Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Mini Muffins

A.B. Hall's Note:

I created this recipe by mixing and matching several lemon poppy seed muffin and cake recipes. I also vegan-ized all the ingredients. Wow! These are sweet, without a ton of added sugar. These are soft and fluffy, without a ton of added fat or any margarine. I was skeptical of the recipe because I’ve had mixed luck when tinkering with recipes, but I was pleasantly surprised with the outcome. They were a hit with vegans and non-vegans alike.

• Total Time: 30 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 10 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 40

Yield: 40.0 mini mu ...

• 2 -4 tablespoons poppy seeds (Your preference, do you want good poppy seed coverage per muffin or do you want poppy seed explosion)
• 2/3 cup plain soymilk (sweetened)
• 2 tablespoons lemon zest (approximately 2 large lemons)
• 2 tablespoons flax seed meal (ground flax seeds)
• 6 tablespoons hot water
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup white whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup wheat germ
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup vegan sugar
• 1/2 cup canola oil or 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 3/4 cup vegan powdered sugar (optional)
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a mini muffin pan with non-stick spray, set aside.
2. Combine the poppy seeds and soymilk in a small bowl. Set aside, stirring occasionally.
3. Grate the lemons, obtaining 2 tbsp lemon zest. I highly recommend the Microplane Zester/Grater. It is worth the price and makes zesting a breeze. I suspect it will last a few lifetimes (at least).
4. Make a “flax egg” by mixing the flaxseed meal with 6 tablesppons (1/4 cup PLUS 2 tbsp) hot water in a small bowl. Set aside, stirring occasionally.
5. Whisk together the flours, wheat germ, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt, set aside.
6. In a small bowl combine the lemon zest and sugar. Rub together, with your hands, until they are evenly mixed.
7. In a large bowl combine the lemon-zest sugar, oil, applesauce, lemon juice, “flax egg” and the vanilla and almond extracts. Mix well.
8. Add the flour mixture and the soymilk/poppy seed mixture in alternating batches, stirring after each addition (or, if using an electric mixer, add in alternating batches as the mixer is running). Do not over mix.
9. Add dough to the mini muffin pan using a tablespoon (1 tbsp = 1 mini muffin).
10. Bake 10-11 minutes, let cool in pan for two minutes and move to a wire rack to cool completely.
11. For regular sized muffins, bake 18-25 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean (I haven’t tried this yet; the time is approximate and my best guess).
12. For a 9x5 loaf, bake 50-70 minutes until a tester comes out clean (I haven’t tried this yet; the time is approximate and my best guess).
13. OPTIONAL GLAZE: In a small bowl, mix together the powdered sugar and lemon juice. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the glaze on the muffins. There should be left over glaze. Let the muffins cool completely and store in an airtight container.