I love this recipe because its easy & there are lots of variations you can try (see bottom of page for variations)! These are healthy muffins that don’t taste TOO healthy (aka grainy) & they can easily be made even sweeter by adding some vegan chocolate chips!
For this batch, I used organic frozen blueberries! YUM!
Before baking...
SCRUM~DIDDLY~CONCIOUS VEGAN MUFFINS
- 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour*
- 1 1/4 cup unbleached white all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 1/2 cups fruit
- 1/2 – 3/4 cup chocolate chips (optional)
- 1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)
- 1/2 cup canola oil (or 1/4 cup canola & 1/4 cup applesauce)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cup almond or soy milk
Preheat oven to 350. Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. Stir in berries/nuts/chocolate chips into the dry mixture. Mix liquids (oil & soymilk) separately and whisk well. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until JUST mixed! (I cannot stress the “just mixed” enough! If mixed too much, the muffins will be spongy (as is the case with all muffins, not just vegan ones). If mixed properly, they will be light and fluffy!
Bake at 350 for 25 minutes (makes 12 muffins) OR bake an additional 7-10 minutes for 6 jumbo muffins. (I prefer to make jumbo muffins because we eat them faster and then I can make another kind!) Check with a toothpick or knife to see if they are done. Let them cool in the pan for about 5 minutes before moving them out of the tin to cool on a wire rack.
* If you do not have whole wheat pastry flour, or if you prefer, you can use all-purpose flour for the full amount
Sometimes I like to add 1 tbsp of ground flaxseed for a healthy boost of omega-3’s. If you decide to add flax, add an additional 2 -3 Tbsp water to the liquid mixture.
... and after!
VARIATIONS
- You can switch out fruit & nut options! Try banana/chocolate chip, strawberry/walnut, or apple/pecan!
- You can use almond milk instead of soymilk… I love almond milk in baked goods but soy milk contains more protein.
- You can replace half of the oil with applesauce to slightly lower the fat content & to give it a little more moistness.
This is a great article by Jolinda Hackett (vegetarian food guide/about.com) about where you can find vegan chocolate (the “real stuff” – not carob) at your local grocery store! http://vegetarian.about.com/od/shoppingproducts/f/veganchocolate.htm
Your Vegan Neighbor 