Muffins

Name: Pumpkin Muffins with Brown Sugar Cinnamon Icing
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 1 h 45 min
Yield: 10 regular muffins
Cuisine: Snack
Ingredients: 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour; 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour; 3/4 tsp baking powder; 1/2 tsp baking soda; 1/4 tsp salt; 2 tsp ground cinnamon; 1 tsp ground ginger; 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg; 1/4 tsp ground cloves; 1/2 cup coconut sugar; 2 large eggs, room temp (or 2 flax eggs, if vegan); 2 tsp vanilla extract; 1/3 cup melted coconut oil; 1/3 cup plant-based milk, room temp or warm; 1 cup pumpkin purée; 1 Tbsp vegan butter; 1/4 cup brown sugar; 2 Tbsp plant-based milk; 1/2 tsp vanilla extract; 1 tsp ground cinnamon; 1 cup powdered sugar

Pumpkin Muffins with Brown Sugar Cinnamon Icing (DF)

October 30, 2019 by Rachael Ng 4 Comments

It’s Fall and the weather is officially getting straight up cold for us. Somehow, we seem to only get a few weeks of nice, mild weather each Spring and Fall, and the rest of the year is either miserably hot or awfully cold. Muffins always come to mind when I think of something quick, easy, and comforting for an afternoon snack on a chilly day. I’ve been craving fluffy muffins this week and really wanted something without chocolate. So I made my Cinnamon Swirl Pumpkin Bread into muffins (without the cinnamon swirl!). And then I added a super simple brown sugar icing spiced with cinnamon because I just couldn’t resist! Glazed and iced breads are just so pretty.

For this recipe you’ll whip up a quick batch of muffins. Really, it only takes two bowls, and 15 minutes in the oven. And then you’ll heat the brown sugar, vegan butter, and plant milk to a boil. Whisk in the vanilla, cinnamon, and powdered sugar, and voilà! You have a delicious icing that pairs perfectly with the pumpkin muffins! Since the icing is heated up, it will set very quickly. Like, don’t even try to pour or drizzle it over your muffins – that won’t work. You want to dip the tops of each muffin in the icing. When your icing starts to get too thick (which it will), place your saucepan back over the heat until it thins and continue working quickly to get those muffins dipped!

Some of the ingredients I like for this recipe:

Whole wheat pastry flour gives these muffins maximum fluffiness! It’s a staple in my pantry, because I just love the texture it creates in my quick breads and muffins.

Coconut sugar is an unrefined, low GI sugar. It tastes less sweet than regular sugar, so it balances out the sweetness of the icing.

Coconut oil brings lots of moisture to these muffins. You won’t taste it at all in this recipe, but if you’re skeptical, feel free to use a refined version. Or you can use another vegetable oil.

Brown sugar is essential for the icing in this recipe. It creates a wonderful flavor that just can’t be replaced by another sugar!

Yield: 10 regular muffins

Pumpkin Muffins with Brown Sugar Cinnamon Icing

Fluffy and moist pumpkin muffins dipped in a delicious cinnamon brown sugar icing! A perfect Fall treat that can be made dairy-free or vegan!

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Additional Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes

Ingredients

Pumpkin Muffins

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 cup coconut sugar
2 large eggs, room temp (or 2 flax eggs, if vegan)
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup melted coconut oil
1/3 cup plant-based milk, room temp or warm
1 cup pumpkin purée

Brown Sugar Cinnamon Icing

1 Tbsp vegan butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp plant-based milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup powdered sugar

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350°F and generously spray a 12-count muffin pan with non-stick spray (I used olive oil spray). Bring your eggs to room temperature by placing them in a glass of warm water for around 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices; set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the coconut sugar, eggs (or flax eggs), vanilla, coconut oil, and milk. Whisk in the pumpkin purée. Add liquid ingredients to dry and gently mix with a large spatula until no flour pockets remain.
Spoon batter into 10 muffin wells, filling 2/3-3/4 full. If your batter is thick, you can smooth out the tops with a spoon. Bake at 350°F for 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the middle of a muffin comes out clean.
Allow muffins to cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes and then gently remove them to cool on a cooling rack.
Once the muffins are totally cool, you can make the icing. In a small saucepan, add the vegan butter, brown sugar, and milk. Whisk together and bring ingredients to a boil. Immediately remove from heat and whisk in the vanilla. Allow mixture to cool for 5 minutes. Whisk in the cinnamon and powdered sugar. You may need to add a little more milk at this point if your icing is too thick - since it cools quickly, you'll have to move fast to dip your muffins. I don't recommend pouring the icing.
Quickly dip the tops of each muffin into the icing (you can tilt your saucepan to help you), turning right side up to set. If your icing begins to get too thick as you're working, put your saucepan back on the stove and heat for a few seconds until the icing thins out, stirring constantly.
Enjoy iced muffins right away. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature.

Notes

For vegan muffins, replace the eggs with two flax eggs: mix 2 Tbsp flaxseed meal + 6 Tbsp lukewarm water and allow to thicken for five minutes
You can replace the coconut sugar with white or brown sugar.
The whole wheat pastry flour can be replaced with regular, all-purpose flour, but your muffins may not be as fluffy.

Spicy Hot Cocoa Muffins (DF)

October 25, 2019 by Rachael Ng Leave a Comment

The weather has been getting chilly around here, which had me thinking about hot cocoa and wondering if it’s too early to start making it (is that even a thing?). But then I started thinking about how glorious it would be to stuff a chocolate muffin with giant marshmallows. It was late at night, I’m pregnant, and I swear in that moment these muffins sounded like the best idea. After a couple of test batches, I landed on these perfectly imperfect spicy, double chocolate muffins. A bit of cayenne and cinnamon ups the flavor profile, and then the giant marshmallows fluff up in the oven and create the most enticing gooey marshmallow mess on top! Oh, and the chocolate chips inside get all melty just the way I like, and basically you have to eat these warm!

I tested out a couple of different ways to do these muffins, and I really like how this final batch came out. They’re basically made with a simple double chocolate muffin mix, and then “stuffed” with whole, large marshmallows. I got exactly 12 muffins out of this recipe, which may help you with measuring out your batter. You’ll add a spoonful of batter to each muffin well, press the marshmallow deep into the batter, and then cover the marshmallow, and surrounding space, with more batter. You only want to fill these about 3/4 full, so the end product (pre-bake) should look a little funny – the marshmallows should be covered but you’ll still see a bump from each marshmallow sticking up. When your muffins first come out of the oven, the marshmallows will have puffed up quite a bit. As the muffins cool, the marshmallow will settle, creating the kind of charred, melty marshmallow cracks you see below!

Some of the ingredients I like for this recipe:

Coconut sugar is my favorite sweetener. It’s low GI, unrefined, and now readily available in most grocery stores!

Applesauce gives these muffins lots of extra moisture and a bit of sweetness – you won’t taste any apple!

Instant coffee granules help deepen the chocolate flavor of these muffins. It’s totally optional, and you could also use 1/4 cup of coffee in place of the milk + instant coffee.

Ground cayenne gives these muffins a bit of kick. I recommend adding between 1/8 and 1/4 teaspoon, depending on your taste preference. 1/8 tsp is “barely there” and 1/4 tsp is “these have a definite kick”.

Yield: 12 regular muffins

Spicy Hot Cocoa Muffins

Fluffy double chocolate muffins stuffed with marshmallow and spiced with a dash of cayenne pepper! These delicious muffins are reminiscent of your favorite spicy hot cocoa!

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Additional Time 15 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

1/2 cup coconut sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup vegetable oil*
1/4 cup plant-based milk
1 tsp instant coffee granules (optional)
3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/3 cup regular cocoa powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8-1/4 tsp ground cayenne (optional)
1/2 cup dairy-free chocolate chips or chunks
12 large marshmallows

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a 12 count muffin pan with paper liners (or spray with non-stick spray).
In a medium bowl, whisk together the coconut sugar, eggs, vanilla, oil, plant milk, and instant coffee. Whisk in the applesauce; set aside.
In a large bowl, sift the flour and cocoa powder. Whisk in the baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices until well combined. Add wet ingredients to dry and gently mix until nearly combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Drop a spoonful of batter into each muffin well. Then press a large marshmallow (flat side up) into the middle of each. Carefully spoon batter on top of and around the up-right marshmallows. You'll want to fill each well about 3/4 full - your marshmallows should be covered with batter but look like a bump under the batter. I had exactly enough batter for 12 regular muffins.
Bake muffins at 350° for 15 minutes. The marshmallows will puff up and out of the muffins. Allow muffins to cool in the pan for 15 minutes then gently remove them to cool on a cooling rack or enjoy warm!
Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature.

Notes

*you can use whatever vegetable oil you prefer. I used regular olive oil for these muffins

Recommended Products

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 208 Total Fat: 8g Saturated Fat: 2g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 5g Cholesterol: 31mg Sodium: 169mg Carbohydrates: 32g Net Carbohydrates: 0g Fiber: 2g Sugar: 18g Sugar Alcohols: 0g Protein: 4g

calculated nutrition information may not always be accurate

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More chocolate recipes:

Marshmallow Hot Cocoa Cookies (DF)

Salted Chocolate Rye Cookies (DF)

Dark Chocolate Zucchini Bread (DF)

Chocolate Banana Cake Donuts (Vegan)

Glazed Orange Almond Muffins (dairy-free!)

April 3, 2019 by Rachael Ng 3 Comments

I feel like I say this about a lot of the things I bake, but these muffins are seriously so delicious you’ll want to eat half of the batch at once! The fluffy Orange Almond Muffins are so good all on their own, but then you add the Orange Almond Glaze and OMG it’s one of the best muffins I’ve ever had!!

Anyone else out there remember the orange cinnamon rolls in a can (or still bake them)? We had those a lot growing up, and these glazed muffins took me right back there (in the best way possible!). Lots of freshly grated orange zest and pure almond extract make for a seriously good flavor combo in these muffins.

The recipe is a standard two-bowl set up. You’ll mix your wet ingredients and then your dry, and then gently mix them together. You can play with the amounts of orange zest and almond extract, but after three test batches, the recipe below reflects the amounts I feel are perfect for these muffins.

You can use regular all-purpose flour if you’d like, though the muffins may not come out as fluffy. The coconut sugar can be replaced with white or brown cane sugar or even Stevia in the raw, if you’re into that. If you’re looking for a vegan recipe, then you can simply use flax eggs in place of the regular eggs (see notes).

Some of the ingredients I love for this recipe:

Whole wheat pastry flour makes for excellently fluffy muffins and quick breads. These muffins come out light and fluffy thanks to this special flour.

Unsweetened applesauce is a great substitute for oil + adds natural sweetness and moisture.

Coconut sugar is my favorite low GI sweetener, which means it won’t spike blood sugar levels the same way other sweeteners (like cane sugar, honey, and maple syrup) do. It tastes nothing like coconut, so don’t fret if you’re worried about that!

Orange zest gives you lots of bang for your buck in these muffins. It brings powerful and delicious flavor and pretty sprinkle-like pops of orange to the glaze.

Orange juice adds a bit more of an orange flavor to the muffins. I tested the recipe without it but liked the muffins even more with the extra orange flavor!

Almond extract is one of my favorite flavors for cake. It pairs so perfectly with the orange in these muffins that the Orange Almond Glaze will forever replace any other orange glaze.

Yield: 10 Standard Muffins

Glazed Orange Almond Muffins

Fluffy and moist Orange Almond Muffins made with fresh orange zest and pure almond extract, topped with the most delicious Orange Almond Glaze! If you're a fan of orange, then you will love these dairy-free, better-for-you muffins!

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

Muffins

2 large eggs
1/3 cup coconut sugar
3 Tbsp light olive oil
2 Tbsp nut milk (or oat milk)
2 Tbsp fresh orange juice
1 1/2 tsp pure almond extract
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2-3 Tbsp finely grated orange zest (2-4 oranges)

Glaze

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp pure almond extract
1 tsp finely grated orange zest (1/2-1 orange)
4 1/2 tsp nut milk (or oat milk)

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350°F and prepare your muffin pan with liners or non-stick spray.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar. Whisk in the olive oil, nut milk, orange juice, almond extract, and applesauce; set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Gently fold in the liquid ingredients until no flour pockets remain. Add the orange zest and gently mix.
Fill 10 muffin wells with batter. You want to fill them to about a 1/4" from the top. Bake at 350°F for 15-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out with a couple of crumbs. To avoid making multiple toothpick holes, you can lightly tap the top of a muffin and see if it springs back. If it's done, it will spring back without leaving a finger dent.
Allow muffins to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before gently removing to a cooling rack. Allow muffins to cool totally before making your glaze.
In a small saucepan, combine the powdered sugar, almond extract, and orange zest. Add nut milk 1 tsp at a time until you reach a consistency that is thin enough for spreading but pours off a spoon (it will thin more once it's warmed up).
Heat glaze on low heat, stirring constantly, until just warm to the touch. Remove from heat and dip each muffin into the warm glaze, allowing the extra glaze to drip off before turning the muffin over. Glaze will crust within a few minutes so work fast! Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Notes

For Vegan: use 2 flax eggs in place of the regular eggs. Mix 2 Tbsp flaxseed meal with 6 Tbsp water; let rest for 5 minutes to thicken.

All-purpose flour will work just fine in place of the whole wheat pastry flour

You will have leftover glaze, but I found that it's easier to dip the muffins if there's a bit more to work with. You can cut the recipe by 1/3 if you'd like

Gluten-Free Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins (dairy-free)

February 22, 2019 by Rachael Ng 2 Comments

I’m so excited to bring you guys these Gluten-Free Muffins! Some of you have been asking for GF recipes, and I’m happy to report that these muffins are also dairy-free, can easily be made vegan, and they taste like regular, glutenous muffins! Yes!! While researching how to come up with my own GF flour mix, I stumbled upon this super helpful formula by The Heritage Cook – check it out if you’re interested in coming up with your own mix!

These muffins are a super moist (thank you, zucchini!), better-for-you muffin that I think you’ll love. Once you have all of your ingredients ready, they’re super easy to get together. As noted in the recipe below, I recommend using paper muffin liners, along with non-stick spray. These muffins will stick to your pan without a liner (thank you, almond flour), and they may even stick to your liners – I found that spraying the inside of the liners with olive oil remedied this. Happy baking!

Gluten-Free Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins
Makes 9 regular muffins

1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp white rice flour
1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp GF oat flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch/flour
1/4 cup almond flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cardamom (optional)
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk, room temp
2 large eggs, room temp (or two flax eggs* if vegan)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups finely shredded zucchini (about 1 1/2 medium zucchinis)
1/2 cup dairy-free chocolate chips + more to top each muffin

1.) Preheat your oven to 300°F and line your muffin pan with liners. Then, spray the liners with non-stick spray (I used olive oil spray). I don’t recommend making these muffins without liners, as baked goods made with almond flour tend to stick. Bring your eggs to room temperature by placing them in a glass of warm water for 10 minutes.

2.) In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, tapioca starch, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and cardamom; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the coconut sugar, coconut oil, almond milk, eggs, and vanilla extract.

3.) Shred your zucchini until you have 1 1/2 cups. Then place the zucchini shreds on a paper towel or cheesecloth and squeeze out and discard the excess juice. Add zucchini shreds to your wet ingredients, breaking up the clumps and mixing in.

4.) Pour wet ingredients into dry and gently mix until no flour pockets remain. Mix in the chocolate chips. Fill the muffin wells all the way to the top (I distributed my batter between 9 muffin wells). Top each muffin with extra chocolate chips.

5.) Bake at 300°F for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out with a few crumbs. Allow the muffins to cool in the pan on top of a cooling rack for 10 minutes. Carefully remove each muffin and enjoy warm or allow to cool on the cooling rack. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature. Enjoy!

*two flax eggs = 2 Tbsp flaxseed meal + 6 Tbsp water. Allow “eggs” to thicken for a few minutes before adding to your mix

Chocolate Carrot Turmeric Protein Muffins (dairy-free!)

February 19, 2019 by Rachael Ng Leave a Comment

I came up with these Protein Muffins on a whim last week when my husband was talking about needing a snack at work. We love a good muffin, and what’s better than a low sugar, protein veggie muffin? Yep. These muffins have a lot going on. Carrots, turmeric, protein powder, chocolate – the works. And my husband loved them! These muffins are fluffy, super moist (never gonna be sorry for that adjective) and as easy as an other muffin!

If you don’t have access to a Turmeric Protein Powder, don’t fret. You can use whatever protein powder you have on hand (vanilla, chocolate, or unflavored would be best) + one or two teaspoons of turmeric. I chose to use half Stevia in the Raw (not sponsored) and half coconut sugar for better flavor. Feel free to replace the coconut sugar with more Stevia for an even lower sugar option. And the chocolate chips are optional! I sprinkled a few over each muffin pre-bake for a bit of sweetness. You could add more to your batter or leave them off totally. Happy baking!

Chocolate Carrot Turmeric Protein Muffins
Makes 9 regular muffins

3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup Turmeric Protein Powder*
1/4 cup cocoa powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 cup Stevia in the Raw
1/4 cup coconut sugar
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk, room temp
2 large eggs, room temp
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups finely grated carrot (about 3 large carrots)
~1/4 cup dairy-free chocolate chips (optional)

1.) Preheat your oven to 350°F and line your muffin pan with paper liners or spray with olive oil (or other non-stick spray). Bring your two eggs to room temperature by placing them in a glass of warm water for about 10 minutes.

2.) In a large bowl, sift the flours, protein powder, and cocoa powder. Whisk in the baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg until everything is well combined; set aside.

3.) In a medium bowl, mix together the stevia, coconut sugar, and melted coconut oil. Add in the almond milk, eggs, and vanilla, whisking until everything is combined. Grate your carrot and squeeze out and discard of (or keep!) the juice. Stir in the shredded carrot, breaking up any chunks.

4.) Fold wet ingredients into dry until no flour pockets remain. Fill muffin wells nearly to the top. If desired, sprinkle chocolate chips on top of unbaked muffins.

5.) Bake at 350°F for 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean/with a few crumbs. Store leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator. Reheat to enjoy!

*you can also use 1/2 cup vanilla or plain protein powder + 1-2 tsp turmeric

Muffins

Some of the ingredients I like for this recipe:

Ingredients

Pumpkin Muffins

Brown Sugar Cinnamon Icing

Instructions

Notes

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Did you make this recipe?

More pumpkin recipes!

Some of the ingredients I like for this recipe:

Ingredients

Instructions

Notes