Cherry Bran Muffins

These muffins are kind of like those delicious bran muffins you find in bakeries and coffee shops. You know the ones. They're so yummy, and somehow you convince yourself they're healthy. But they're most likely still packed with sugar, butter/oil and other bad stuff. Well, these actually are good for you!

These bran babies are packed with fiber and protein, too, thanks to whole wheat flour, hemp seeds and eggs. If you prefer, you can sub flax or chia eggs for the real eggs for a vegan version.

The Recipe

makes about 12 muffins

1 cup wheat bran (I used unprocessed from Bob's Red Mill)
1 1/2 cups flour of choice (I used a combo of garbanzo and whole wheat pastry flour)
1/4 cup hemp seeds
pinch salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup dried cherries (or raisins)

1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/2 cup applesauce
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/3 cup molasses
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 400F degrees and lightly oil or grease 12 muffin cups. Alternatively, line with paper baking cups.

Whisk together first six ingredients in large bowl. Stir in cherries.

In a separate bowl, thoroughly combine applesauce, oil and eggs (or flax/chia eggs). Stir wet ingredients into dry just until combined. Do NOT overmix! Top with some oats and coarse sugar, if desired.

Spoon into muffin cups and bake for 18 to 20 minutes.

Coconut Flour Pumpkin Bread

It's still hot here, and I'm still baking with pumpkin :-) Oh well, at least it's in the 80s now, instead of the 90s! This bread is super easy to whip up in one bowl and bakes faster than traditional quick breads.

This bread can easily pass as dessert. Adding some kind of glaze, or more chocolate to the top, definitely makes it an after-dinner-worthy treat. I drizzled mine with a little peanut butter, chocolate and coconut oil (just melted all together in the microwave).

The batter should be thick, but not dry. Press into pan with hands or the back of a spoon. I like to smooth the top of mine.

The Recipe

makes one 9x9-inch pan

1 flax egg
2 eggs*
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/3 cup natural peanut butter
1 heaping cup pumpkin puree
3 tablespoons coconut sugar
3 tablespoons maple syrup
2/3 cup milk (I used unsweetened flax milk)

3/4 cup coconut flour
pinch salt
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 cup hemp seeds
1/2 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375F degrees. Line a 9x9-inch baking pan with parchment paper and oil/grease slightly.

Make flax egg in a large bowl and let sit for about five minutes. Add the next ten ingredients and stir well. Gently mix in flour, salt, baking powder and soda. Make sure all clumps of coconut flour are blended in. Stir in hemp seeds and chocolate chips.

Add more chocolate chips to top, if desired. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out mostly clean. Let cool for at least 20 minutes before cutting. Store in refrigerator for best texture.

*You could attempt to use all flax eggs, but I haven't done this and can't guarantee how it will turn out. Coconut flour is quite finicky.

Pumpkin-Banana Oatmeal Cups

Even though it's still about 90 degrees in Chicago, I wanted to get rolling with some pumpkin baking. The first of the season are these oatmeal cups that have both pumpkin and banana, along with some fall spices.

They are super easy to mix up and eat for a healthy breakfast all week. They're low in sugar and are made with chickpea flour for some added protein and fiber.

Feel free to get creative with the toppings. I did blueberries, but I could see pepitas (pumpkin seeds), cranberries or chocolate chips all working very well!

The Recipe

makes 12 muffin cups

1 chia egg
1 flax egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup pumpkin puree (I used canned)
1 very ripe banana

1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk (or milk of choice)
1 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats

1 cup chickpea flour*

1 teaspoon baking powder

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Lightly oil or grease a muffin tin.

Make chia and flax eggs in a large bowl and let sit for about five minutes. Add vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, pumpkin puree, banana (mashed), sugar and milk. Stir well.

Mix in the rest of ingredients and spoon into muffin tin. Sprinkle on frozen blueberries or topping of choice. Gently press in toppings.

Bake for 20 minutes and let cool for at least 30 minutes before removing from pan. Store in refrigerator to keep them fresh.

*I imagine most flours would work in the place of chickpea. Use what you have.

Blackberry Cake

Summer berries are my fav. They're beautiful, tasty and go in just about anything -- salads, sauces, delicious breakfast bowls, and of course, desserts. I even have blackberries growing in my backyard, so this cake was only natural :-)

This one-bowl wonder is super easy. Friends will be impressed. Trust me. And they'll be even more impressed when you tell them it's vegan.

The Recipe

makes one 13x9-inch cake

2 1/2 cups flour (I used half white whole wheat flour)
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup unsweetened almond milk (can sub milk of choice)
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 cup coconut oil (melted)
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 1/2 tablespoons white vinegar
about 12 ounces blackberry jam (preferably fresh and/or homemade)
blackberries to top/serve

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Grease a 13x9-inch pan.

Whisk together flour, flax, sugar, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Make a well in the center and add milk, vanilla, oil, applesauce and vinegar. Combine well. Stir in jam until thoroughly incorporated.

Bake for about 40 minutes and let cool completely before topping with cream cheese frosting. Serve with fresh blackberries.

Note: Here's a good vegan cream cheese frosting recipe that's simple to whip up. 

Oatmeal-Raisin M&M Cookies

I don't usually bake cookies, but I think they're making a comeback for me. I'm pretty sure it's because I've been indulging in some LARGE cookies lately. I'm talking five biters or more. Those little bite-size ones just don't hack it for me, apparently.

Packed full of peanut M&Ms and raisins, these really hit the spot. I based the recipe off of one I found on Beaming Baker, a great site, which I'd highly recommend.

They come together super fast and are mixed up easily in one bowl -- a Mom's dream :-) Feel free to sub regular M&Ms, chocolate chips or vegan chocolate to keep these completely vegan. Enjoy.

The Recipe

makes about 2 dozen medium/large cookies

3 flax eggs (3 tablespoons flaxseed mixed with about 7 tablespoons water)
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar (can use regular granulated or coconut sugar)
1/4 cup agave syrup
1/4 cup melted coconut oil
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/2 cups flour (I used about half whole wheat, half unbleached all purpose)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch salt

3/4 cup peanut M&Ms (or other chocolate chunks/candies, etc.) + extra for topping
1/2 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Make flax eggs and let sit for five to 10 minutes. Whisk in other wet ingredients and combine well. Stir in oats, flour, baking powder and soda, cinnamon and salt. Make sure well combined.

Fold in chocolate and raisins. Spoon onto prepared baking sheet in large drops (3-4 tablespoons or so). Top with extra chocolate, if desired. Bake for about 12 minutes. Let cool on sheet for about 10 minutes and then move to cooling rack.

Dark Chocolate Prune Scones

These are so simple, and the presentation is great. They would be ideal for a weekend brunch with friends and/or family. They are based on a recipe from the wonderful Thug Kitchen, but I tweaked it because I was out of almond milk.

They are easily mixed up in just one bowl. Clean up is a breeze when you use parchment paper.

I haven't tried yet, but I bet these would freeze well, too. My next batch might have to be a double one!

The Recipe

makes 12 large scones

2 1/2 cups flour (I used half white and half spelt flour)
1/4 cup ground flaxseeds
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons white sugar (plus a little more for sprinkling)
2 tablespoons coconut sugar
6 tablespoons coconut oil or spread
3/4 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/3 cup chopped prunes
1/3 cup dark chocolate chunks

Preheat oven to 425F degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Mix together first six ingredients. Then cut in coconut oil or spread until mixture is crumbly. Make a well in the center and mix in the yogurt, water and vanilla. Don't overmix.

Gently stir in chopped prunes and chocolate chunks. If mixture seems dry, add a little more water.

Drop into about 12 large scoops onto the baking sheet. Sprinkle with additional sugar and a little cinnamon, if desired. Bake for 14-18 minutes until lightly golden brown on top.

Lemon Blueberry Seed Loaf

This quick bread is super easy and super delicious. Just throw it together in one bowl in about 10 minutes. The hard part is waiting the hour it takes to bake!

It's also super healthy with all those seeds and NO butter or oil.

If you want to make it even healthier with some extra protein, you could try subbing in some chickpea flour.

The Recipe

makes one loaf

1 tablespoon each of flaxseeds, chia seeds and poppyseeds

1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon sugar

3/4 cup milk (I used unsweetened almond milk)

1/4 cup + 3 tablespoons water

1/2 cup applesauce
1 tablespoon honey (or more according to taste)
1 teaspoon vanilla
zest and juice of one lemon (divided)

2 cups flour (I used half whole wheat and half chickpea flour)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)

Mix all seeds with 3 tablespoons of water and let sit for a few minutes while preparing the pan.

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Lightly oil or grease one standard loaf pan.

Add sugar, milk, rest of water, applesauce, vanilla and lemon zest. Add about 1/2 of the lemon juice. Blend well. Gently mix in the flour, baking powder and salt. Stir in the blueberries just until blended.

The batter should be moist, but not runny. If necessary, add a little more water. Pour batter into prepared pan and top with some more lemon juice and 1 tablespoon sugar. Bake for about one hour. Let cool before slicing and serving.