As we approach the holiday season, I wanted to share some of my favorite holiday recipes with you. Although these muffins are good to eat at anytime of the year, there is something special about the flavors of gingerbread and the spices that remind me of happy childhood holiday memories!
In September 2014, I made an appearance at the Toronto Veg Fest at the Harborfront Centre and I discovered an amazing pop-up tent from “Bunner’s Bake Shop”. I have an incredibly strong sweet tooth and their treats were the most decadent, delicious vegan desserts I had found. I went on a search the following day to visit their storefront, located at Kensington Market in Toronto and bought enough treats to give me a serious stomach ache!
Their gingerbread carrot muffins were so unique and moist that I found myself craving them for months. After some searching online, I was lucky enough to find a Huffington Post article that gave me the secret recipe! I had to make some adjustments to create my own healthier version and it’s not quite as perfect as the muffins I bought at the storefront, but I’d like to think it is still pretty tasty!! I always try to find as many organic ingredients as possible, so if you can use all organic, I’d suggest that!
- ½ cup soy or coconut milk beverage
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup Spelt or Buckwheat Flour
- 1 cup organic brown sugar
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp xanthan gum
- 1/2 cup pure pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup canola oil OR replace with ½ cup of unsweetened apples
- 2 tbsp organic blackstrap molasses
- 2 tbsp Hemp Seeds
- 1 1/2 cups shredded organic carrot
Line a muffin pan with paper liners or spray the pan with oil.
In a small bowl, combine milk and vinegar. These ingredients together raise the acidity of the milk and make it a bit thicker. Set aside for a few minutes.
In a large bowl, mix flour(s), and then add sugar, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda and xanthan gum. Whisk well. In a medium bowl, mix pumpkin puree, oil or applesauce, molasses and the milk mixture that you created in the small bowl. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix well. Fold in the carrots and let the mixture sit for about 10 minutes.
Scoop batter with an ice cream scoop into the prepared muffin cups to about two-thirds full. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean if you poke the muffins in the middle. Let the muffins cool for about 15 minutes.
ENJOY!!
