Blackberry (Love) Muffins

My new favorite store doesn't sell shoes...it doesn't sell name brand stuff for cheap...and it certainly doesn't sell faux designer bags. No, my new favorite store sells food. I am absolutely, 100% in love with Sunflower Market. Every time I walk in there, I find something new I want to try or some Vegan must-have that I couldn't find anywhere else. The produce selection is vast AND fresh, which is amazing to me after living in Japan for 3 years. They're always having some kind of deal, whether it's fresh focaccia bread for $1.50 or strawberries for 88 cents a pint. Yesterday I went in and they had the plumpest, juiciest blackberries for $1. Yes, $1. Obviously I had to buy some.

That brings me to today's recipe. I could easily have eaten the entire box of blackberries. It probably would have taken no time at all. What fun would that have been?? I thought about making preserves...or maybe pancakes...I decided on muffins, though. It always makes me giddy to whip up baked goods, sans eggs and butter, and have them coming out fluffy and delicious. So that's what I did.





Blackberry (Love) Muffins
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 20-25 minutes

1 1/2 cups unbleached flour (as you my have read in my previous post, bleached flour is filtered through animal bones. Yum.)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup soy milk (you could use rice, almond, or hemp, too)
1/3 cup oil (for a healthier muffin, use 1/3 cup mashed banana or 1/3 cup applesauce!)
1 cup blackberries

crumb topping
1/4 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
6-8 tsp unbleached flour
2 tbsp soy butter (try Earth Balance!)
1 tbsp cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 400° F. Line muffin cups with muffin liners.

2. Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, mixing well. Fold in the blackberries, being extra careful so they don't break up too much!

3. Mix all the topping ingredients with a fork till it gets crumbly. Fill muffin cups to the top with batter and sprinkle with crumb topping mixture.

4. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

I let them rest on a rack before taking them out of the tin, but after 5 minutes or so, I just can't help myself! They're especially good fresh out of the oven. Cody likes them sliced in half with a little bit of soy butter on both sides and grilled in a pan. These muffins are great for people with allergies to eggs (Katie!) and people who are lactose intolerant (Cody!). Plus, the only thing that's not-so-great for you is the oil, which can easily be replaced by a banana or applesauce. Enjoy!






Cody rates these muffins...



TASTY!!!

As you can see by my awesome picture, I licked the plate clean on this one. These are very sweet and taste like any other normal muffin, except this one is supposed to be better for me. However, I had to eat two of them and thus probably ingested about the same amount of so-called "bad stuff" (i.e. excessive calories, fat, animal tears, etc.). The blackberries were tasty and juicy, but I like these muffins better with blueberries. Less giant seeds to get stuck in my boyish smile. Also, the blackberries didn't scream when I bit into the muffin, which was disappointing. While the brown stuff on top and in the middle looks suspect, it is the best part...as is usually the case with mysterious brown substances. For instance: When I find a bit of brown-something on my shirt. Now, I know that I just finished eating a chocolate bar and more than likely got some on my shirt, but I have to smell it first to make sure. Hmmm...doesn't really smell like anything. Well, I guess I'll just have to go for it and take a taste. Long story short, I haven't been disappointed yet! SEE YA!!




Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 68 g

Calories 203
Calories from Fat 74
Total Fat 8.2g
Saturated Fat 1.8g
Cholesterol 0mg
Sodium 126
Total Carbohydrates 30.8g
Dietary Fiber 1.5g
Sugars 16.4
Protein 2.3
Vitamin A 1% • Vitamin C 4%
Calcium 7% • Iron 6%