Vegan Muffins

We're in the midst of our Vegetarian Diploma Course and have just begun lessons on baking. These vegan muffins have proved a huge success with our students. We made ours with banana, hazelnuts and chocolate chips, but you could easily adapt the recipe to use other fillings. Our favourite combinations for sweet vegan muffins are

• Mango, pistachio and dark chocolate
• Apricot, vegan white chocolate and almond
• Blueberry, pistachio and dark chocolate.
• Apple, blackberry and walnut

The trick with vegan muffins is to not over-mix the muffin mixtures. Just stir until the flour is blended in. Also, when you buy vanilla extract make sure it is extract or essence and not "vanilla flavouring". You can tell by price as pure vanilla is very expensive and flavouring is cheap. Vanilla flavouring has a horrible artificial taste and will ruin the muffins!

The great thing about muffins is that they are quick to cook and are brilliant to freeze. Although best eaten the same day, they will keep for a couple of days in an airtight container. We usually make a whole tray and freeze half of the muffins. They defrost overnight at room temperature and make great lunchbox or picnic treats.

If you'd like to learn more vegan baking tricks, check out our upcoming vegan classes in our course calendar.

Vegan Banana, Hazelnut & Chocolate Chip Muffins

Makes: 12 large muffins

Dietary: Vegan

Ingredients:

• 300g plain white flour
• 3 tsp baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 1 banana mashed (approx. 60g)
• 120g caster sugar
• 200mlsoya or rice milk
• 100ml soya yoghurt
• 1 tsp cider vinegar
• 100g vegan margarine
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 50g roasted hazelnuts ( ½chopped, ½ left whole)
• 50g dark chocolate chips
• 100g raspberries (fresh or frozen)

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 200C/Gas 6.
2. Fill a muffin baking tin (12) with large muffin cases.
3. Sift the flour, salt and baking powder together.
4. Mix the milk, yoghurt, cider vinegar and vanilla together in a jug.
5. Mash the banana really well on a plate with a fork to cream and lighten.Whisk the mashed banana with the sugar and margarine.Beat well until smooth and creamy.
6. Whisk in the milk mixture.Mix in the chocolate chips and chopped hazelnuts.
7. Gently whisk in the flour until well combined.The mix should be quite stiff but light and aerated.
8. Spoon into large muffin cases. Top with the raspberries and whole hazelnuts.
9. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 25 minutes, until risen and golden.
10. Leave to cool on a wire cooling rack.