Fruit Explosion Muffins

Guys…. I did something… I MADE CRAZY-AWESOME MUFFINS. I used frozen berries and one banana. They’re oil free, only have a little bit of brown sugar* (which you could easily switch with maple syrup or agave) and are heavenly with tahini and peanut butter slathered on them (but what isn’t heavenly when drenched in tahini?). Because I let the berries thaw a little, they turned the muffins blue! That surprise actually made me quite happy.

As I mentioned, I used frozen berries. Feel free to substitute in fresh berries or ANY fruit for that matter! 2 cups fresh peaches, or strawberries, or apple, or cherries, or cranberries, or pear+ginger, or any combination of fruit, would be great in this. It’s an extraordinarily versatile recipe (so let me know what you try)!!

Note*: If you’re looking for a super sweet muffin recipe, this isn’t for you! The minimal sugar allows the fruit and cinnamon flavours to stand out.

FRUIT EXPLOSION MUFFINS (makes 12 small-medium muffins) (Inspired by these and these)

• 2 cups frozen berries (I did one cup frozen raspberries, one cup frozen blueberries)
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1 1/2 teaspoon ground flaxseed
• 2 tablespoons warm water
• 1 medium banana, mashed
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup loosely packed brown sugar
• 1 1/4 cups unsweetened almond milk or other non-dairy milk

Method:

Preheat oven to 400F and prepare a 12-cup muffin pan with coconut oil/cooking spray or muffin wrappers.

In a medium bowl, combine the 2 cup berries with the 1 tablespoon maple syrup and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix the flaxseeds with warm water, the mashed banana, vanilla extract and lemon juice; set aside to let the flax thicken.

In another medium bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and sugar.

Add the almond milk and the berry (or fruit) mixture to the rest of the wet ingredients and mix well.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet and fold until just combined.

Divide the batter into the prepared muffin tin and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown.

 

I told you: easy and versatile!