The Hamptons Vegan

Living the Vegan Lifestyle

snacks

Make Vegan Spice Muffins for Flavors of The Fall

by Leave a Comment

vegan spice muffins topped with brown sugar frosting and chopped nuts

The Spice Muffin Beginnings

These vegan spice muffins have been a staple at our house for many years. They go so far back that they could’ve been the OG of the pumpkin spice craze of our current times.

When researching, I came across a Reddit post that showed a 1939 recipe for spice muffins in a Minneapolis Newspaper. Spice muffins came around during the Depression Era. They go pretty far back!

And while we’re on the subject of Depression Era recipes, many cakes, quick breads, muffins, and other recipes from that time contained no eggs, butter, milk, or any animal products. Try our chocolate snack cake based on the original Depression/Wacky Cake, with chocolate chips added to “modernize” it.

So when people say they don’t like vegan food, they’re not taking into account all the foods we (as a society) have been eating for a long time that were already vegan.

This vegan spice muffin recipe has simple ingredients and is easy to make, just like those. It’s a delicious recipe from the past that is good to this day.

The Spice Muffins of Today

Today, it’s nearly impossible to pass a coffee shop, a grocery store, a candle shop, a soap shop, or a TV commercial without the word ‘pumpkin spice’ being thrown around earlier and earlier before the actual Fall Season. And as commercialized as it’s become, I’m all in for the spicy season foods and feels!

But there’s no pumpkin in pumpkin spice! It’s the spices used in the pie that are customarily featured in all things “pumpkin-spiced.” If you’re interested in the spicy history, check out this post from the Food Historian.

All the Autumnal Spiciness

This muffin recipe has a warm blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice. (No ginger though, but you could probably add it in if you prefer!)

It also has raisins, walnuts, and a brown sugar topping that takes it to the next level.

You will not miss any eggs or dairy that you normally find in a muffin recipe, I promise!

Let’s warm up with the spicy photos!

spice muffin ingredients
Assemble the spice muffin ingredients
dry ingredients for spice muffins
Mix the dry ingredients
creamed ingredients with dry ingredients and flax "egg"
Cream the shortening and sugar
creamed ingredients, dry ingredients, simmered raisins, and flax mix for spice muffins
Gather the dry mix, creamed mix, flax mix, and simmered raisins together.
spice muffin wet ingredients
Mix the creamed mixture, the raisins with cooking water, and the flax mixture.
spice muffin batter
Now mix in the dry ingredients
spice muffin batter with nuts
Add the chopped nuts
spice muffin batter in tin
Fill 12 cupcake papers with batter
muffins fresh out of the oven
Fresh out of the oven

NEXT- optional brown sugar frosting:

mixing brown sugar frosting
Cook brown sugar with non-dairy milk and the salt.
bring brown sugar to a soft boil
Bring to a boil over low heat, stirring until it’s smooth.
add butter and vanilla to brown sugar mix
Remove from the heat and add vegan butter and vanilla. Cool slightly
brown sugar frosting
Beat in powdered sugar.
vegan spice muffins
The finished vegan spice muffin, topped with brown sugar frosting and chopped nuts.

These beauties are on their way to a football party! Go Team!!

But any reason is good to make spice muffins!

vegan spice muffins topped with brown sugar frosting and chopped nuts
thehamptonsvegan

Vegan Spice Muffins

A warm spiced muffin treat, perfect for the Fall Season or any time.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
frosting 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 12
Course: Snack
Cuisine: vegan
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup raisins
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 tablespoon ground flax meal
  • 3 tablespoons water
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup shortening
  • 3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
BROWN SUGAR FROSTING TO DRIZZLE (OPTIONAL)
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)
  • 3 tablespoons nondairy milk or cream
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons non-dairy butter
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/4 cup chopped nuts to top (optional)

Method
 

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
  2. Combine the raisins with the 1 cup of water in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer for 10 minutes. Set aside. (Do Not Drain)
  3. Mix the ground flax meal with the 3 tablespoons of water in a small bowl. Set aside.
  4. Cream the shortening and the sugar until well blended.
  5. Add the flax mix and the raisins with their water to the creamed mixture.
  6. Combine the dry ingredients. (flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice.)
  7. Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture.
  8. Stir in chopped walnuts.
  9. Divide the batter amongst a greased (or lined with cupcake papers) 12-cup muffin tin.
  10. Bake in a preheated oven for approximately 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out dry.
  11. Cool for 3-5 minutes, then remove the muffins from the hot tin and continue to cool on a wire rack.
BROWN SUGAR FROSTING (OPTIONAL)
  1. Combine brown sugar, non-dairy milk, or cream, and salt in a saucepan.
  2. Bring to a boil over low to medium heat, stirring until smooth.
  3. Remove from heat and stir in vegan butter and vanilla. Cool slightly.
  4. Add the powdered sugar and beat until it's smooth.
  5. Drizzle the frosting on the cooled muffins and top with chopped nuts.

Chocolate Chip Muffins Are A Simple, Comforting Treat

by

Jump to Recipe

Chocolate Chip Muffins Can Make Things Better

When I think of this chocolate chip muffin, three words come to mind: simple, comforting, and treat.

The simple part is how easy they are to make. Nothing fancy is involved. They are not complicated.

The comfort part is about how nice it is to sit down with a beverage and a muffin. Tea, coffee, hot chocolate, or non-dairy milk all pair well with this muffin.

The treat part is exactly what they are: an absolute treat whenever you make and eat them. Share them to treat someone else, too.

It’s a sweet, simple chocolate chip muffin. Start or end your day with one. Or make it a midday snack. Chocolate chip muffins are wonderful anytime.

Madeline Matlock’s Muffins!

In episode 2 of the new CBS series MATLOCK, Kathy Bates brings a delicious-looking basket of muffins to work. (IYKYK) They look so inviting, so I considered pausing the show to make chocolate chip muffins. If the MATLOCK show had this recipe, these muffins would be the ones in that beautiful basket! 😉

More Muffins Please

Too much talk of muffins! We have to make them now.

Get out all the ingredients. Get out a large and a medium bowl. And get your muffin pan ready with some cupcake liners. (I like the brand, If You Care.)

Mix up the flax “egg.” (Nothing weird here, just healthy ground flax meal readily available in grocery stores, mixed with water.)

Then combine the dry ingredients in the large bowl.

Flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder

Next, mix the wet ingredients in the medium bowl, except the vinegar. (non-dairy milk, butter or oil, vanilla, and flax + water mixture)

Now, mix the wet ingredients into the dry. Next, add the vinegar, and then the vegan chocolate chips.

dry ingredients, wet ingredients, flax “egg”, vinegar, and chocolate chips

Okay, lastly, divide the batter evenly into the muffin tin.

At the last minute, I changed it to have 6 blueberry muffins for breakfast (on the left). And I had 6 chocolate chip muffins for dessert (on the right). Because: We have choices! See Notes*

Bake for 23 minutes and they’re ready to eat!

Let cool in the pan for 3-5 minutes. Any longer and the papers start to come off the muffin and the bottoms get soggy from trapped steam.

Enjoy these simple, comforting chocolate chip muffin treats.

Pick out your favorite one (or two)…
And have them with your beverage of choice!
chocolate chip muffin
thehamptonsvegan

Chocolate Chip Muffins

Vegan chocolate chip muffins- A simple, comforting treat!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 23 minutes
Total Time 38 minutes
Servings: 12 muffins
Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: vegan
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

DRY INGREDIENTS
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
WET INGREDIENTS
  • 3/4 cup non-dairy milk
  • 1/2 cup melted vegan butter or use oil like canola, avocado, or sunflower
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1 tablespoon ground flax meal
  • 3 tablespoons water
  • 1 tablespoon vinegar
ADD IN
  • 1 cup chocolate chips

Equipment

  • muffin pan

Method
 

  1. First, preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Next, place paper liners in the muffin tin. Then mix the ground flax meal with the water in a small bowl and set aside.
  2. Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl.
  3. Mix all wet ingredients except vinegar in a medium bowl. (Don't forget to add the flax mixture).
  4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and combine them without over-mixing.
  5. Now mix in the vinegar, then fold in the chocolate chips.
  6. Divide the batter evenly into the muffin pan.
  7. Bake for 23 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

Notes

These are regular-size muffins, but you could also make them in jumbo-size pans with jumbo-sized paper liners. This will make 6 jumbo muffins. Add approximately 5 minutes to the baking time, and check for doneness with a toothpick.
FOR A LITTLE EXTRA, add about 3-5 more chips on top of each muffin, gently pressing slightly into the muffin, and lightly sprinkle with coarse sugar before baking.
*To make a variety of muffins with one batch of batter as I did in the photos, do this:
  • Separate your batter into two bowls.
  • Add 1/2 cup of chocolate chips in half the batter and 1/2 cup of blueberries (or other mix-ins) in the other half.
  • Or exchange chocolate chips completely with your other favorite choices.