"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 . . .

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Combine the dry ingredients (the first five on the list).
3. In a bowl, cut the butter substitute into crumbles the size of peas and add mixed berries. Mix well.
4. In another bowl, combine pear or applesauce with mashed bananas. Then add this mixture to the dry ingredients.
5. Mix gently . . . and then add the fruit/butter substitute mixture . . . and then the crushed walnuts. Combine fully and add cinnamon.
6. 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 . . .

• Slow cooker
• 10 - 12 large pears, skinned and chopped into chunks
  
• 1/4 cup raw sugar
• 7 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Method . . .

1. Put pear chunks into the pot of the slow cooker.
2. Mix in the sugar, cinnamon, and lemon juice.
3. Set slow cooker to high and cook for approx. 4 hours -- until the pear are soft enough to mash.
4. 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.