Pumpkin-Cranberry Vegan Muffins

Attention vegan friends – I do love you, too!

For someone completely addicted to butter and cheese, I find it sort of amazing that you can make a perfectly delightful muffin without a drop of dairy.  I’m still a bit shocked in fact, but these muffins are quite delicious!  This is my dear friend Tanya’s favorite vegan muffin recipe, and she was kind enough to make them for me on a recent visit.  Was I skeptical?  Sure.  Did I tell her that?  No, no.  But really, YUM!

Vegan friends, let’s be honest — not all dairy-free offerings are good.  Gasp!  I know, I said it and I stand by it.  However, for my non-vegan friends, you’d really have to try to not like these muffins.  Have one hot from the oven — they just sort of melt in your mouth, and the flavors of pumpkin and cranberry permeate and make you feel cozy and fall-ish.  They make your house smell *amazing*, too.

I have this sign that hangs in my kitchen that quotes Julia Child, “If you’re afraid of butter, use cream”.  Oh Julia, how right you are.  But still, I think she’d be intrigued and impressed by this little creation, and I think you will be, too.  Bon appétit!

Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins

makes 12 muffins

1 cup plain canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup canola oil or coconut oil (we used coconut)
2 tablespoon ground flax seed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 2/3 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
1/3 cup dried cranberries
Perfect Cinnamon-Sugar* (see below)

Preheat the oven to 350º. Spray a nonstick muffin pan well with nonstick spray, or line the tin with paper muffin cups and spray the cups with nonstick spray. Set aside.

Put the pumpkin, water, canola or coconut oil, ground flax seed, and vanilla in a bowl and with a hand mixer blend until light in color and well-blended. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the whole-wheat pastry flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, kosher salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add the pumpkin mixture and mix well with a wooden spoon or large spatula until well-blended. Fold in the dried cranberries.

Spoon the batter into the muffin tin, distributing evenly to make 12 muffins. Sprinkle the top of each muffin with some Perfect Cinnamon-Sugar.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a cake tested inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Let cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then use a spatula to gently lift each muffin from the muffin tin. Finish cooling on a wire rack.

*Perfect Cinnamon-Sugar: Whisk together ¾ cup sugar with 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon – store in a shaker for future use!

Tagged as: cranberry, muffin, pumpkin, Vegan