Coconut Muffins
I’m a huge fan of coconut milk, and it’s one of my favorite ingredients to use in both sweet and savory recipes. Since I tend to avoid baking with oil or margarine, the fat in coconut milk is also a great way to boost the richness in my baked goods. This recipe for Coconut Muffins is very basic, but the end result is luscious and decadent without being too sweet.
The coconut flavor in the finished muffins is not overwhelming at all, so if you want a heavier coconut flavor, I would suggest substituting coconut extract for the vanilla. Also, I usually use light coconut milk since it’s easier to find and moderately healthier, but if you prefer regular coconut milk then the muffins will still be delicious. Also, if you like a sweeter muffin then it might be a good idea to increase the amount of sugar in the recipe to suit your preferences.
One of my favorite variations on this recipe is to make piña colada muffins by adding pieces of chopped pineapple to the finished batter (my sister said that this variation was her favorite out every muffin I’ve ever made). Adding pineapple also helps to make the muffins a bit sweeter without requiring additional sugar. If adding pineapple, it’s important to cut the pieces very small so that they don’t just sink in the muffin cups and make the bottoms of the muffins soggy. Although I’ve never tried it, using dried pineapple pieces should also work well, though it would probably be best to partially rehydrate the pineapple pieces by soaking them in water before adding them to the muffin batter. Another delicious variation is to add chocolate chips, melted chocolate, or ever cocoa powder to the batter to help satisfy chocolate cravings.
No matter how you choose to make these muffins, I hope that you’ll like them as much as I do!
Coconut Muffins
Yield: 1 dozen
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 14 oz. can of coconut milk (a generous 1 1/2 cups)
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup shredded coconut (plus more to sprinkle on top)
Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
In a separate bowl (or a liquid measuring cup), combine coconut milk, applesauce, and vanilla. Make a well in the dry ingredients, add the wet ingredients, and stir just to combine, then fold in the shredded coconut. Spoon batter into muffin cups and sprinkle additional shredded coconut on top.
Bake for about 20 minutes and allow the muffins to cool before removing them from tin. Enjoy!
Maple Oat Muffins
Second only to my Orange Poppy Seed Muffins, I would have to say that these Maple Oat Muffins are my favorite muffins. One of my standard breakfasts is a bowl of oatmeal with plenty of maple syrup and a dash of cinnamon, so these muffins are like eating my oatmeal in muffin form.
My mom used to make non-vegan Maple Nut Muffins when I was growing up (largely motivated by the fact that she had a maple leaf-shaped muffin pan), and so I often found myself craving maple-y muffins after I went vegan.
I experimented with several recipes and creative variations (including making a granola topping for the muffins, using agave nectar in addition to maple syrup, etc.) and this recipe is a combination of my best results. I know that maple syrup can be pretty expensive, but the syrup in this recipe is crucial and infuses the finished muffins with a delicious hint of maple without being overwhelming. If you’re feeling fancy, you can toast the pecans before adding them to the batter (or if you don’t like pecans you could just omit them).
These muffins are light and moist, and I would be happy to have one for breakfast every morning!
Maple Oat Muffins
Yield: 1 dozen
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon (or to taste)
1 1/4 cups oat milk (or substitute your favorite non-dairy milk)
3/4 cup maple syrup
3 tablespoons flaxseed meal
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup pecans pieces
Preheat your oven to 400°F.
In a large bowl, stir together the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
In a separate bowl (or a liquid measuring cup) combine the oat milk, maple syrup, flaxseed meal, brown sugar, and vanilla.
Make a well in the dry ingredients, add the wet ingredients, and stir just to combine, then fold in pecans. Let the mixture sit for at least a few minutes so oats can absorb some of the moisture, then distribute batter evenly into muffin cups.
Bake for about 17 minutes and allow the muffins to cool before removing them from tin.
Orange Poppy Seed Muffins
This is my absolute favorite muffin recipe! It is quick, easy, and delicious. I know lemon poppy seed is the norm, but I hate squeezing/zesting lemons whereas orange juice is always easy to find and use. Plus, since oranges are so much sweeter, you can use way less sugar in the recipe and still have wonderful results. If you want to be fancy, you could definitely use fresh-squeezed oranges and add some zest, but I think the muffins are fabulous just with store-bought orange juice. This recipe also works great with whole wheat flour; I frequently use whole white wheat flour for some of all of the flour in the recipe, with no noticeable loss of deliciousness! This muffin recipe is also omni-approved, since I was whole-heartedly assured by my family members that “even normal people would like them!” (they meant it as a compliment). I hope you like them too!
Orange Poppy Seed Muffins
Yield: 1 dozen
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup oat milk (or substitute your favorite non-dairy milk)
1 tablespoon ground flaxseed meal
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon poppy seeds (or to taste)
Preheat oven to 400ºF.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
In a liquid measuring cup (to save on dishes), measure the orange juice and oat milk, then add flaxseed meal, applesauce, and vanilla.
Make a well in the dry ingredients, add liquid, and stir to combine. Fold poppy seeds into batter.
Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups (I use my 1/3 cup measuring cup, but your muffin pan might be slightly different).
Bake for about 15 minutes and allow the muffins to cool before removing them from tin.
Vegan Sweet Tooth 