Vegan Muffin Madness

If these recipes are any indication of what I’m up for, I’m pretty pleased. 

I made 2 types of muffins: Chocolate Chip Spelt Muffins & Banana Oatmeal Muffins. 

Easy, few ingredients, husband approved, friend’s kids approved! They were both moist and delicious.

Now the bad news... No wonder they’re so good. I punched in the ingredients into a calorie calculator and one Chocolate Chip Spelt Muffin contains a whopping 402 calories... The Banana Oatmeal Muffin is a little lighter 273 without pecans, 342 with pecans. Muffin top anyone? But seriously, I did a little research and those are about the standard amount of calories in your average muffin. If you want to make these muffins lower in fat, you can always substitute half the amount of oil for applesauce.

I took these recipes from the aforementioned cook book, refresh, but made a few changes to the ingredients and method. Start by making a date purée. This is the base and gives you sweetness without having to add any refined sugar. 

Date Purée

Ingredients:

500g package of dates, coarsely chopped.
3 cups of water
1 tbsp pure Mexican vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
pinch nutmeg

Directions:

Put everything into a saucepan. Bring to a boil then turn down heat and simmer on low for about 20 minutes and dates are nice and soft. Remove from heat. Let dates cool. Put mixture into a food processor and purée. Can be used right away or stored in the fridge. Makes about 3 cups.

Chocolate Chip Spelt Muffin

Chocolate Chip Spelt Muffins

Makes 12 muffins

Ingredients:
1 cup vanilla soy milk
1/2 cup + 3 tbsp vegetable oil 
1 cup date purée (don’t know if it made a difference but it was still a bit warm)
2 3/4 cups whole spelt flour
2 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:
1) Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees F.
2) Whisk together soy milk, vegetable oil and the date purée.
3) Mix the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder and salt) in a separate bowl.
4) Add the dry to the wet ingredients. Stir until just combined.
5) Add chocolate chips. 
6) Spoon into muffin tins greased with vegan butter. 
7) Bake for 22 minutes or until muffins bounce back when pressed. 
8) Let muffins cool slightly before removing from trays. 

Confession:
I used soybean oil (I know, I know GMO alert!) and semi-sweet chocolate chips (which contain “milk ingredients”). Even though I know they’re on the shit list, I guess my view is that there’s no point in letting food go to waste. So I’ll use them up and buy the right stuff next time.

Banana Oatmeal Muffins

Banana Oatmeal Muffins

Makes 12 muffins

Ingredients:
1/2 cup date purée
1/2 cup grapeseed oil
1 cup water
1/2 tsp pure Mexican vanilla
3 ripe bananas that have been frozen & thawed
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup rolled oats
2 cups semolina flour
1 tbsp + 1 3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
3/4 cup pecans (optional)

Directions:
1) Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees F.
2) Whisk together date purée, oil, water & vanilla.
3) In a separate bowl, mash the bananas and mix with baking soda.
4) Mix the dry ingredients (oats, semolina, baking powder, salt, cinnamon & nutmeg) in a separate bowl.
5) Combine the bananas with the date mixture.
6) Add the dry to the wet ingredients. Stir until just combined.
7) Add pecans, if using.
8) Spoon into muffin tins greased with vegan butter. 
9) Bake for 22 minutes or until muffins bounce back when pressed. 
10) Let muffins cool slightly before removing from trays. 

Confession:
Didn’t actually use pecans this time round but I’m sure they would be the perfect addition!