Gingerbread Muffins

Basically, this is the Happy Herbivore Apple Muffin recipe, but with a twist. Is that twist a good one? We haven’t decided yet. It does taste just like gingerbread, if that gives you any clues.

What happened is this: I didn’t have apples, so I just doubled up the applesauce. And I didn’t have brown sugar, so I doubled the regular sugar and added a little molasses. And then, what the hell, I threw in some vegan bacon bits I had hanging around. I thought maybe they would apple bacon cinnamon muffins of wonder and delight.

Mostly, they were just…weird. And I’m not sure if it’s all my subs, or the fact that fat-free and low-fat baking gives you much different results than it’s fattier cousins. I think we’re going to have a muffin round two on this, without all the substitutions!

 

Berry Muffins

I’m going to be honest here: I totally deviated from the recipe in Vegan Brunch, because I didn’t have soy yogurt. It’s just not something I keep in the house, because I rarely, rarely use it. Also, I’m still involved in my quest to rid myself of white whole wheat flour (blech), so I used it instead of the all-purpose. What emerged is the muffin you see before you, slightly darker, slightly flatter, still delicious.

 Mmmm…Earth Balance. I don’t like to bake with you (though I will), but I do like to spread your buttery goodness on things. This muffin was obviously not as cute and fluffy as it should be, but the blackberries and blueberries made up for the lack of beauty.

Once again, I would like to express my appreciation for the crumb of vegan muffins. SO MUCH BETTER than your average muffin. I don’t know how it’s possible. But it seems difficult to not have these come out delicious, even when you make substitutions.

Here is my altered recipe:

Not-Bakery-Style Berry Muffins (makes 6)

• 1 cup flour
• 1/3 cup + 1 T sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup + 1 T not-milk
• 2 T orange juice
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup berries

Basically, follow the directions from Vegan Brunch: 375 oven, grease the muffin cups. Mix all the dry ingredients, then all the wet in a separate bowl. Add the wet to the dry, and mix VERY GENTLY. Then, fold in the berries. It’s okay if the mixture looks a little floury. That’s how you want it. Bake for 25 mins, and check for doneness by inserting a toothpick or cake tester into the muffin. Sometimes you’ll get berry residue on it, but check for raw dough. If it’s dry, take it out! Nothing tastes worse than an over cooked hockey-puck muffin.

Almond Poppy Seed Muffins!

MUFFIN v. MUFFIN showdown!

I have to stop making muffins. But I couldn’t stop myself! I looooove Almond Poppy Seed Muffins, and I was so encouraged by my delicious lemon muffin. The verdict? Lemon still wins. But I *think* it’s because I put too much orange juice in these (I accidentally dropped in 1/4 cup instead of 2 tablespoons), and over mixed it a tad. Ugh, over mixing. You are my arch-nemesis!

Almond Poppy Seed Muffins (makes 6):

• 1 cup flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 T poppy seeds
• 2 T orange juice (I used fresh squeezed)
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 2 tsp almond extract
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup almond milk

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Line a muffin tin and remember to spray the cups! It’ll make your muffins come out so much easier. Mix all the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Mix all the wet ingredients in a small bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and plop in the wet ingredients. Mix until just moist. It’s okay if there’s a little dry flour visible. Divide evenly in muffin cups and bake for 20 mins. Hooray!

This recipe was obviously altered from the Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins recipe in Vegan Brunch. 

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins FTW!

FTW stands for “for the win”–right? Don’t look on Urban Dictionary, let your brain have what little innocence is left.

Look at you. You are God’s most perfect little muffin. I sort of wish I hadn’t eaten you about an hour ago, so that I could still look at you. And smell your lemony goodness. Sigh.

Are you like me? Have you tried dozens of muffin recipes only to have them come out sucky? Before I was a vegan, I would troll the internet and Southern Living cookbooks for perfect muffin recipes. Buttermilk, sour cream, voodoo, nothing worked. I always thought I was just “over mixing”–which I think is cookbook language for “don’t blame me. It’s all YOUR fault.” The crumb! The crumb is the best, most important part of the muffin. You  know, it should be soft, sort of like cake, but not spongy like cake. More like a cake met a cookie and then they began to make-out. You know? And the top should be a little sugary and crunchy, just a touch brown on the top and bottom. Oh, muffin. Why were you so elusive? Why could I buy bakery muffins and have them taste great, only to be crushed at home when mine were so tough and dry and sad?

No more! NO MORE! These muffins were fantastic. The crumb was perfect, they were firm and moist and just a little crumbly, with a crunchy top. And the lemon flavor was absolutely perfect. It didn’t punch you in the face, but rather gradually stole over your mouth like a ray of sunshine. And they were so much easier than the fiddly non-vegan muffins. I hate those muffins. Vegan muffins forever!

Recipe from Vegan Brunch. I’ve been hitting the Vegan Brunch pretty hard, I may need to ease off. But not until I make a whole lot more muffins. Including an Almond Poppy Seed Muffin I’m dying to invent!