Three fun facts about me:
1. I have had bananas getting overly ripe and taunting me from the counter for quite awhile now.
2. Also, I was out of eggs for about a week.
3. In addition, I go through extremely lazy phases in which I don’t even want to drive ten minutes to get some eggs from Trader Joe’s. {Please tell me I’m not the only one?}
So what’s a girl to do in such a dire situation? Make vegan nanner muffins, that’s what!
Personally, I’m not vegan, but I do love experimenting with vegan baking from time to time. It’s especially convenient during times in which I am too lazy to go buy eggs/milk/real butter, as aforementioned. I’m a sucker for a good muffin, but I am also somewhat of a muffin snob. You won’t see me eating just any muffin. To me, muffins need to be flavorful, relatively light, and definitely moist. {Sorry for the usage of the word “moist,” but there’s really no other way to describe a good muffin…} Dry or dense muffins can get outta here.
These muffins are my ideal muffins: they’re moist, they’re packed with flavor, and they are not overly dense. They prove that vegan baking is, in fact, awesome. Vegan baked goods (well, vegan anything, really) often still get a bad name, but you wouldn’t be able to tell that they are vegan unless you already knew. They’re bursting with enough banana flavor, and the oats and chocolate chips add just a little extra somethin’ to them. I also added a bit of cinnamon, just because any type of banana bread-related baked good that I make has to have cinnamon. But you don’t have to add it if you’re not feeling it. You should make these muffins if ya know what’s good for ya. They are very tasty, even if you aren’t vegan. Perhaps best of all: they are quite healthy, aside from the brown sugar. But there’s not much sugar in them, and they still taste great!
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Yield: About 10-12 regular sized muffins, depending on how full you fill the cups.
– 2 flax “eggs” {Note: To make a single flax “egg,” combine 1 tablespoon of ground flax meal with 2.5 tablespoons of water. Stir it around, then allow it to sit for about five minutes so it thickens up. Just double that to make two “eggs.” This is the binding ingredient in the muffins, as we’re not using real eggs.}
– 4 medium ripe bananas [don’t worry about measurements – it’s forgiving]
– heaping 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
– 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon {I had to add it; I can’t have banana bread/muffin anything without it!}
– 2 tsp. baking soda
– 1/2 tsp. salt
– 1/4 cup vegan butter [such as Earth Balance] or coconut oil, melted
– 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
– 1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour {I used whole wheat pastry flour, but I’m guessing most people don’t exactly keep it lying around their pantries… So regular, unbleached all-purpose flour will work fine too!}
– 1/2 cup rolled oats
– 1/2 to 3/4 cups chocolate chips
1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners, and set aside.
2. Prepare flax eggs in a large mixing bowl; set aside for five minutes to thicken.
3. Add bananas and mash, but leave a bit of texture.
4. Next, add the brown sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and then whisk those ingredients for about one minute.
5. Stir in the vanilla and melted “butter,” and mix until combined.
6. Add the flour and oats, then stir with a spoon until it’s just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips, if you’re using them.
7. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin tins, and fill them about 3/4ths of the way full.
8. Bake for 17-22 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown, and a toothpick inserted in the middle of a muffin comes out clean. Allow to cool for several minutes.
9. Remove from muffin tin, and serve warm. Once they’re completely cooled, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for several days. You may also freeze them for longterm storage.
– Recipe slightly adapted from Minimalist Baker’s Vegan Banana Crumb Muffins.
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