Blueberry, Almond and Vanilla Muffins

Am I crazy for asking you to turn on the oven in this summer heat?

Hi, hello.

On this scorching hot Sunday, I’m sharing a recipe that was very much inspired by the queen herself (yes, I’m talking about Alison Roman). Since her blueberry muffin recipe is far from being vegan, I decided to make one myself. I used my sponge recipe that I use as a base for all the cakes that I bake, and turned it into a muffin situation. But tbh, you could just bake this batter in a 25cm cake tin and call it a day.

Blueberry, almond and vanilla muffins with vegan butter and flaky salt

These muffins remind me of a recipe I used to make as a kid. It was a yogurt-cup recipe, where all the ingredients were measured in a yogurt cup. The OG recipe called for a fruit-flavoured yogurt like peach or blueberry, and had dots of mixed frozen fruit. So this recipe is kind of an adult, more sophisticated version of my childhood muffins. Almond flour adds a slight nuttiness, vanilla paste aromatic sweetness, and we’re definitely not skimping on fresh blueberries (you can swap these for frozen). How very adult.

They are perfectly sweet (not too much, not too little), with a beautiful crumb and lots of jammy blueberries. Great served with cold butter and flaky sea salt, or whipped cream, these last a couple of days, making them a perfect quick breakfast, snack, or dessert when the need arises.

The process

Equipment

• 12-cup muffin tin

• 12 cupcake pan liners or 12 pieces of baking paper

• kitchen scale

• measuring spoons

• bowls for wet and dry ingredients

• whisk

• spatula

• ice-cream scoop or large spoon

Ingredients

• 200 g plain white flour

• 60 g almond flour

• 2 tbsp (18 g) corn starch

• 3/4 tsp baking powder

• 1/2 tsp baking soda

• 1/4 tsp fine salt

• 80 g neutral oil (I use sunflower seed oil)

• 150 g unsweetened plant-based milk

• 50 g unsweetened plant-based yogurt

• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

• 60 g granulated white sugar

• 60 g light brown sugar

• 2 tsp vanilla paste/vanilla extract

• 300 g fresh blueberries (200 g for the batter, 100 g for topping)

• 20 g light brown sugar (for sprinkling on top)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 210° Celsius. I use the fan setting.

2. Line a muffin tin with cupcake pan liners, or cut baking paper into squares, scrunch them, unfold, and use them to line the muffin tin.

3. To a medium-sized bowl, add oil, plant-based milk, plant-based yogurt, apple cider vinegar, white sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla paste. Whisk well and let sit for a few minutes, so the sugar melts slightly.

4. To a separate bowl, sift flour, almond flour, corn starch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix with a spatula to combine all the ingredients.

5. Add dry ingredients to wet and mix until there are no dry lumps. Don’t worry if the batter seems runny; it will thicken. And don’t stress about lumps, they’ll disappear.

6. Add 200 g of washed blueberries to the batter and mix to combine.

7. Using an ice-cream scoop, divide the batter between 12 muffin cups. Each muffin yields around 1 scoop.

8. Top each cup with leftover blueberries and a sprinkle of light brown sugar.

9. Place in the oven and bake for 22 minutes. Check on the muffins after 15 minutes and turn the baking tin 180 degrees to ensure even baking of all muffins.

10. After 22 minutes, muffins should be nicely browned and baked all the way. Feel free to check doneness with a toothpick.

11. Remove from the oven and let cool down slightly before moving them to a cooling rack to cool completely.

12. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream, or vegan butter and flaky salt.

13. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days for best freshness.

Since this recipe requires using the oven, it might not be ideal for hot summer days, but it's totally worth breaking a sweat for. If you can take any more heat, save it for a rainy day.

Till next time,

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