Muffins

Name: Vanilla Bean Zucchini Muffins
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 52 min
Yield: 18
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1/2 cup (83g) coconut sugar (or other sugar - see Note 2); 1/4 cup (45g) olive oil; 1/4 cup (60g) almond milk; 2 large eggs; 1 tsp vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract); 3/4 tsp baking soda; 1/2 tsp baking powder; 1/2 tsp salt; 1 tsp ground cinnamon; 1/2 tsp ground cardamom; 1 1/2 cups (195g) all-purpose flour; 1 1/2 cups (275g) finely shredded zucchini (~1 large zucchini); 1 cup (120g) powdered sugar; 1 tsp vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract); ~4 tsp almond milk

Vanilla Bean Zucchini Muffins

August 10, 2022 by Rachael Ng Leave a Comment

These cozy, delicious (and EASY) Vanilla Bean Zucchini Muffins are like little bites of heaven – sweet vanilla bean icing sits atop a spice-filled, zucchini-packed mini muffin.

Vanilla Bean Zucchini Muffins

I’ll be honest, a big reason I made this recipe is to confirm that I’m not the only one who frequently forgets about that lone zucchini in the back of the fridge. Now, we love zucchini, and I always buy it with the best intentions. Stir fry with some bell peppers? Yes! Add it to my spaghetti sauce? Of course! Bake it into a sweet cake, cookie, or muffin? OBVIOUSLY. But days go by, weeks get busy, and that one remaining zucchini gets pushed to the back of the veggie drawer to only be forgotten about until fridge clean-out day. Well, not today. I’m here to remind you of that zucchini…and to give you this delicious recipe to fulfill the need to use your produce before it goes bad. You’re welcome. ILY. Let’s bake!

Here’s Why You’ll Love These Muffins

Quick & easy to bake
Cinnamon + cardamom = a winner every time
Mini size for perfect snack-ability
Perfect icing to muffin ratio
Guaranteed not to last too long in the fridge

What You’ll Need + Possible Substitutions

Coconut sugar is a low-GI granulated sugar that can replace white granulated sugar 1:1. It tastes less sweet and is better for you than cane sugar, which is why I love baking with it in recipes that have a sweet icing. For these muffins, you can use raw sugar, unrefined cane sugar, or white granulated sugar in place of coconut sugar (all a 1:1 swap). NOTE: the gram measurement will vary depending on the kind of sugar.
Olive oil adds moisture. You can also use melted butter or plant-based butter, avocado oil, or melted coconut oil – if using melted coconut oil, be sure the rest of your ingredients are room temperature so the coconut oil stays liquid.
Almond milk also adds moisture to the muffins and gets the icing to the right consistency. Any plant-based milk will work (for both the batter and icing). Regular milk will also work.
Eggs help bind ingredients together. I’ve had success making this recipe with flax “eggs” in place of eggs: mix 2 Tbsp flaxseed meal with 6 Tbsp warm water and allow to thicken for 5 minutes.
Vanilla bean paste makes these muffins. There’s just something special about seeing the little specks of vanilla bean…and tasting that classic vanilla bean flavor. This recipe will definitely work with vanilla extract as a 1:1 replacement – just call these Zucchini Muffins with Vanilla Icing instead 😉

Continued…

All-purpose flour is my go-to baking flour. Feel free to use a bleached or unbleached variety. For healthier muffins, you can replace up to 1/2 of the AP flour with a whole wheat flour.
Baking soda + baking powder work together to lift these muffins to the perfect height. I don’t recommend any substitutes.
Salt enhances the flavor of the muffins. You don’t want to skip it.
Cinnamon adds flavor to the muffins. Feel free to add more or less, depending on your taste preferences.
Cardamom has a lovely flavor that pairs perfectly with the cinnamon. If you don’t have any on hand, you can use ground nutmeg, or more ground cinnamon, in its place. I highly recommend stocking your pantry with ground cardamom – it’s amazing in so many bakes!
Zucchini (duh) really makes these muffins. You’ll need a whole cup and a half of shredded zucchini, and, no, you can’t taste it!
Powdered sugar is used to make the icing. I don’t recommend any substitutes. For a slightly healthier muffin, you can drizzle the icing over the muffins instead of dipping them in the icing.

More Zucchini Recipes

Spiced Zucchini Sheet Cake

Zucchini Tahini Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Healthier Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies

Dark Chocolate Zucchini Brownies

Yield: 18 Mini Muffins or 8 Standard Muffins

Vanilla Bean Zucchini Muffins

Sweet, spice-filled Vanilla Bean Zucchini Muffins topped with a vanilla bean glaze. These cozy, delicious muffins are like little bites of heaven.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes

Additional Time 30 minutes

Total Time 52 minutes

Ingredients

Muffins

1/2 cup (83g) coconut sugar (or other sugar - see Note 2)
1/4 cup (45g) olive oil
1/4 cup (60g) almond milk
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1 1/2 cups (195g) all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups (275g) finely shredded zucchini (~1 large zucchini)

Icing

1 cup (120g) powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)
~4 tsp almond milk

Instructions

Bake the Muffins

Preheat your oven to 350°F and prepare a mini muffin pan (see Note 1 for standard muffins) with paper liners or non-stick spray.
Place the shredded zucchini on a cheesecloth or paper towel and squeeze out as much excess liquid as you can (NOTE: zucchini should be measured pre-squeeze); set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the coconut sugar, olive oil, almond milk, eggs, and vanilla bean paste (or extract).
Whisk in the baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and cardamom. Add the flour and gently mix with a large spoon until nearly combined.
Add the shredded (and squeezed) zucchini and gently mix, breaking up the zucchini as you mix until all is combined.
Scoop/spoon the batter into the prepared muffin wells, filling to the top. Bake at 350°F for 12-14 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.
Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before removing to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Ice the Muffins

Once the muffins are totally cool, you can make the icing. In a small bowl, add the powdered sugar and vanilla bean paste (or extract) and mix.
Add almond milk 1 tsp at a time until the icing reaches the proper consistency - it should take 4-5 seconds for the icing to disappear into itself when drizzled from a spoon.
Carefully dip the top of each muffin into the icing, allowing the excess icing to drip off. Immediately turn each muffin over and onto a cooling rack to set.
Once the icing is set (no longer looks shiny), you can store the leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. If left at room temperature, the icing may melt into the muffins.

Notes

Standard Muffins: fill 7-9 prepared muffin wells to the top with batter. Bake at 350°F for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.
Sugar: you can use your favorite granulated sugar in this recipe. Find some of the gram measurements below.

1/2 cup white granulated sugar = 113g
1/2 cup raw sugar = 107g
1/2 cup unrefined cane sugar = 120g

Did you make this recipe? I would love to see!

Tag @sugaredandstirred on Instagram and hashtag #sugaredandstirred

Double Chocolate Mini Muffins with Salted Caramel (DF)

November 14, 2019 by Rachael Ng 1 Comment

A couple of mornings ago, I was really in the mood for muffins (a common occurrence this pregnancy), so I asked my toddler what kind she wanted to make. She’s two and she loves chocolate, so that was her answer: chocolate muffins. I thought about it and determined that I couldn’t just make a plain ole chocolate muffin. I needed to make them mini. Add walnuts. And top them with homemade caramel sauce and flakey sea salt. Extra? Totally. Delicious and worth it? Yes!

The muffins themselves are so easy. One bowl. Hardly a mess. And if you have a 24-count mini muffin pan, you can bake them all in one batch that takes less than 10 minutes to bake! And these muffins are good. Like, if you want to forget about the caramel and sea salt all together, then I’m here for it. After all, there’s nothing like a fresh, warm muffin. Especially when melty chocolate chips are involved!

But the caramel drizzle will take these muffins to the next level. It’s a simple recipe and method that I learned from watching Cupcake Jemma, and I highly recommend checking out her Caramel Masterclass video! If you’ve never made caramel before and you’re intimidated, I get it. I won’t even fault you if you choose to go for store-bought for these muffins. But if you make your own, then you’ll feel super accomplished and have tons of delicious caramel leftover to pop onto anything you’d like!

Since my vegan caramels tend to come out thinner and too runny for a drizzle, I re-boil my mixture for 5-10 minutes to thicken them up. You don’t need a candy thermometer and the whole caramel making process (aside from the cooling) should take around 30 minutes. You can even make your caramel the night before, let it totally cool, and then store it in the refrigerator to drizzle on the muffins later. Whatever you choose, have fun and enjoy these bite-sized pieces of dessert heaven!

Some of the ingredients I love for this recipe:

Coconut oil lends lots of moisture to these muffins. If you don’t have any on hand, feel free to use another vegetable oil (I prefer olive oil).

Instant coffee adds depth to the chocolate flavor. You can also use espresso powder if you have that on hand. This ingredient is totally optional.

Coconut sugar is my go-to sweetener. It’s low GI and unrefined and tastes nothing like coconut! It’s a perfect replacement for regular white sugar.

Yield: ~24 Mini Muffins

Double Chocolate Mini Muffins with Salted Caramel

Bite-sized chocolate mini muffins filled with chocolate chips and chopped walnuts. All topped off with a drizzle of homemade dairy-free caramel sauce and a sprinkling of sea salt!

Prep Time 2 hours

Cook Time 10 minutes

Additional Time 30 minutes

Total Time 2 hours 40 minutes

Ingredients

Vegan Caramel Sauce

1/2 cup coconut cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup white granulated sugar
1/2 cup water

Chocolate Muffins

1/2 cup coconut oil, liquid
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
2 large eggs, room temp (or 2 flax eggs if vegan - see note)
1 tsp instant coffee (optional)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup coconut sugar (or cane sugar)
1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/3 cup natural cocoa powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup dairy-free chocolate chips, divided
1/2 cup chopped walnuts pieces (optional)

Instructions

Make the caramel sauce: combine liquid coconut cream and vanilla extract; set aside. In a medium, heavy bottomed saucepan, add the sugar and then the water - don't stir. Swirl the pan gently until sugar is soaked.
Place sugar mixture over medium heat and bring to a boil. Without stirring, boil the mixture until it turns amber in color. The sugar will go from amber to burnt quickly, so keep an eye on it! And do not stir it!
Once the amber color is reached, immediately remove from the heat and place on a towel or hot pad. Using a wooden spoon, slowly stir in the coconut cream mixture, being cautious as the mixture is extremely hot and will bubble up!
Return caramel sauce to medium heat and bring to a boil. Boil for 5-10 minutes or until caramel thickens. Transfer caramel to a room temp, heatproof bowl to cool.
Make the muffins: bring your eggs to room temperature by placing them in a glass of warm water for around 10 minutes. Preheat your oven to 350°F and generously spray your mini muffin pan with non-stick spray or line with paper cups/liners.
In a medium bowl, combine the oil, plant-based milk, and eggs. Whisk in the instant coffee and vanilla, and then whisk in the sugar. Sift in the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Use a large spatula to gently mix until just combined. Add in 1/2 cup of the chocolate chips and the walnuts and mix.
Scoop about 1.5 Tbsp of batter into each mini muffin well - nearly to the top. I used a cookie scoop for quick and easy filling. Top the unbaked muffins with the extra 1/4 cup of chocolate chips, lightly pressing the chips into the batter.
Bake muffins at 350°F for 6-10 minutes or until toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out with a few crumbs. Allow muffins to cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes and then gently remove them to cool on a cooling rack.
Once muffins are cool, spread the caramel sauce over the tops and sprinkle with sea salt flakes.
Allow caramel to set before storing any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature. Store leftover (and cooled!) caramel sauce in an airtight container or jar in the refrigerator.

Notes

For vegan muffins: use 2 flax eggs (mix 2 Tbsp flaxseed meal + 6 Tbsp warm water, allow to thicken for five minutes)
Be sure to use at least a medium sized pot to make your caramel. The hot sugar mixture will bubble up when you add the coconut cream!
To ensure no sugar crystals form in your caramel sauce, do not stir the caramel while it's boiling the first round. Don't scrape the sides of the pan at any point, or otherwise mess with it! Also, allow your caramel sauce to totally cool before transferring it to your refrigerator.
When boiling the caramel the second round (to thicken it up) it's okay to stir it a bit.
If using melted coconut oil, you'll want the rest of your ingredients, including your eggs, to be room temperature. This ensure your coconut oil will remain in a liquid states while making your batter.

Pumpkin Muffins with Brown Sugar Cinnamon Icing

October 30, 2019 by Rachael Ng 8 Comments

Recipe card and post updated November 2021 to reflect gram measurements and ingredients substitutions in the Recipe Notes.

These delightfully fluffy Pumpkin Muffins are dipped in a warm brown sugar cinnamon icing, and they’re totally irresistible! Perfect for the holiday season, these popular muffins are just what you need when you’re craving the cozy spices of autumn.

Pumpkin Muffins

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.

Tips To Make These Pumpkin Muffins

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 + substitutions:

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. You can use more all-purpose flour in its place, but your muffins won’t be as fluffy.

Coconut sugar is an unrefined, low GI sugar. It tastes less sweet than regular sugar, so it balances out the sweetness of the icing. If you’d prefer, you can replace the coconut sugar with your favorite granulated sugar.

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/baking oil or melted butter in its place.

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 (130g) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup (120g) whole wheat pastry flour (see Note 1)
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 (86g) coconut sugar (see Note 2)
2 large eggs, room temp (or 2 flax eggs - see Note 3)
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup (72g) melted coconut oil (see Note 4)
1/3 cup (80g) plant-based milk, room temp/warm (or regular milk)
1 cup (250g) pumpkin purée

Brown Sugar Cinnamon Icing

1 Tbsp vegan butter (or regular butter)
1/4 cup (56g) brown sugar, packed
2 Tbsp plant-based milk (or regular milk)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup (120g) 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

Flour: the whole wheat pastry flour can be replaced with more all-purpose flour (1 cup or 130g). Your muffins just won't be as fluffy.
Sugar: you can use 1/2 cup of your favorite granulated sugar in this recipe. White cane sugar (105g), raw turbinado sugar (105g), unrefined cane sugar (112g) or lightly packed brown sugar (100g) will work.
Eggs: 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.
Oil: you can use your favorite baking oil or melted butter in this recipe. 1/3 cup butter = 78g, 1/3 cup olive oil = 65g

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @sugaredandstirred on Instagram and hashtag #sugaredandstirred

More pumpkin recipes!

Cinnamon Swirl Pumpkin Bread (DF)

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies (DF)

Pumpkin Cookies with Spiced Frosting (DF)

Pumpkin Chai Spice Rice Krispie Treats (DF)

Pumpkin Coffee Chocolate Chip Muffins (DF + V option)

Spicy Hot Cocoa Muffins (DF)

October 25, 2019 by Rachael Ng 2 Comments

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, dairy-free 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

Orange Almond Muffins with Glaze

April 3, 2019 by Rachael Ng 6 Comments

Orange Almond Muffins

Soft and fluffy Orange Almond Muffins flavored with fresh orange zest and both orange and almond extracts! All topped off with an easy and delicious orange almond glaze.

Orange Almond Muffins

I know I say this a lot about the bakes I share, but these muffins are seriously so delicious – you’ll want to eat half the batch at once! These Orange Almond Muffins are fluffy, moist, and perfectly flavored with bright, fresh orange and warm, nutty almond extract. Add the orange almond glaze on top and these muffins are out-of-this-world good.

This recipe is a standard two-bowl set up. You’ll mix the wet ingredients in one bowl and then the dry ingredients in another, and then you’ll gently mix the two together. You can play with the amounts of orange zest/extract and almond extract, but after four test batches, the recipe below reflects the amounts I feel are perfect for these muffins. Not a fan of almond extract? You can easily turn these into orange muffins by omitting the almond 😉

What You’ll Need + Possible Substitutes

Coconut sugar is my favorite better-for-you sweetener – it’s low GI and doesn’t have any coconut flavor. Feel free to use your favorite granulated sugar instead. White sugar, raw sugar, and unrefined cane sugar will all work 1:1 (note that the gram measurements will vary).
Olive oil adds moisture to these muffins. You can use avocado oil or melted coconut oil in its place (if using coconut oil, make sure the other ingredients are room temperature).
Almond milk also adds moisture, and I find it fitting with the “almond” theme. Of course any plant-based milk, or regular milk, will work in this recipe!
Eggs act as a binder to hold the ingredients together. For vegan muffins, use two flax “eggs” – mix 2 Tbsp flaxseed meal with 6 Tbsp water; let rest for 5 minutes to thicken.
Unsweetened applesauce is a great substitute for oil and adds natural sweetness and moisture. I haven’t tested any substitutes for the applesauce in this recipe.
Almond extract adds a mellow, nutty flavor to these muffins. Its distinct taste brings a warmth that pairs perfectly with the orange. If you’re not a fan of almond extract, you can leave it out and consider these orange muffins.
Orange extract and orange zest both add brightness and flavor, of course! I like to use both for extra oomph. The zest adds color to the muffins and glaze, while the extract brings flavor without the work of zesting multiple oranges.
All-purpose flour makes up the bulk of the batter. I like to use an unbleached variety but bleached will work as well. I also love whole wheat pastry flour for this recipe (that’s what my original recipe called for but was omitted for ease).
Baking soda and baking powder are both used to leaven these muffins.
Salt enhances flavor and cuts sweetness.
Powdered sugar makes up the glaze. There are no substitutes for the powdered sugar.

Q&A

Can I make these vegan? Absolutely. Flax eggs work wonderfully in this recipe. For two flax eggs, mix 2 Tbsp flaxseed meal with 6 Tbsp water; let rest for 5 minutes to thicken.

Can I replace the flour with something healthier? Up to half of the all-purpose flour can be replaced with a whole wheat variety. I haven’t tested this with any gluten-free flours. Whole wheat pastry flour can be used 1:1 in this recipe (and makes the muffins wonderfully fluffy!).

Do I have to use almond extract? You don’t have to. I know the flavor can be polarizing, so if you’re not a fan, you can omit it. Feel free to use vanilla extract instead.

I don’t have orange extract – can I leave it out? You can use more orange zest in place of the extract. The general rule is that 1 tsp of orange zest = 1/2 tsp of orange extract.

Yield: 9 Standard Muffins

Glazed Orange Almond Muffins

Soft and fluffy Orange Almond Muffins flavored with fresh orange zest and both orange and almond extracts! All topped off with an easy glaze!

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Additional Time 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes

Ingredients

Muffins

1/2 cup (80g) coconut sugar (see Note 1)
1/4 cup (38g) olive oil
1/4 cup (48g) almond milk (or other milk of choice)
2 large eggs (or 2 flax eggs - see Note 2)
1 cup (250g) unsweetened applesauce
1 1/2 tsp almond extract
1 tsp orange extract
Zest from 1 large navel orange
1 1/2 cups + 2 Tbsp (212g) unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Glaze

1 1/2 cups (180g) powdered sugar
1/2 tsp almond extract
Zest from 1 large navel orange
2-3 Tbsp almond milk (or other milk of choice)

Instructions

Bake the Muffins

Preheat your oven to 400°F and prepare your muffin pan (nine wells) with liners or non-stick spray.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the coconut sugar, oil, almond milk, eggs, applesauce, extracts, and zest from one orange; set aside.
In a large bowl, sift in the flour. Add the baking soda, baking powder, and salt and whisk until combined. Add the liquid ingredients and gently fold until no flour pockets remain - it's important not to over-mix the batter (this creates tough muffins).
Fill nine muffin wells with batter, about 1/4" from the top. Bake at 400°F for 5 minutes, and then lower the heat of your oven to 350°F (I like to open the oven door for 30 seconds at this point). Continue baking at 350°F for 17-22 minutes (mine took 19) or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out with a couple of crumbs.
Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before gently removing to a cooling rack. Allow the muffins to cool completely before making your glaze.

Glaze the Muffins

Once the muffins have cooled completely, you can make the glaze. In a small saucepan, combine the powdered sugar, almond extract, and orange zest.
Add the milk 1 tsp at a time until the glaze reaches a consistency that is thin enough for spreading but pours off of a spoon (it will thin out once it's warmed up).
Heat the glaze on low heat, stirring constantly with a whisk, until just warm to the touch.
Remove from the heat and immediately (and carefully!) dip each muffin top into the warm glaze. Shake off the excess glaze, turn the muffin over, and set it back on the cooling rack. It's important to work quickly as the warm glaze in your pan will crust within a few minutes - you can give it a quick stir if this begins to happen.
Enjoy the glazed muffins immediately or once the glaze has set - it will harden just a bit as it cools.
Store any leftover muffins in an airtight container in the refrigerator - this ensures the glaze won't melt into the muffins.

Notes

Sugar: cane sugar will work just fine in this recipe - I recommend a white granulated sugar (105g or 1/2 cup) or unrefined cane sugar (105g or 1/2 cup).
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.

Did you make this recipe? I’d love to see!

Tag @sugaredandstirred on Instagram and hashtag #sugaredandstirred

Muffins

Vanilla Bean Zucchini Muffins

Here’s Why You’ll Love These Muffins

What You’ll Need + Possible Substitutions

Continued…

More Zucchini Recipes

Ingredients

Muffins

Icing

Instructions

Bake the Muffins

Ice the Muffins

Notes

Did you make this recipe? I would love to see!

Some of the ingredients I love for this recipe:

Ingredients

Vegan Caramel Sauce

Chocolate Muffins

Instructions

Notes

Recommended Products

Did you make this recipe?

Other chocolate recipes you might like:

Pumpkin Muffins

Tips To Make These Pumpkin Muffins

Some of the ingredients + substitutions:

Ingredients

Pumpkin Muffins

Brown Sugar Cinnamon Icing

Instructions

Notes

Recommended Products

Did you make this recipe?

More pumpkin recipes!

Some of the ingredients I like for this recipe:

Ingredients

Instructions

Notes

Recommended Products

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

Did you make this recipe?

More chocolate recipes:

Orange Almond Muffins

Orange Almond Muffins

What You’ll Need + Possible Substitutes

Q&A

Ingredients

Muffins

Glaze

Instructions

Bake the Muffins

Glaze the Muffins

Notes

Recommended Products

Nutrition Information:

Did you make this recipe? I’d love to see!

Footer

Connect with Me