Vegan Flaxseed Cranberry Muffins Recipe

I don’t usually bake with nutrition in mind — I love butter and sugar — so Gayathri’s Cook Spot has mostly been a diet-free zone. When I heard about a baking competition with the theme “nutritious bakes”, I decided to try something different. While researching recipes I discovered that rice flour works well in baking, so I adapted a basic muffin recipe and made it healthier by using roasted red rice flour, whole wheat flour, ground flax seeds, dark brown sugar, olive oil, and soy milk. I also avoided dairy in this version.

This was an experiment, so I didn’t expect perfect results. The muffins barely rose in the first five minutes and I briefly feared failure, but soon they began to rise and beautiful cracks appeared on the tops — I was thrilled. I recently bought dried cranberries and have been adding them to many bakes; they worked wonderfully in these muffins. Although denser than traditional muffins, these are soft, moist, and delicious. They’re best served warm and make a satisfying breakfast.

Makes 12 Muffins

Ingredients:

Roasted Red Rice Flour (Samba Puttu Podi) – 3/4 cup

Whole Wheat Flour (Atta) – 3/4 cup

Ground Flax Seeds – 1/2 cup

Dark Brown Sugar – 1/2 cup

Baking Powder – 1 tsp

Salt – 1/4 tsp

Dried Cranberries – 1/2 cup

Olive Oil – 1/4 cup

Soy Milk – 1 1/2 cups

Vanilla Essence – 1 tsp

 

Procedure:

1. Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F).

2. In a bowl, whisk together the whole wheat flour, roasted red rice flour, ground flax seeds, baking powder, and salt.

3. Make a well in the center and add the olive oil, soy milk, and vanilla essence.

4. Gently fold the wet and dry ingredients together with a spoon until just combined. Do not overmix the batter.

5. Fold in the dried cranberries.

6. Divide the batter evenly among 12 muffin cups lined with paper liners.

7. Bake for 25–30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

8. Let the muffins cool briefly on a wire rack, then serve warm.