Monday, August 27, 2007

Vegan Blueberry Muffins

Lovely blueberry muffins that are vegan and gluten-free.

Vegan Blueberry Muffin Recipe


Based loosely on my tried-and-true favorite Sour Cream Blueberry Muffins, this updated vegan and gluten-free recipe is wheat-free, egg-free, dairy-free, soy-free, nut-free. How's that for allergen-free goodness?

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-muffin tin with paper liners.

Whisk together in a mixing bowl:

1 1/4 cups sorghum flour* see note
1/2 cup buckwheat or millet flour
1/2 cup potato or tapioca starch
1 cup organic light brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice

Add in and combine:

1/2 cup organic applesauce
1/2 warm vanilla rice milk
1/3 cup extra light olive oil or Spectrum Organic Shortening
2 teaspoons bourbon vanilla extract

Prepare and fold in your egg replacer:

For two eggs:

1 tablespoon Energ-G Egg Replacer
4 tablespoons warm water

Whisk till frothy. Add to the batter and gently combine.

Karina's Notes:

If the batter appears too dry, add more rice milk, one tablespoon at a time.

If the batter is too thin and wet, add a little extra rice flour, a tablespoon at a time. Humid weather can make flours damp.

The batter should be slightly thicker than wheat based muffin batter.

When the batter consistency looks good, gently stir in:

1 heaping cup fresh or frozen organic blueberries (still frozen, not thawed)

Spoon the batter evenly into the twelve baking cups. Sprinkle a little organic brown sugar on the tops if you wish.

Bake in the center of the oven for about 25 to 30 minutes if using frozen blueberries, until the muffins are golden and dry in the center (check with a wooden pick). If using fresh blueberries, cut back on the baking time and check for doneness at 18 to 20 minutes.

Cool on a wire rack very briefly, then tip the muffins out of the pan and place them on a wire rack to continue cooling (this way, they don't develop soggy bottoms).

These are oh-so-yummy warm from the oven.

For future snacking, wrap the muffins individually in foil, then freeze in a big zip-freezer bag. Thaw at room temperature or briefly re-heat in a microwave for thirty seconds.