Cherry-Almond-Poppyseed Muffins (Vegan)

This recipe is from Julie Hasson's "Vegan Diner." They are one of my favorite muffins EVER - vegan, or otherwise. Trust me when I tell you you don't need eggs or dairy milk to create great muffins. Even if you're not vegan, save yourself the fat, calories and cholesterol and give these a try! :o)

• Ready In: 30 mins
• Serves: 12
• Yields: 12 muffins

Ingredients

• 2  cups all-purpose flour (I always use whole wheat pastry flour)
• 2  tablespoons poppy seeds
• 1  tablespoon flax seed meal, preferably golden
• 1  tablespoon baking powder
• 1⁄8 teaspoon sea salt
• 3⁄4 cup granulated sugar
• 1  tablespoon granulated sugar (to spoon over tops of muffins, though I omit this)
• 1  cup soymilk, divided
• 1⁄3 cup canola oil
• 1⁄4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 2  teaspoons  almond extract (please, I beg of you, don't use imitation!)
• 2⁄3 cup dried cherries (I chop these up a bit so they're not so big)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F Line a 12-cup muffin tray with paper liners or grease well with vegetable shortening or nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, poppy seeds, flax meal, baking powder, and salt, mixing well.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together 3/4 cup sugar, half of the soymilk, canola oil, applesauce, and almond extract, whisking until smooth. Add the flour mixture a little at a time, alternating with the remaining soymilk, whisking until just combined. Stir in the dried cherries.
4. Scoop the batter evenly amongst the 12 cups of the prepared muffin pan and sprinkle remaining tablespoon over sugar over the tops of the muffins.
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until muffins are just barely golden around the edges and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
6. Let muffins cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, and remove to a rack to cool completely.