Banana Spelt Muffins with Coconut Cream & Strawberry Jam
Another simple vegan muffin recipe thats healthy and delicious perfect as a snack or lunchbox filler
Another simple vegan muffin recipe thats healthy and delicious perfect as a snack or lunchbox filler
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 tsp chia seeds
- 2 cups unbleached self-raising flour
- 1/2 tsp bi-carb (baking) soda
- 1 cup rolled spelt (or oats)
- 1 tsp pure vanilla essence
- 1/2 cup coconut milk*
- 1/4 cup strawberry jam* (see note above)
- 1/4 cup macadamia oil (or a neutral oil like sunflower)
- 2 bananas mashed
- Carbohydrate 22.8203521052548 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 0.307056249303996 g
- Fiber 0.808220819732575 g
- Protein 0.359374166341152 g
- Saturated Fat 0.0470376665947803 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (49g)
- Sodium 5.87462500644472 mg
- Sugar 22.0121312855223 g
- Trans Fat 0.0389498332852581 g
- Calories 91 calories
Step-by-step
- In a small bowl combine the chia seeds with the water and set aside for at least 10 minutes until it forms a runny jelly like consistency similar to raw egg.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/356°F and line a 12 cup muffin pan with paper muffin cases, or like I did use a large muffin pan to make some jumbo muffins (recipe makes around 8).
- Sift the flour and bicarbonate of soda into a large bowl, add the sugar and rolled spelt and stir to combine.
- In a small bowl combine the coconut milk, strawberry jam, mashed banana with the oil, chia gel and vanilla. Whisk until smooth.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until just combined.
- Spoon the mixture into each muffin case until ¾ full and top with a slice of banana if you like.
- Place in the preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes until lightly golden and cooked through. Allow them to cool for 5 minutes before transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Serve dusted with icing sugar and/or a drizzle of strawberry jam.
Binding vegan baked goods without eggs requires an exact ratio of mucilaginous seeds to liquid, which prevents the crumb from turning either rubbery or crumbly. Combining two teaspoons of chia seeds with half a cup of water creates a gel that mimics albumen once set for ten minutes. Doubling this base recipe demands careful monitoring of the baking time, as denser whole grains like rolled spelt require additional thermal exposure to cook the center without burning the exterior at 180 degrees Celsius. When scaling quantities up for a larger batch, avoid over-mixing the combined wet and dry ingredients. Gluten development accelerates rapidly upon contact with moisture, yielding tough muffins rather than a tender crumb. Folding until just combined traps pockets of air released by the bicarbonate of soda reacting with the fruit sugars. Storing leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature preserves the moisture barrier for up to three days. Substituting neutral oils like sunflower for macadamia oil alters the fat profile minimally, maintaining the same emulsion stability in the wet mixture.
