Happy December! It’s been a hugely exciting and busy month for me, which has unfortunately meant my backlog of recipes to post here is bigger than ever! To say thank you for bearing with me, I’ve uploaded this special gingerbread cupcake recipe. …
muffins
Pumpkin spice muffins
Hey, friends! How’s November treating ya? Aside from the shorter days and chilly mornings, I think Autumn has so much to offer. An excuse to snuggle up under blankets, drink even more herbal teas and play with new seasonal ingredients, pumpkin being a favourite right now! These pumpkin spice muffins are gently spiced and warming, just the thing with a hot cuppa for breakfast. They’re also the perfect way to use up any pumpkin or squashes you have hanging around your pantry, I’m still working my way through the backlog.
I’ve used cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, nutmeg and allspice in these babies, but feel free to adjust the spices according to your taste, I just love any excuse to use all of them together. Nothing smells more seasonal to me than the smell of cardamom and nutmeg baking in the oven. They’re also made with spelt flour, which I’m diggin’ for it’s wholesome, subtle nutty flavour. If you find regular flour bloats you, give spelt a go, spelt gluten is water soluble and easily broken down by heat, so it’s easier to digest. It’s also packed with many nutrients, minerals and vitamins that you just don’t get in regular wheat flour.
I rarely see pumpkin puree in tins over here, so tend to make my own. I’ve included some instructions on how to make your own pumpkin puree below, if you make too much it’s great for adding to pancakes, oatmeal and pasta sauces, win win! Much better for the environment to make your own too.
Thank you for stopping by and feel free to leave me a comment below or on my page on Instagram, I’d love to hear from you!
Bo xoxoxoxo
Pumpkin spice muffins
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Author: Bo's Kitchen
Serves: 12 muffins
Ingredients
- 2½ cup spelt flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground cardamom
- Pinch of ground cloves
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- ½ tsp allspice
- 5 tbsp vegan marg
- 1 cup light brown sugar/coconut sugar
- ¼ cup veg oil
- 1 cup pumpkin puree*
- 2 flax eggs (2 tbsp flax mixed with 5 tbsp water)
- ¾ cup buttermilk (3/4 cup soya milk and 1 tsp apple cider vinegar)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 190•c and line a 12 cup muffins tin with cake cases. In a large bowl, mix spelt flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, all spice and cloves.
- In a medium bowl beat together vegan margarine and coconut sugar until well combined, or cream together with the paddle attachment of a stand mixer. Make flax eggs and set aside for 2 minutes to thicken.To the margarine and sugar, add oil, pumpkin puree, flax eggs and vegan buttermilk. Mix well until smooth. Fold in the flour mix until just combined into a batter. Try not to overmix, or the muffins will be heavy.
- Fill each cake case ¾ full with the mixture and sprinkle on pumpkin and sesame seeds and extra coconut sugar if desired. Bake for 23-25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes before transferring to a rack to cool completely. Extra delicious served warm with a piping hot cup of tea, but keep well for up to 4 days in a tin.
Notes
*If you're making your own pumpkin/squash puree, simply deseed and chop your squash into slices and roast in the oven at around 180•c for 40 minutes, until soft. Remove the peel and blend in a food processor until smooth.
Blackberry aquafaba muffins
Blackberry season is in full swing here. Muffins are always in season though, right? That’s why I had to make these seasonal sweets extra special with my fave vegan magic, aquafaba. Aquafaba is the brine from a tin of chickpeas, and when whipped it creates a beautiful fluffy egg substitute, just like egg whites for meringue. I’ve used it a lot in waffles lately, but I’m really enjoying trying it in baked recipes too. Next time you open a tin of chickpeas, save the brine! You can also make your own if you soak and cook your chickpeas at home.
Feel free to sub the flours for gluten free, a good all purpose gluten free would work well. I used a combination of plain and rye flour in these, I really love the flavour of rye flour.
These are refined sugar free, favouring coconut sugar over traditional cane sugar. I haven’t used white sugar in what feels like years now and to be honest, I don’t miss it at all. Coconut sugar adds just the right amount of sweetness without overpowering the flavour of blackberries. I like to enjoy a muffin with my cup of coffee for breakfast, so I prefer them to be naturally sweetened. I like to sprinkle a little coconut sugar over before baking to give them deliciously crackly muffin top. I’ve also added cinnamon and a little lemon zest, which just brings these muffins to life.
I’d love to hear what you think if you make them, or if you did anything differently. Please comment below or take a snap and tag me on Instagram! I always love to see your creations.
Blackberry muffins
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Author: Bo's Kitchen
Recipe type: Dessert
Serves: 12 muffins
Ingredients
- 1.5 cup plain flour
- 1 cup rye flour
- 2.5 tsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- pinch salt
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 5 tbsp aquafaba
- ½ cup oil, coconut, rapeseed or avocado
- 1 cup coconut sugar plus 4 tbsp, for topping
- ¾ cup almond mylk
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 cups blackberries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180•c. Line a muffin tin with paper cases or coat with oil.
- Add all dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl and stir well.
- In a well cleaned medium bowl, add aquafaba and whisk with an electric whisk until frothy and foamy, for about 3 minutes. Add in the oil slowly whilst whisking, followed by the sugar. Whisk through almond mylk and vanilla and everything into the dry mix. Use a wooden spoon to combine and mix until just combined, it's okay if there are some lumps.
- In a small bowl, mash ¼ cup of blackberries to a pulp. Add to the batter and fold through the remaining blackberries, holding some back for topping.
- Fill lined muffin in with the batter and top with blackberries and a few tbsp of coconut sugar.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes before removing. Enjoy right away or cool completely before storing in an airtight container. Will keep for two days, but best eaten when fresh.
Raspberry choc chip muffins
This week it was sunny almost every day, I managed to get a tan! Sadly, the sunshine didn’t last all week. As soon as Friday came, so did the rain, which only meant one thing- baking! Although I really enjoy sunning myself in the garden, I love nothing more than a day snuggled up in the house, with time to myself to try some new recipes, experiment with different flavours and indulge my culinary desires (usually in the form of lots of cooking shows and my favourite newspaper for inspiration). I set to work on these muffins as soon as I woke up on Saturday morning. The result is a soft, moist muffin that is light, tangy with raspberries and gorgeously chocolatey. Just perfect with a large Americano.
A lot of vegan muffin or cupcake recipes can be dry or dense, so I tried to make these as moist as possible with more than one type of egg replacer, which seemed to do the trick. I’ve been hibernating by myself all weekend and have almost finished the whole batch to myself. They are still as soft today as they were yesterday, so this recipe is definitely a keeper! They’re also vegan, refined sugar free and can easily be adapted to be gluten free.
Raspberry choc chip muffins (makes 10)
- 2 chia eggs (mix 2bsp chia with 6tbsp water) (I use Organic Burst’s ethically sourced, organic chia)
- 2 medium ripe bananas
- 1/2 cup plant based mylk
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour (sub gluten free if you wish)
- 1/2 cup rolled oats (can sub gluten free oats)
- 1/2 cup choc chips
- 1 cup raspberries
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees C and grease your muffin tin.
- Prepare your chia eggs in a large bowl and set aside for a few minutes. Mix really well with a fork until no big lumps of chia remain.
- Mix plant based mylk and cider vinegar in a small bowl. This will curdle in a minute or two to form vegan buttermilk.
- To your chia egg, add bananas and coconut sugar. Mash together with a fork until a few lumps remain, you don’t want it totally smooth. Now add the buttermilk. Stir briefly to incorporate.
- Add vanilla and coconut oil and stir again.
- Add baking soda, sea salt, flour and oats to the wet mix and stir until just combined. Fold through choc chips and 3/4 cup raspberries.
- Divide batter between your prepared muffin tin, I fill them to the top which makes 10 but you can make 12 smaller muffins if you prefer- just fill them 3/4 of the way to the top.
- Sprinkle a few choc chips and your remaining 1/4 cup of raspberries on top and bake for 18-20 minutes, until the edges are just turning golden. Let cool for a few minutes and then remove from the tin and cool on a wire rack. These will store well in a covered container at room temperature for several days.
Cacao banana maca muffins
These marbled muffins are sweet, moist and very delicious. Vegan (as always), refined sugar free and easily made gluten free if you sub the spelt flour for buckwheat or gluten free oat flour.
I included organic cacao powder and maca powder for an extra boost. Raw cacao is made by cold pressing unroasted cocoa beans. This process means the living enzymes in the cocoa are maintained but it removes the fat (cacao butter). Cocoa powder is made when raw is roasted at high temperatures. This changes the structure of the cocoa bean, reducing the enzyme content and lowering the overall nutritional value. Basically cacao means you can get the most health benefits from chocolate, which has to be a good thing! Maca is a great energiser, mood enhancer and balances hormones. It also has a gentle caramel flavour that really works in these muffins. I love the stuff!
I’d love to hear what you think if you try this recipe, it’s a firm favourite here!
Recipe – Makes 12 muffins
- 3 large mashed very ripe bananas (about 1 cup)
- 3/4 cup coconut sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp coconut oil, melted
- 2 tsp Organic Burst Maca powder
- 1/3 cup non dairy mylk (I used almond)
- 1 1/2 cups spelt flour
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp himalayan pink salt
- 4 tbsp cacao powder
- 6 tbsp boiling water
- Boil kettle and preheat oven to 180•c. Line or grease your muffin tin.
- Mix mashed bananas, coconut sugar, coconut oil, almond mylk, maca and vanilla in a large bowl until smooth.
- Mix spelt flour, baking soda and salt in gently. Don’t overmix- it’s okay if you can still see some flour.
- Put one cup of batter into a small bowl. Mix in four tbsp of cacao and three tbsp of boiling water with fork. Add another three tbsp of boiling water to the original banana batter and mix well.
- Put 2 tbsp at a time into each muffin case/tin until the mixture is evenly distributed. Swirl through a chopstick or knife to make pretty swirl patterns.
- Bake in your preheated oven for 20-22 minutes, or until a chopstick comes out clean. Cool and enjoy, or eat slightly warm with peanut butter (couldn’t help myself).