12 muffin cups or use nonstick cooking spray.
In a large bowl, combine cherries or raisins, bran, milk, sugar, oil, molasses, vanilla, and eggs. Let stand for 10 minutes.
In a separate bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the flour mixture to the bran mixture and stir just until moistened. Be careful not to over-mix; batter should be lumpy.
Spoon batter in the prepared muffin cups. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.