This recipe is a slight adaptation the Vegan Vanilla Mixed Berry Muffin in Joanne Chang's second cookbook, Flour, too (an excellent cookbook!).
I digressed a bit from Chang's original recipe here in order to add some whole grain goodness and cut back the sugar and oil just a smidgen. You can also use all whole wheat flour and/or make this as a cake (8 or 9 in cake pan, greased and parchment lined) with wonderful results. Another fun note, these are made with vegan "buttermilk", which gives them a light tanginess and tenderness that really sets them apart.
I ate 6 of these the day I made them. Now for the recipe!
Vegan Vanilla Blueberry Muffins
Adapted from Flour, Too by Joanne Chang
2 cups whole wheat flour
2/3 cup all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2/3 cup granulated sugar (plus extra for sprinkling on the muffin tops before baking)
zest of one lemon or one orange (optional)
2/3 cup coconut or vegetable oil
1 1/3 cup nondairy milk (I use almond)
2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar (distilled is fine too)
1 Tablespoon good vanilla extract (it's a lot of vanilla, so using the good stuff is worth it)
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen berries (I use frozen blueberries but Chang calls for raspberries and blueberries. Use what you got.)
Preheat your oven to 350 and line muffin tins (12) with liners (or grease them well).
Combine the dry ingredients, sugar, and zest and set aside. Combine the wet ingredients and pour them into the dry. Mix until just combined then fold in the berries. I try not to mix too much at this point so my muffins don't turn entirely blue/purple. Spoon the batter into the muffin tins, almost to the top of each, and sprinkle the tops with some sugar.
Bake for 25-30 minutes until the tops are golden and the muffins are springy to the touch. Let them set up in the pan for a few minutes before taking them out to finish cooling on racks. Joanne Chang suggests refreshing them in a 300 degree oven for 5 minutes if you don't eat them all the day of baking, when they are best, that is.
