When I posted the recipe for cappuccino chocolate chip muffins this summer, I mentioned having been a touch skeptical about my grandma’s aversion to decadent breakfast foods. But recently, I came across a recipe for applesauce muffins attributed to my grandmother in her church cookbook. Naturally, I was compelled to veganize it.
And you know what? They aren’t deep-fried, Palmer’s-candy-filled, or bathed in the luscious currents of the three chocolate fountains she owns. They’re actually pretty darn good for you — and delicious, too!
Maybe I’m deficient in apple-identifying tastebuds, but if you didn’t know there was applesauce in these muffins, you might not be able to put your finger on the root of their warm, wholesome taste. They aren’t very sweet and are completely fantastic warm, with a pat of vegan butter.
- 6 Tbsp shortening
- ½ c sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1¾ c flour
- ¼ c whole wheat flour
- 1 tsp allspice
- ½ c raisins
- 1 c + 2 Tbsp applesauce
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ c chopped walnuts or pecans, optional
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Grease a muffin tin.
- Cream together shortening and sugar.
- Beat in vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, sift together flours, allspice and raisins.
- In a small saucepan, heat applesauce until hot (but not boiling).
- Stir in baking soda.
- Beat hot mixture into the creamed mixture.
- Stir in flour until all dry ingredients are just moistened.
- Fold in nuts, if using. The batter will be thick.
- Spoon batter into prepared tin and bake 12-15 minutes or until a knife inserted comes out clean.
2 comments
Johanna says:
Oct 20, 2012
These look great, and I will probably make them, but I have to tell you that the Cappuccino Chocolate Chip ones are really to die for. No one who had tried them, dislikes them. What’s really crazy to me is that they almost seem to transform themselves as they “age” to almost taste like a brownie instead of a stale muffin.
claryn says:
Oct 22, 2012
Glad you like them as much as I do, Johanna! I love eating them just as much after a couple of days in the fridge as I do right out of the oven. These muffins definitely go a different direction — for starters, they’re nowhere near as sweet! — but I think they’re awesome, too.