Vegan Raspberry Dark Chocolate Muffins; fluffy vanilla muffins with juicy raspberries and 63% cocoa chocolate.
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Veganuary seemed like a quite a good idea until we all got shut indoors again for the next 30+ days…
Last year’s #veganuary challenge involved going out for lovely meat-free meals with friends and family, and making cute packed lunches for the office. 2021 will likely involve a lot more failed baking experiments, and portions of cold chips from Deliveroo.
Have you tried last January’s most popular recipe yet?
However, it’s not all doom and gloom (she lied). Veganuary does always offer a fresh start to the year, and a great opportunity to get creative. It can be really easy to get stuck in a routine with our eating habits in the winter. The post-festive season blues and the disappointment of extended lockdown restrictions are hardly a source of inspiration for becoming the next Ottolenghi. I want to try and help wherever I can with a few simple recipes that are delicious and won’t involve too much effort on those difficult days.
These Vegan Raspberry Dark Chocolate Muffins seem like a good place to start.
A classic fluffy vanilla muffin, golden on the outside with a tender centre. Tangy raspberries tinting every mouthful pink. Rich, fruity dark chocolate melting beautifully throughout.
You won’t miss the eggs or the dairy. In fact, these muffins are deceptive in their lightness, with the bold flavours masquerading as something much more indulgent. This recipe would be great in the summer when raspberries are at the peak of their season, but frozen raspberries allow these to be possible all year round. A bit of tangy freshness is always welcome in the gloom of winter. They’re no substitute for a salad, but they’re a deliciously satisfying breakfast or snack with the beneficial nutrients of fruit and cocoa.
The best chocolate to use in these Vegan Raspberry Dark Chocolate Muffins is a good quality dark chocolate. Using cheaper “dairy free” chocolates is never the best option for flavour or texture. Baking with proper dark chocolate, which is almost always incidentally vegan, will always produce good results. My favourite for this particular recipe is the 63% dark chocolate from Cocoa Runners’ cooking chocolate range (you can even use code MaverickBaking10 for 10% off!).
As for equipment, all you’ll really need is a big mixing bowl, a muffin tray, and some decent muffin cases. Just roll up your sleeves and get baking!
It can be really bloody hard to stay optimistic, or even see past the next 7 days, with everything going on. Whether you’re spending these dark and quiet days creating, reading, binge-watching, crying, or just existing, don’t forget to look after yourself. I seems a bit daft to suggest a batch of muffins will make everything better, but (as we learned from 2020’s banana bread surge) sometimes turning off the screens and getting your hands messy can be good for the brain. No one ever felt worse after a cup of tea and snack either, did they?
Thank you as always for stopping by. I hope you’re staying as healthy and happy as you can.
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To make these Vegan Raspberry Dark Chocolate Muffins, just follow the recipe below:
Ingredients
- 300g (scant 2 cups) self-raising flour
- 160g (¾ cup) caster sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- Handful of fresh or frozen raspberries (I use frozen)
- Handful of dark chocolate pieces (60% cocoa or higher – I use Cocoa Runners’ cooking chocolate)
- 250ml (1 cup) milk (I use oat milk, but any non-dairy milk should work!)
- 80ml (⅓ cup) extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp white wine vinegar, or lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat your oven – 220 C / 200 C fan / 400 F / gas mark 6 – and line a cupcake or muffin tin with 8-12 muffin cases, depending on how large or small you want them to be.
- In a large bowl, measure out the flour, sugar, salt, raspberries and chocolate pieces. Stir together for a few seconds to coat.
- In a separate bowl or jug, whisk together your milk, oil, vanilla extract, and vinegar until combined.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently stir just until you have an even batter. Over-mixing at this stage can lead to chewy muffins, so be as careful as you can.
- Spoon your muffin batter evenly between your muffin cases, topping each with another raspberry or chocolate piece if you like.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, before turning the temperature down – 180 C / 160 C fan / 350 F / gas mark 4 – and baking for a further 15 minutes. By this point they should be well-risen and lightly golden brown.
- Allow to cool completely in the tin.
- Enjoy!
