Today's vegan muffin recipe: Pumpkin Chai Spice Oatmeal Blueberry Muffins. Wait, what? That is all ONE muffin flavor? Yes. This is what happens when I go into starting a recipe without a clear plan in mind and two different cravings running through my head...
Blueberry Oat Muffins + Pumpkin Chai Spice Muffins.
I wanted to make one, but midway through making my pumpkin muffins I was filled with blueberry love and just decided to fold in a mega dose of giant organic blueberries. Then as I was scooping these crazy hybrid muffins into their cups - thinking that I had just wasted a baking session - I could admit that I was really curious to see what blueberry + pumpkin muffins would taste like. Swirled flavors. Hybrid muffins. Hm, if Ben and Jerry can do it with ice cream - I can do it with vegan muffin recipes!..
Two muffins in one.
So this is a nice sweet photo of the lovely muffins...
BUT..
I feel like you can't really judge a muffin until you crack that baby open..
....
And then the blueberry bliss explodes..
So the review.. LOVED THESE. One bite and I seriously thought I was in muffin heaven. I actually had this thought as I dove into my first warm, blueberry-filled, chai-spiced bite:
"Omg. This might be the best muffin I have ever tasted."
Best ever?... (one of the best for sure. they do kinda glow.)
So yes, try these. And knock out two muffin cravings in one blissful bite.
Healthy Points! Besides only being 129 calories per muffin, these muffins are LOADED with good stuff. Chia and flax seeds, rolled oats, a few sliced almonds, pure pumpkin, applesauce, warming spices, chai tea and VERY minimal (optional) oil. I just added in about one teaspoon just out of habit - but you can probably omit it altogether. Oh and did I mention the oodles and oodles of giant organic blueberries? I used frozen - but fresh would also be super.
You can use any flour you'd like - I just went with a basic unbleached organic white flour - soft and silky to even out the rustic quality of the other main 'grain' - whole rolled oats. Gluten free flours would be great in this recipe too.
Nutrition Facts (per muffin)
Calories: 129kcal, Fat: 2g, Carbs: 25g, Fiber: 3g, Proetin: 3g, Iron: 7%, Vitamin A: 48%
Pumpkin Chai Spice Oatmeal Blueberry Muffins
VEGAN, makes 12 small muffins
dry:
1 ¼ cups rolled oats
¾ cup + 1 tablespoon white flour, organic
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup + 1 tablespoon sugar, organic
wet:
⅓ cup applesauce, unsweetened
¾ cup pumpkin puree, unsweetened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh squeezed orange juice
1 teaspoon vegetable oil (optional)
Seed Mix - "egg replacer":
½ cup boiling water + 1 chai tea bag (I used pumpkin spice chai) - strongly brewed
1 teaspoon chia seeds + 1 teaspoon flax seeds (or just use one variety)
fold ins:
¼ cup sliced almonds (or any nuts)
1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen + thawed)
spicy kick: add a few dashes of cayenne! (optional)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line or grease muffin cups.
2. Boil the water and steep the tea bag for a few minutes. Squeeze out as much chai flavor as you can and toss the bag. Then add the chia + flax seeds to the tea. Stir well and set aside for a few minutes.
3. Combine the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
4. Add in the wet ingredients. Stir well - batter will be very thick at this point.
5. Fold in the tea + seeds to loosen the batter.
6. Fold in the berries and nuts.
7. Pour batter in muffin cups and bake at 350 degrees for about 18-22 minutes - a bit longer if you use very frozen blueberries.
8. Cool. Eat. Big smile.
