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| Average apple spelt muffins |
The second batch, however, turned out rather well. Mr Bite is a chocolate muffin connoisseur, so I knew that if they met his standards they would be doing well. They did - and as a bonus, I liked them too.
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| Better chocolate muffins |
I adapted my muffin recipe from one that caught my eye on Minimalist Baker, quite some time ago now. The original recipe used beetroot puree in the muffin mix, and while that is very much my style, it is not so much my husband's. I used apple puree instead. I also used regular plain flour and white sugar, instead of whole wheat pastry flour and a mix of maple syrup and brown sugar. Again, adaptations made with Mr Bite in mind. The result is a muffin that rivals any sold commercially, but which is free of animal products.
I used chopped chocolate both in the batter and sprinkled on top of each muffin. Obviously chocolate chips would stand in well, but I find that dairy free varieties can be hard to come by, and unduly expensive. Emma has shared a lovely tutorial for DIY chips on her site Coconut and Berries, but I have yet to give them a go. Next time!
For now, here is my version of a classic muffin, vegan but entirely suited to non-vegans too.
Classic chocolate muffins
Vegan
Makes 10 - 12 muffins
Author: Bite-Sized Thoughts, adapted from the double chocolate muffins on Minimalist Baker
Ingredients
1 tbsp chia seeds
2-1/2 tbsp water
1/4 cup (55g) non-dairy spread
1 cup (approx. 250g) apple sauce
1/4 cup (125ml) non-dairy milk (I used unsweetened almond milk)
1/4 tsp salt
Heaped 1/2 cup (130g) caster sugar
1/2 cup (60g) unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/3 cups (185g) plain flour
1-1/2 tsp baking soda
60g dairy free chocolate, roughly chopped
Method
Preheat your oven to 180'C (350'F) and prepare a 12-pan muffin tray.
Mix the chia seeds and water in a large mixing bowl and allow to stand for 5 minutes.
Melt the non-dairy spread and then add to the mixing bowl along with the apple sauce, non-dairy milk, salt and sugar. Whisk well for approximately 1 minute.
Add the cocoa powder, flour and baking soda and stir through until just incorporated. The mixture should be relatively thick, but add a little more milk if it is too thick to stir.
Stir through approximately two-thirds of the chopped chocolate, and then transfer the batter to your muffin tins. Sprinkle the muffins with the remaining chocolate.
Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the muffins comes out clean.
What you have you enjoyed baking recently?
looks great to me - your excitment at your muffin tin makes me feel a little shamefaced at how little I used my muffin tin - probably use my cake tins and my baking trays more.
ReplyDeleteWhen I have a full complement of baking tins, muffins don't appear all that often either - but not being able to bake them for 4 months moved them up my list of things I want :-)
DeleteI love baking with applesauce, I have some in the fridge I need to use up but not enough to make these muffins unfortunately! It's funny, I don't really eat chocolate muffins (I'm more an apple-cinnamon girl) but I love them warmed up and served with ice cream.
ReplyDeleteThe lovely thing about applesauce is it seems to cope with reduced quantities so long as the overall liquid balance is right - so you could probably get away with whatever you have for these :-)
DeleteI am also much more of an apple cinnamon muffin person, albeit with my last apple muffins being a bit of a disappointment!
You've just reminded me I need to use more apple sauce in my baking. I did a few early experiments and loved the way it seemed to make everything that little bit more bouncy in texture. Chocolate muffins = yes please! If I've no chia to hand, would flax work do you reckon?
ReplyDeleteI love it too :-) And I think flax could easily work instead, although ground rather than whole seeds ideally.
DeleteI have been using apple sauce a lot more recently and I love it! I thought it would be really difficult to use, but it's so easy.
ReplyDeleteIt's great isn't it? Such a versatile ingredient!
DeleteThese do look like they've turned out very well. I love how dark they are. I don't think I've ever made muffins with chia seeds - I'll have to try that. At the moment I'm throwing chia seeds into my smoothies xx
ReplyDeleteChia seeds in smoothies are wonderful :-) You don't really notice them in muffins - they mostly serve as a binder and especially in chocolate containing muffins, you just notice the chocolate!
DeleteOh these look great! I make a lot of muffins, but for some reason I've only made choc muffins a handful of times- probably because they don't seem as wholesome :) I don't tend to use that much applesauce in baking because it tends to be in recipes to replace the fat completely, but I can just imagine how good these taste!
ReplyDeleteI have used applesauce in fat free muffins / baking and somehow the texture is never quite right. I do make those goods occasionally, but I prefer it combined with some fat :-)
DeleteLovely muffins! So glad to hear you've been reunited with all of your kitchen tools. I wonder how these would turn out if I continued with the trend of substitution and replaced the applesauce with pumpkin puree. Hmm. Only one way to find out!
ReplyDeleteI think it would turn out brilliantly - but as you say, only one way to know for sure!
DeleteThese look spectacular! It's difficult to tell from a pic, but they look a really good size!
ReplyDeleteThe Minimalist Baker recipe caught my eye too but, while I love the idea of trying beetroot in muffins, I've been too lazy so far to bother with the whole cooking and pureeing thing. I'll definitely try your apple sauce version first.
I too find cooking and pureeing beetroot a tiresome step before getting into backing :P I have used tinned beetroot when baking with it before and do find that easier - you just need to puree then!
DeleteMuffins are my favourite thing to bake! Probably because I feel like I can get away with eating them for breakfast ;) Double chocolate may be best saved for later in the day though. They look fabulous!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the mention too! Definitely try the choc chips some time!
ReplyDeleteI think these are definitely a later in the day muffin ;) I'd still feel fine bringing them out for morning tea though, whereas chocolate cake might seem a bit much then. Muffin shapes do allow for flexibility!
DeleteThese look delicious. All of a sudden I have a hankering to make some too. Thank you for sharing ... And providing inspiration for how to use up the apple purée my toddler suddenly stopped liking yesterday! :)
ReplyDeleteOh, excellent!
DeleteYay for your shipment (I am wayyyyyyyyyyyyy behind on my blog reading atm).
ReplyDeleteI bet you have made heaps more muffins since then.
Love the idea of adapting something that hubby enjoys too - that can be tricky at times ;-)