Banana Muffin Recipe (Vegan)

Sam can eat bananas on a limited basis now, so I've started making my banana muffins again.  These muffins are egg-free, dairy-free, and are very moist and delicious.  They are great for breakfast, snack, or any time of day.

Banana Muffin Recipe

2 cups unbleached flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp nutmeg

2 extra ripe bananas
2/3 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla

Sugar in the Raw

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Mix dry ingredients together in a medium mixing bowl.  Peel the bananas and put them in a separate bowl.  Use a fork and mash them until they become a puree, as smooth as you can get (some small chunks are OK).  Add the wet ingredients and mix throroughly. Spray a muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray and pour the batter in. Top with a sprinkling of Sugar in the Raw. Bake for 20 minutes.  Makes 12+ muffins. 

If you want to make Banana Bread instead of muffins, pour the batter into a loaf pan sprayed with non-stick cooking spray, sprinkle on some Sugar in the Raw, and bake it at 375 degrees for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Let cool thoroughly before slicing. This bread and these muffins freeze well. 

Apple Muffin Recipe (Vegan)

Our little apple tree gave us quite the harvest of apples this year.  I peeled, cored, and sliced the apples and froze them into three-cup servings to make pies and muffins with.  You can use fresh or frozen apples or unsweetened applesauce in this recipe.  The muffins pictured above were made with my frozen apples.  These  muffins are so delicious and moist!  They are perfect for breakfast, a snack, or even dessert with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Apple Muffin Recipe

2 cups unbleached flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp nutmeg

1-1/2 cups of apple puree or unsweetened applesauce
2/3 cup water (if using applesauce, put in 1/2 cup water instead)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla

Sugar in the Raw

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

If using frozen apples, you'll need about 3 cups of frozen, peeled, apple slices.  Let them thaw out in the fridge, then add them to a food processor or blender and "Liquify" them into puree.  If using fresh apples, it will take about 4 to 6 apples to get the 1-1/2 cups of puree.  Peel the slices, then run the apple slices over a grater and grate the apples.  Then add the grated apples to a food processor or blender and "Liquify" them.  In the end, you want 1-1/2 cups of apple puree. 

Mix the dry ingredients together in a medium mixing bowl. Add the wet ingredients and mix thoroughly. Spray your muffin tins with non-stick cooking spray and pour the batter in. Top with a sprinkling of Sugar in the Raw. Bake for 20 minutes. Makes 16 muffins. 

If you want to make Apple Bread instead of muffins, pour the batter into a loaf pan sprayed with non-stick cooking spray, sprinkle on some Sugar in the Raw, and bake it at 375 degrees for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.  Let cool thoroughly before slicing.  This bread and these muffins freeze well. 

Pumpkin Bread Recipe (Vegan)

Fall always reminds me that I need to start baking with pumpkin again.  I created a fantastic pumpkin bread recipe a few years ago that is a favorite in our house, and somehow I neglected to publish it here until now.  This recipe doesn't use cinnamon, just allspice and nutmeg to spice it and bring out the great pumpkin flavor.  This bread is moist and delicious, and it is also egg-free, which means you can lick the batter from the spoon and mixing bowl (Sam's favorite thing to do).  Enjoy!

Pumpkin Bread Recipe

2 cups unbleached flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 can pumpkin puree (15 oz. can)
2/3 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Sugar in the Raw

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Mix dry ingredients together in a medium mixing bowl.  Add the wet ingredients and mix throroughly.  Spray a loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray and pour the batter in.  Top with a sprinkling of Sugar in the Raw.  Bake for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.  Let cool thoroughly before slicing.  Makes 1 loaf.

If you want to make muffins instead, bake the muffins for 20 minutes at 400 degrees.  Makes 16 muffins. This bread and these muffins freeze well.

 

Chunky Cherry Chocolate Chip Muffins

Chunky Cherry Chocolate Chip Muffins

My daughter Olivia is only 14 but she has grown into quite a good little baker. Today is her last Point Ballet class for the season and she wanted to make some of her favorite Chocolate Chip to take along and share with the young ladies in her class. I suggested adding some chopped cherries to the mix and the result was wonderful. The sweet and slightly tart cherries played very well with the chocolate indeed. This is really just a slight variation of our very popular Chocolate Chip Muffin Recipe that we recently featured but one I thought well worth posting again.

Makes one dozen large muffins.Sift together and set aside:

2 1/2 cups flour
3 tsp baking powder

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment in place, whisk together on high speed until foamy and slightly stiffened.

2 eggs
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract

Mix together in a measuring cup with a spout:

1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Slowly add the oil and butter mixture to the egg mixture in a slow stream as the mixer continues to whisk.

Mix together

1/2 cup whipping cream

1/2 cup milk

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Add slowly to the mixing bowl continuing to mix but at a reduced speed.

Fold in the dry ingredients by hand with a rubber spatula being careful not to over mix. Don't worry about lumps in the batter, they are fine. When the dry ingredients are almost incorporated, gently fold in

1 ½   cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 ½ cup quartered cherries

Spoon batter into well greased muffin tins, filling them to the top. If you like you can sprinkle about a teaspoon of sugar over the top of each muffin before baking.

Bake in a preheated 400 degree F oven for about 20 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Blueberry Crunch Muffins

Blueberry Crunch Muffins

Here's a twist on a real breakfast classic, the blueberry muffin. I have added a very crunchy oatmeal crumble baked right on top of the muffins for extra flavor and texture. The basic recipe makes amazingly moist and delicious plain blueberry muffins too, if you prefer not to add the crumble. A sprinkle of turbinado sugar on top of the batter before baking is great on the plain muffins too.

Makes about 18 muffins

Sift together and set aside:

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 3 tsp baking powder

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment in place, whisk together on high speed until foamy and slightly stiffened.

• 2 eggs
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Mix together in a measuring cup with a spout:

• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil

Slowly add the oil and butter mixture to the egg mixture in a slow stream as the mixer continues to whisk.


Mix together

• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Add slowly to the mixing bowl continuing to mix but at a reduced speed.

Fold in the dry ingredients by hand with a rubber spatula being careful not to over mix. Don't worry about lumps in the batter, they are fine. When the dry ingredients are almost incorporated, gently fold in

• 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Spoon batter into well greased muffin tins, filling them to the top.

Oatmeal Crunch Topping

In a large bowl toss together:

• 1 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 cups oats (large)
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup brown sugar

Using your hands, rub thoroughly through the dry ingredients:

• 3/4 cup butter, cut in small cubes

Sprinkle the crumble mixture evenly over the tops of the muffins.

Bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven for about 20-25 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. The baking time may vary depending on whether fresh or frozen berries are used.

The Best Chocolate Chip Muffins

The Best Chocolate Chip Muffins

I like a good muffin top. No, I don't have to call in Newman from Seinfeld to dispose of the muffin stumps, I like those too but to me, a perfect chocolate chip muffin should have a crunchy top and a perfectly baked interior that isn't dry but is just a little denser than cake. I'm not really partial to muffins that are too cake-like in texture; as a morning food it should be a little heartier than a tender cake. This recipe gets the balance just right.

The batter here will be somewhat lumpy but don't let that bother you; it is as it should be. I also like to sprinkle a teaspoon of sugar over the batter of many kinds of muffins to create a sweet glossy crust but this step is of course, optional. These will make a great start to your weekend brunch!

Makes one dozen large muffins.

Sift together and set aside:

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 3 tsp baking powder

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment in place, whisk together on high speed until foamy and slightly stiffened.

• 2 eggs
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Mix together in a measuring cup with a spout:

• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil

Slowly add the oil and butter mixture to the egg mixture in a slow stream as the mixer continues to whisk.

Mix together

• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Add slowly to the mixing bowl continuing to mix but at a reduced speed.

Fold in the dry ingredients by hand with a rubber spatula being careful not to over mix. Don't worry about lumps in the batter, they are fine. When the dry ingredients are almost incorporated, gently fold in

• 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Spoon batter into well greased muffin tins, filling them to the top. If you like you can sprinkle about a teaspoon of sugar over the top of each muffin before baking.

Bake in a preheated 400 degree F oven for about 20 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

The Best Chocolate Chip Muffins

No Added Fat Apple Walnut Muffins

I have to admit that I'm not a big fan of no added fat baking but at times everybody is looking to cut back on calories and fat so a delicious healthier option muffin recipe option is often appreciated. I have a couple of good low fat muffin recipes but this is the first time I've tried to go totally no fat added and I absolutely didn't regret the experiment. These muffins get their moisture from unsweetened applesauce and with added chunks of apple steaming inside as they bake, a little more moisture is imparted to the muffin as well.

As I always say with low fat or no fat added muffins, these are not meant to be baked well in advance. Being oil free, these muffins will have a short shelf life and are intended to be baked and eaten while still warm out of the oven at their freshest and best. The cinnamon and nutmeg add a fragrant spice touch which smells terrific as they bake and the toasted walnuts add a tasty, crunchy textural contrast as well. Overall, I really enjoyed these wholesome and healthy muffins and I will definitely be making these again.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and place paper muffin liners in the muffin tins.

Sift together and set aside:


2 cup flour (you can use whole wheat or a combination of both)
3 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg


In the bowl of an electric mixer beat whisk together until foamy


3 eggs

2/3 cup brown sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

Stir in:

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 cup chopped toasted walnuts

1 cup chopped apple

Gently fold in the dry ingredients by hand. Be very careful not to overmix this batter or your muffins will be quite tough when baked. When the flour is just fully incorporated stop folding and spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tins. You can garnish the tops with apple slices and walnuts if you like. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Cool for 10 minutes and serve.

Chocolate Swirl Vanilla Crumble Coffee Cake

 

What a great centerpiece to a weekend brunch this amazing coffee cake would make. Everyone at that table would surely be appreciative of this moist, delicious collision of chocolate and vanilla. I've always considered coffee cake to be a big slice-able muffin and as I'm writing this, I am thinking, "Maybe I should have made this as coffee cake muffins."; perhaps that's an idea for the future.

There is also a great combination of textures in this cake with the addition of a vanilla shortbread crumble topping and a drizzle of melt-in-your-mouth chocolate ganache. This new recipe may well be my new favorite go-to coffee cake for my weekend brunches.

Grease and flour a 10 inch tube pan or bundt cake pan very well and preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Prepare the vanilla crumble by pulsing together in a food processor until well combined.

2/3 cup flour
1/3 cup butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

To prepare the cake batter begin by sifting together

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together at high speed until very foamy

4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 & 1/2 cups sugar
2 tbsp vanilla extract

 

In a large measuring cup melt
1/2 cup butter, then mix in

1/2 cup vegetable oil

Slowly add this butter and oil mixture to the egg and sugar mixture as it continues to beat.

Fold in the dry ingredients alternately with

1 cup whole milk, at room temperature

When alternating wet and dry ingredients, always begin and end with the dry mixture. Here I folded in the flour in three divisions and the milk in two divisions.

Divide the batter in two equal portions and pour half of the batter into the greased and floured pan.

To the remaining half of the batter quickly beat in

1/3 cup cocoa

3 tbsp milk

Spoon the chocolate batter in large spoonfuls all over the surface of the vanilla batter in the pan. Using the handle of a wooden spoon, swirl the chocolate batter through the vanilla batter in a random pattern.

Add the crumble topping by squeezing together handfuls of the crumb mixture and breaking off small pieces which get scattered all over the surface of the batter.

Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The toothpick test is definitely the best way to ensure this cake is fully baked. Cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack covered in a clean tea towel. Remove the pan and then placing another wire rack on top and flipping the cake again so that the crumble is on top. Serve warm or cold. You can drizzle some chocolate ganache over the top if you like.

Chocolate Ganache

In a double boiler melt together

1 cup dark chocolate chips

1/4 cup whipping cream

Spoon the ganache into a Ziploc bag and snip off a corner with scissors, then squeeze the ganache through the hole all over the surface of the cake.

Low Fat Oatmeal Banana Apple Breakfast Muffins

Low Fat Oatmeal Banana Apple Breakfast Muffins

Here's a great weekend brunch baking idea that also makes a terrific alternative to the Monday morning quick granola bar breakfast if you have some left over. I think these are best served warm as a wholesome quick breakfast. These dense hearty muffins are very satisfying with very little added sugar or oil. The mashed bananas and grated apple keep these muffins particularly moist and a few seconds in the microwave to warm them make them just as good the next day.

Makes about one dozen.

Mix together and set aside:

• 1 1/2 cups oatmeal
• 1 cup all purpose or 60% whole wheat flour
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg

Beat together until fluffy:

• 2 eggs
• 4 tbsp vegetable oil
• 6 tbsp sugar

Blend in:

• 2/3 cup milk

Fold in the dry ingredients and when the flour is almost incorporated fold in:

• 1 cup mashed ripe banana
• 1 cup grated apple (approximately one large apple)

Do not over mix. Fold in only until the fruit is mixed through the batter.

Spoon into greased or paper lined muffin tins and bake at 350 degrees F for 20 -25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve warm. Makes about 10-12 muffins.

Corn Muffin Recipe (Vegan)

One of my favorite breakfasts growing up was when my Mom made "Johnny Cake." My Dad introduced Johnny Cake to us - his Mom used to make it for his family. Johnny Cake is cornbread, served with butter, and topped with maple syrup. I created my own recipe for cornbread so Sam can enjoy Dad's Johnny Cake, too. I make muffins so I can freeze them easily, and they are the right portion size for her. We eat these muffins with a little olive oil and salt on them (to replace the butter), and then drizzled with pure maple syrup. These muffins are also great served with chili, or whenever cornbread is called for. On a side note, I used white corn meal to make these muffins, so they aren't as yellow as the muffins would be if using regular corn meal.

Corn Muffin Recipe

1 cup corn meal
1 cup unbleached flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup water -OR- vegan milk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix together dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients and mix together thoroughly. Spray muffin pan with non-stick spray. Use a large spoon to spoon batter into pan. Bake for 15 minutes. Makes 12 muffins. Either serve plain, or "Johnny Cake" style, with a butter substitute and pure maple syrup.

Vanilla Muffin Recipe (Vegan)

I created this recipe for Sam to have with her breakfast a few times a week. I make this recipe regularly with wheat flour and also with rice flour. Using a jar of squash baby food in the wet ingredients makes the muffins moist and adds a small amount of protein, calcium, iron, and vitamin C which is nice since they do not have milk or eggs in them. Also, the squash is mild enough it doesn't add a particular flavor to the muffins so the vanilla and anything you "add in" still stands out. These muffins freeze well.

Vanilla Muffin Recipe

1-1/2 cups unbleached flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 (4 oz) jar squash baby food + 1 jar water -OR- 1 cup water or vegan milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Add ins:
1/2 cup blueberries, dried fruit, or nuts
1/2 tsp pure orange or lemon extract
For donut muffins add 1/2 tsp nutmeg and omit the vanilla

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix together dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients and your "add in" and mix together thoroughly. Spray muffin pan with non-stick spray. Use a tablespoon to spoon batter into pan. Makes 12 muffins. Bake for 13 minutes.

If using rice flour to make these muffins use the following instead of the unbleached flour above:
1 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup white rice flour
2 tbsp binder (potato starch, tapioca flour, arrowroot powder, etc.)

Also, with rice flour, use 2 jars of water with the squash baby food instead of 1 jar.

Chocolate Orange Muffins

I was up early this morning in time to make these deadly chocolate orange muffins for breakfast. The wife and kids will follow their noses downstairs this morning for sure.
Sift together:

2 ½ cups flour
¾ cup sugar
½ tsp salt
4 tsp baking powder

Set aside.

Whisk together

2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup cooking oil
Zest of one orange, finely grated
1 tsp vanilla extract

Blend in the dry ingredients, just until the dry ingredients are incorporated into the batter; do not over mix. Fold in:

¾ cup dark chocolate chips

Spoon batter into 12 well greased muffin tins. Bake for 15 minutes at 400 degrees F, then reduce the heat to 350 degrees F and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Wild Newfoundland Cranberry and Flax Muffins

In a large bowl, sift together:

2 ½ cups flour
¾ cup white sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
½ tsp salt
¼ cup ground flax seed
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp freshly ground nutmeg

In a separate bowl whisk together until well combined

½ cup vegetable oil
1 tbsp finely grated lemon zest
1 ¼ cups soured milk
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

Add the mixture to the dry ingredients and fold in well. During the last few turns of folding add:

1 ½ cups fresh or frozen wild cranberries

Do not over mix your batter or your finished muffin texture will be too heavy and dense. Mix only enough to incorporate the dry ingredients. Spoon batter into greased or paper lined muffin tins, sprinkle turbinado sugar evenly over the batter if desired and bake at 350 degrees F for 25-35 minutes until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Baking times will vary widely depending upon the size of your muffin tins and if you are using frozen berries or not. The toothpick test is the best way to determine if they are fully baked.

Cool on a wire rack. Makes 12-15 large muffins.

Sweet Potato Spice Muffins

We had some baked sweet potatoes last night for dinner and the leftovers got incorporated into these very easy to prepare, moist and tender spiced muffins. Not a bad addition to any Sunday brunch.

In a large bowl, mix together:

¾ cups sugar
2 eggs
½ cup cooking oil
1 cup sweet potato (mashed or pureed)

Sift together and fold into sweet potato mixture:

1 ½ cups flour
½ tsp salt
1 ½ tsp cinnamon
1 tsp allspice
¼ tsp cloves
1 tsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda

Fold in

1 cup golden raisins (optional)

Spoon batter into 12 greased or paper lined muffin tins. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.