Applesauce-Oat Bran Muffins for Class

One of my favorite childhood memories is making muffins with my mom. Appalled by the traditional school-provided breakfast options, we would make healthy muffins together every Sunday for a school week's supply of a nutritious breakfast on-the-go. Some of the best included banana peanut butter and zucchini raisin. Regardless of the flavor, I loved the process, and especially loved (love) licking off the batter covered bowls.

This leads us to muffins for class! When Lily put the delicious Applesauce-Oat Bran muffin recipe in front of me, I just knew it was perfect. I was excited to recreate a little bit of my old tradition for the class.

These particular muffins were from Lily's copy of Veganomigon. I highly recommend this cookbook, it is filled with tons of delicious recipes, all vegan, but if no one tells you, you'd never know it!

 

And now for the recipe...

 

Applesauce-Oat Bran Muffins

 

Makes 12

 

Ingredients-



• 1/4 cup soy or rice milk
• 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup unsweetened natural applesauce (I used homemade so it was a little chunky, delish!)
• 3 tablespoons canola oil (or applesauce if you prefer)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose or whole wheat pastry flour (I used regular whole-wheat flour)
• 3/4 cup oat bran
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup raisins or dried cranberries or dried apple pieces (I split the batter into two and did 1/4 cup of raisins in one half and 1/4 cup of dried cranberries in the other half)

Now comes putting it all together, I got so wrapped up in making them that I regrettably didn't take pictures of the process.

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a 12 cup non-stick muffin tin.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the milk of choice and apple cider vinegar; allow it to rest for 1 minute to curdle. Add the applesauce, canola oil, and brown sugar, and whisk to completely incorporate them.
3. In a separate, smaller bowl, sift together the flour, oat bran, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet; stir only to moisten and don't over mix. Fold in the raisins (or substitute of choice). Use an ice-cream scoop or measuring cup to scoop the batter into the muffin cups.
4. Bake for 28 to 30 minutes (mine took 30 but I checked them at 25), until a toothpick inserted into the middle of a muffin comes out clean. Allow the muffins to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to complete cooling.

This is what they looked like before I cut them in half...

 

 

...and here is after.

These delicious treats will easily last for at least a couple of days if not longer. If they become stale try dipping them in almond milk, it puts the life right back in them, and the nutty flavor is a great compliment.

Enjoy!