Ingredients:
- 1 cup Soy milk, unsweetened
- ¼ cup plain yogurt
- ¼ cup avocado or coconut oil (liquid)
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ cup cane sugar or packed brown sugar (optional)
- ½ cup dried dates, chopped
- 4 tablespoons flaxseeds, ground
- ½ cup applesauce, unsweetened
- 1 cup carrots, shredded
- 1 ½ cups gluten-free flour
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 350 F and line a 12-muffin tray with paper or silicone liners.
- Combine together milk, oil, egg, yogurt, vanilla, and sugar (optional) using an electric mixer.
- Add in the chopped dates, grated carrots, and applesauce. Mix again.
- Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl.
- Add them to the wet mixture and mix until just combined.
- Scoop out the batter, filling muffin liners 3/4 full. You may top muffins with dried dates.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, checking that a toothpick comes out clean.
- Let cool on a rack for 20 minutes.
Extra tips:
✔ Make this recipe completely vegan by skipping the egg and yogurt. To replace the egg, mix 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseeds with 3 tablespoons of water in a small bowl and let it sit for 5 minutes. Use ¼ teaspoon of apple cider vinegar instead of yogurt.
✔ Store muffins in an airtight container on your kitchen countertop for 3-4 days if they don't contain dairy or egg. Otherwise, refrigerate them. To freeze them, put them in a single layer in a freezer bag and keep them for up to 3 months.
✔ Use mini-muffin trays to make 24 mini-muffins and reduce baking time to 20 minutes for portion control.
✔ Use store-bought golden flax meal, pre-shredded carrots, chopped dates and pre- packed unsweetened applesauce for convenience and comfort.
✔ Replace the gluten-free flour with whole wheat flour or spelt flour if you don’t follow a gluten-free diet.
✔ Add ¼ cup shredded unsweetened coconut for extra sweetness if you prefer not to use cane sugar in the recipe.
✔ Substitute soy milk with milk or plant-based alternatives according to your preference.
*recipe courtesy of Cristina Montoya, Registered Dietitian
