"Top of the Muffin to You!"
When I'm not cooking or baking in my free time, I'm usually running. Right now, I'm training for a half marathon (any other runners out there? represent!). So, when I woke up Saturday morning -- I was hungry, and needed to eat something hearty that would also provide good fuel for my long run.
I tried making scones, and I think with all my vegan substitutions, the consistency changed along the way -- but in an incredible way! They turned out more like a cookie, but really a muffin (as you can see above) . . . so I've decided to call them muffin tops.
And, really, isn't that always the best part of the muffin?
As well, they're made with pear sauce I made in our slow cooker the other day. I've provided the recipe for that, too, however -- if you don't have several hours (and lots of pears) and want to whip up these great muffin tops, like, YESTERDAY, you can simply use applesauce.
(((On that same note: I'd like to say thanks to one of my husband's coworkers for generously giving us an entire box of locally-grown pears from her property . . . thanks!))) :)
The best part is something my husband discovered yesterday: These puppies pop right into the toaster . . . Well, that, and they happen to be extremely healthy -- providing long-lasting energy to you for hours and hours. And did I mention that walnuts are a great source of Omega 3 fatty acids? (Why is this important to vegans and vegetarians?)
PEAR SAUCE MUFFIN TOPS
What you'll need . . .
- 3 cups wheat pastry flour
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup raw sugar
- 1/4 cup cold butter substitute
- 1+ cup frozen mixed berries (or fresh, but I originally bought raspberries for this recipe, and they were already moldy!!!)
- 14 tablespoons pear sauce (see recipe below OR use cinnamon or regular applesauce)
- 2 large bananas (350 grams) -- mashed
- 1/2 cup crushed walnuts (or however much you'd like to add)
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
Method . . .
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Combine the dry ingredients (the first five on the list).
- In a bowl, cut the butter substitute into crumbles the size of peas and add mixed berries. Mix well.
- In another bowl, combine pear or applesauce with mashed bananas. Then add this mixture to the dry ingredients.
- Mix gently . . . and then add the fruit/butter substitute mixture . . . and then the crushed walnuts. Combine fully and add cinnamon.
- Drop heaping spoonfuls (like making LARGE cookies) onto a lightly greased cookie sheet and bake for approximately 15 minutes.
PEAR SAUCE
(This recipe yields far more than you need for the muffin top recipe -- so enjoy it!)
What you'll need . . .
Method . . .
What you'll need . . .
- Slow cooker
- 10 - 12 large pears, skinned and chopped into chunks
- 1/4 cup raw sugar
- 7 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Method . . .
- Put pear chunks into the pot of the slow cooker.
- Mix in the sugar, cinnamon, and lemon juice.
- Set slow cooker to high and cook for approx. 4 hours -- until the pear are soft enough to mash.
- Let cool before adding to muffin top recipe (so, make it the night before or something).
Today's post is part of VeganMoFo. For more delicious vegan recipes -- including sweets, soups, and other scrumptious things -- keep reading METHOD (subscribe to the RSS feed). As well, check out the VeganMoFo Flickr group.
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