Tag Archives: muffins

Lemon Poppyseed Muffins

Posted on November 10, 2013 | Leave a comment

As long as I can remember, I have enjoyed creating food. Before I was old enough to be in the kitchen alone, I was outside letting my mud cookies “bake” on a wooden board out in the sun. When I realized that I could tie my passion for animals and baking together, my heart almost exploded.  I truly love it when someone is wowed by something i made, or surprised that vegan food “can actually be good”! (Geez, its mind-blowing and sad to me how disconnected some of us are from eating real homemade foods with no preservatives!) I love showing people that you don’t need to use dairy/eggs in baking. I love teaching others what I like to call “compassionate cooking”!

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Okay, I know… I really need better pictures of these – You’ll have to forgive me. I was in a rush – to eat them. I will take better pictures next time, which will be soon! Hey, I never claimed to be a photographer, I’m just your vegan neighbor who likes to make yummy food!

This recipe is more or less straight from Isa Chandra Moskowitz’s book “Vegan Brunch”, which may be my favorite of her’s.  I actually own all her books except the pie one, which will be on my Xmas wish list! Chef Isa might slap me if she knew I used lemon juice from a jar instead of fresh lemon juice, but sometimes when you get a craving, you Tim Gunn it… and by that, i mean, you “MAKE IT WORK”. So, Isa’s original recipe contains fresh lemon juice and also 2 Tbsp lemon zest. Next time I’ll make Isa proud, but this time, it was still good enough to where my daughter said “Can i have another cupcake?” when it was gone! Now that’s a good muffin!

I actually had the pleasure (or should I say honor) of meeting Isa Chandra Moskowitz today! She came and had a reading from her new book ‘Isa Does It’ at our local bookstore Avid Books in Athens GA. (BTW, the book is filled with really simple amazing recipes I cant wait to try! Very pantry-friendly recipes & full color pictures! I highly recommend you go buy it!) This past weekend was VegFest in Atlanta, which unfortunately I was unable to attend, though I was happy to be able to be a part of Isa’s visit to Athens. She was very down to earth – and totally funny! Ahhh… just another reason to love her!! I also got to meet & briefly chat with another one of my favorite bloggers, “Vegan Dad”, who was in town for VegFest and was there for Isa’s appearance as well! 🙂

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Me & Isa – Too bad the guy in line behind me was a terrible photographer! It’s a little fuzzy and the light is terrible, but I’m just glad I got a picture! I didn’t want to take up anymore of her time asking for a re-do!

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 1 Tbsp baking powder
  • 5 tsp poppy seeds
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 3/4 cup non-dairy milk (I used almond)
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup canola oil
  • 2 Tbsp lemon zest
  • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1) Preheat oven to 375. Lightly grease a muffin tin or line with paper cups.

2) In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, poppy seeds and salt.

3) Mix liquids in a small bowl separately. Make a well in the center and add the liquids. Mix gently until dry ingredients are moistened and no pockets of flour remain. It will look a little lumpy.

4) Fill muffin tins evenly and bake 23-27 minutes, until tops are lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean. When cool enough to handle, move out of the tin onto a cooling rack. Devour!

*Please note: I am working on taking better pictures of my food. I think day light is key to a good picture with my particular camera & I made these at night and I just couldn’t get a good shot. I know how important the pictures are to all you “foodies” out there, so just bear with me! 🙂

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Banana Coconut Spelt Muffins

Posted on October 13, 2013 | Leave a comment

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Wow! These muffins are amazing! I love making muffins because they are a great breakfast, snack and healthy addition to my daughters sack lunches.  I made this recipe gluten-free* and soy-free. I really love using coconut oil instead of canola when I can. In my experience, it makes for a moister bread. Also, the benefits of coconut are awesome!  Next time I think Im going to try to make them into jumbo muffins 🙂

* Spelt flour is a good substitute for people with a low intolerance for wheat, though people with serious wheat allergies, such as those with celiac disease, are also allergic to spelt, as it is not 100% wheat-free. If necessary, you can replace the spelt flour with a 100% gluten free baking mix (most grocery stores carry a blend for general flour replacing).

I have a bit of an addiction of downloading free cookbooks onto my kindle… And it doesn’t have to be a vegan cookbook either – veganizing recipes is fun and usually pretty easy! Yes, you could say I’m  bit of a sucker for a bargain – a trait I definitely acquired from my Dad! It’s a blessing and a curse… I truly love scouring through thrift stores to seek out unique treasures to bring home! (My home is filled with such things!) And yet I am simultaneously trying to declutter! It doesn’t help matters much that I’m also a major recycler… I try to recycle everything. Like sometimes instead of throwing something out, I will try to repurpose it… this may explain the boxes and piles I have stashed away that I often pretend are invisible! Overall, I see my recycling efforts as positive. A lot of good things have come from my repurposing! 🙂

The base of this recipe came from one of the free kindle books I got called ‘Smart School Time Recipes’. The original recipe was from ‘Andrea at Bakerymanis.wordpress’, to give credit where it is due, though I did end up altering it quite a bit.

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I found these adorable Snoopy cupcake liners at Michaels Craft Store!

Banana Coconut Spelt Muffins

  • 2 cups whole spelt flour
  • 1  tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1/2 cup toasted coconut flakes (I used shredded coconut and browned it in a skillet – watch carefully, it browns quickly!)
  • 1 cup mashed banana (this was about 1  1/2 bananas)
  • 1/2 cup coconut oil
  • 1/2 cup sucanat or brown sugar (I used light brown sugar)
  • 1/4 cup soy milk +  1 tsp cider vinegar (I used almond milk)
  • Topping: 1/3 coconut flakes + 2 tbsp. turbinado sugar (I subbed brown sugar  because I just happened to be out of turbinado! It turned out awesome!)

1) Preheat oven to 350. Grease 12 muffin cups or line with baking cups.

2) Mix dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt & toasted coconut) and set aside.

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Toasting the coconut is easy!

3) Peel the bananas and mash gently into measuring cup to make 1 cup. Blend in a food processor along with the oil, sugar, non-dairy milk + vinegar. Blend until smooth.

4) Add wet to dry and mix. (The great thing about baking with spelt is you don’t have to worry about over-mixing as you do with gluten-filled flours!) Fill muffin tins equally with batter and distribute topping evenly among the 12 muffins.

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Before baking…

5) Bake 23-25 minutes until they start to turn golden brown on top. Let cool for several minutes… then DEVOUR!!!

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Yum! Yum!

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I love me some muffins!

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Mint Chocolate Chip Muffins

Posted on December 5, 2012 | 1 comment

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I don’t know if it’s the cold weather, Christmas or WHAT that makes me start to crave peppermint.  Peppermint tea, candy canes, mint chocolate chip ice cream, mint chocolate cookies… and in the olden days, Girl Scouts Thin Mints (which sadly are NOT vegan). You know, people think you have to give up SO much to be a vegan… Well, I have given this a lot of thought and I don’t think that is true at all. Sure, I did have to give up some things.. but then again, no, I didn’t…  What I actually gave up was convenience. If I want a thin mint now, I have to work for it by baking my own. But to me, that is the best part about being vegan (besides making the planet a cleaner and kinder place) – being in the kitchen more, eating better ( & usually healthier) homemade food, sharing time making something with my family.  There are so many memories that can be created in the kitchen. It’s one of my favorite places to spend time with my kids, whether they are coloring at the table or trying to help me mix & bake. There’s something magical about creating food, no matter what it may be. Putting ingredients in a bowl and watching it change and turn into something else… it IS magic!

Which brings me back to these awesome muffins.  They are kind of like magic too – just a taste of one makes me smile! I love chocolate… I love mint… I love muffins – and these muffins bring all my favorite things together! (Now only if I could add some coffee in there!) Note: These are NOT cupcakes. They are without a doubt muffins, but they are the sweetest most chocolatey delicious muffins. Perhaps they should be called… dessert muffins?

Sometimes I need to remind myself why I started this blog. I love sharing all kinds of recipes, but sometimes I forget that not everybody has arrowroot flour, flaxseeds and nutritional yeast in their kitchens (though I highly recommend stocking your cabinet)! But seriously… the most important reason I’m doing this blog is to show others that PRACTICALLY ANYTHING CAN BE MADE VEGAN.  (It’s actually pretty easy to find vegan versions of those special treats, like vegan Twinkies or “Fauxstess” Cupcakes!) My goal is to find a good middle ground – where the food is on the healthy side but is also allowing the “everyman” (aka non-vegans) to be able to cook my recipes without too much fuss.  So, I hope I’m more or less achieving my goal and that you are enjoying the recipes you find here!

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Mint Chocolate Chip Muffins

FYI – the crushed candy cane topping is going to melt onto the muffin tops, which leaves a nice crunchy minty delicious muffin top! I suppose if you left it really chunky it may leave some pretty red/white spots as well. I like to dust the tops of mine with powdered sugar for a snowy effect!  Oh – and if you want these extra chocolatey, I recommend using chocolate soy or almond milk!!

You will need:

  • 1  3/4 cup unbleached flour
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 6 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 12/ tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 3 tsp Ener-G-Egg Replacer* + 4 Tbsp water (the equivalent to 2 eggs)
  • 1 cup non-dairy milk
  • 1/2 cup canola oil
  • 1 tsp mint extract
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips (opt)
  • 1 crushed candy cane for sprinkling on top
  • powdered sugar for dusting on top

(*Ener-G-Egg Replacer can be found in most supermarkets! It is in a yellow box, usually in the “healthy” section. This stuff is great for replacing eggs in baking.)

Preheat oven to 400 F.

1) Sift flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl.

2) In a medium bowl, whisk together the “egg” vigorously.  Add the oil and milk and mint extract.  Whisk well. Add the liquids to the dry, stirring just enough to combine. Fold in the chocolate chips.

3) Spoon into the muffin pans, filling them 3/4 full. Sprinkle the tops with crushed candy cane. Bake 15-17 minutes until a toothpick or knife inserted in center comes out clean.

4) Let sit for 5 minutes then remove to cool on a wire rack.

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Getting ready to bake… the candy cane will melt and make a nice sweet crunchy top!

Variation: If you want a chocolate muffin without the mint, simply leave out the mint extract. (Use chocolate milk for extra chocolatey-richness.) Add to the dry mixture 2 tsp cinnamon and 1/4 tsp cloves. Add 1/2 cup chopped nuts if desired! I made them this way first and they were great!

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Here is a close up where you can see some bigger pieces of candy cane bits that made it through the baking process, giving it some pretty red specks!

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Mmm! Yummy candy cane bits!

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Posted in baking, breads, breakfast, desserts, holidays, muffins, Vegan, winter

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Practically Perfect (in every way) Pumpkin Muffins

Posted on October 18, 2012 | 1 comment

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens… you all know the song… Well, these muffins definitely just topped my list of a few of my favorite things! They are so tender and moist and… well, perfect… they are “practically perfect in every way”, just like Mary Poppins. (Hey, Julie Andrews – WHY  do these muffins keep reminding me of you?! Well, I’m can’t answer that! But I will name these muffins in your honor!)

You know, I really love how soft and delicate things baked with spelt flour turn out!  My sister & my niece were coming over to visit so it was the perfect reason for baking something… And since my sister steers clear of gluten (with the exception of spelt, which has a very low gluten content) it was the perfect reason to experiment! 🙂

*Please Note: I tagged this recipe as gluten-free, though spelt does contain a small amount of gluten. If you are 100% gluten intolerant, I would replace the spelt flour with a 100% gluten-free baking mix.

I had an idea these muffins would be pretty phenomenal since I got a few ideas from vegan baking goddess Isa Chandra Moskowitz’s Post Punk Kitchen website (www.theppk.com)…  I really liked her idea of using of coconut milk in her pumpkin bread for a nice moist bread so I decided to use that instead of soymilk. I also used spelt flour and added a little coconut in and on top of my muffins as well.  My conclusion can be stated in 3 letters… OMG!

Practically Perfect (in every way) Pumpkin Muffins

dry ingredients

  • 1 3/4 cup spelt flour
  • 1 cup sugar (I prefer fine raw sugar, not white)
  • 1 Tbsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp ginger
  • 1/4 tsp allspice
  • 1/8 tsp cloves
  • 1/4 cup shredded coconut
  • extra coconut for sprinkling over the top

wet ingredients

  • 1 cup pumpkin (canned is fine)
  • 1/2 cup canned coconut milk – (unsweetened)
  • 1/2 cup canola oil
  • 2 Tbsp molasses
  • 1  1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar

1) Mix dry ingredients well in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, mix wet ingredients. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Mix well!

before baking

just out of the oven

cooling off

Distribute evenly between 12 greased muffin tins** and sprinkle coconut over the tops. Bake at 400 F for 18-20 minutes until a toothpick or knife inserted in the center comes out clean. The coconut on top should be done browning nicely at that same time 🙂 Cool for 10-15 minutes in the pan and then carefully remove the muffins.

** FYI: filling a muffin/cupcake tin over 2/3 full will cause your “muffin top” to spread and flatten out. These muffins are very delicate and you should know that the tops are prone to wanting to lift off if they aren’t cooled enough before removing from the pan or if the tops are too heavy… You can make the muffins a tad bit smaller (13 or 14) to help keep this from happening if you wish.

Variations (If you dare mess with perfection): You can substitute almond or soy milk for the coconut milk if desired.  I think that lite coconut milk would also work just fine if you wanted a lower fat muffin.  Sometimes I replace half the oil with applesauce when baking, though I have never tried that with this recipe. The coconut can be omitted all together as well if you aren’t into coconut. You may also use regular unbleached flour if you prefer over spelt.

I would imagine that you could easily substitute pureed sweet potato for the pumpkin in this recipe… maybe you could even pop a vegan marshmallow down there in the middle! Mmmm! Sweet Potato Casserole Muffins! Sounds good to me! 🙂

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Zucchini Muffins

Posted on October 11, 2011 | 7 comments

If you have trouble getting your kid to eat zucchini, look no further!  These light fluffy muffins are packed with zucchini, yet they are moist & delicious (and they also happen to be gluten-free*)! They are perfect for breakfast or a quick snack.   I really like the flavor that using sucanat adds, but if you have trouble finding sucanat, regular light brown sugar will do.

* Spelt flour is a good subsitute for people with a low intolerance for wheat, though some people with serious wheat allergies, such as those with celiac disease, are also allergic to spelt.  In that case, you should try replacing the flour with a 100% gluten free baking mix (most grocery stores carry a blend for general flour replacing).

I have been experimenting with some gluten-free cooking lately, which was inspired by one of my sisters, who is also soy free (be on the look out for my gluten & soy-free pumpkin pie around the holidays)!  I love learning about different kinds of baking… its all science really. Sometimes your experiment ends with a truly amazing result… sometimes it doesnt turn out like you hoped.  Thats when you try a different ingredient, a different flour… one tiny change in a recipe can take it to an entirely different place.  I love baking more than any other kind of cooking!

~Zucchini Muffins~

  • 1 cup almond milk (or other non-dairy milk… Stick with almond milk if you are making a soy-free muffin)
  • 3 Tbsp ground flax seeds
  • 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 2  1/2 cups spelt flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1  1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp allspice
  • 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1/3 cup canola oil (or use half oil, half applesauce)
  • 1/2 cup packed sucanat**
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 cups grated zucchini (about 2 small zucchini)

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Spray/grease muffin tin.  In a small/medium bowl, whisk the milk & flax well.  Add the vinegar, mix, and set aside.

In a large bowl, stir together the spelt flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices.

Add the canola oil, brown sugar & vanilla to the milk mixture.  Make a well in the center of the flour bowl & pour in the liquid mixture.  Stir to combine then fold in the zucchini.

Fill muffin cups and cook 25-28 minutes, until tops are firm and knife inserted into the center of a muffin comes out free of batter.  Since spelt flour is tender, let the muffins cool for about 15-20 minutes in the muffin pan before transferring  to a wire rack to cool completely, to avoid the tops breaking off.

You’d never know these were gluten-free muffins!

** Sucanat is made by simply crushing the sugar cane to squeeze out the juice, heating it until it’s a rich syrup and aerating it by hand-paddling to create a porous granule.  It hasn’t been separated, blended, refined or filtered. It has a distinct molasses flavor that enhances many foods.  You can use sucanat as a 1-for-1 replacement for refined brown sugar.  It is found with the other brown sugars in the grocery store/health food supermarket.

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Coffee Muffins

Posted on October 3, 2011 | 5 comments

In the morning I really like my coffee… sometimes with some more coffee on the side.  If you are anything like me, you will love these delicious coffee & chocolate muffins.  I don’t ever give my kids soda, so I feel that the small amount of caffeine they ingest is minute in comparison.  Plus, you could make these muffins decaf if you wanted to anyway!  I would definitely recommend using organic applesauce since apples can be high in pesticides.  I must warn you… these muffins are highly addictive!

~Coffee Muffins~

  • 1 cup almond milk (I recommend almond milk for these muffins, though you could always use a different non-dairy milk)
  • 1 heaping Tbsp instant coffee crystals
  • 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup raw sugar
  • 1 Tbsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened organic applesauce (or organic cinnamon applesauce, if you prefer)
  • 1/4 cup canola oil
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 375 F.  Lightly grease/spray your muffin tin/cups.

In a large measuring cup, mix the coffee crystals with 1/2 cup of the milk, stirring to dissolve.  Then mix in the rest of the milk & vinegar and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, & salt. (I like to use a whisk to mix my dry ingredients cause it helps not fling flour everywhere.)

Take your coffee/milk/vinegar mixture and add the applesauce, canola oil, & vanilla to it. Whisk together well.

Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the liquid mix.  Mix together until just mixed. Try not to overmix. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Fill all the muffin cups evenly and bake for 22-25 minutes, until a toothpick/knife inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Let cool 5 minutes before removing from tins and set them on a cooling rack for further cooling. 

These reusable muffin cups are great & they keep you from having to buy more stuff!

Variations: These can also be made jumbo, by adding an additional 7-10 minutes to the cooking time.  You can also skip the applesauce if you don’t have any handy and use a 1/2 cup canola oil.

who doesnt like coffee & chocolate?!

(This recipe was adapted from a recipe in the book, ‘Vegan Brunch’.

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Scrum-diddly-Concious Muffins

Posted on September 9, 2011 | 2 comments

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

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