Spontaneous Blueberry Brunch Muffins

Today we had a friend over for brunch, and this morning when we were planning what to make, my husband told me he really wished we had some blueberry muffins to go with our meal. I have a favorite recipe for blueberry coconut muffins that I absolutely adore, but I happen to be out of both limes and coconut at the moment, so that wasn't happening. I poked around a bit in my cupboard and fridge to see what was available, and then whipped up these blueberry-with-a-hint-of-lemon muffins.

Creating a good vegan muffin recipe is pretty easy, once you have the basics down. I know for me, applesauce is an essential ingredient, as is some kind of acidic ingredient combined with the vegan milk (whether it be cider vinegar or citrus fruit) to make a good "buttermilk."  Here's the recipe I came up with this morning for my spontaneous blueberry brunch muffins.

Preheat the oven to 400.

In a large bowl, mix together:

• 2 cups of flour
• 1 and  1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup sugar 
• Zest from one medium-sized lemon

In a smaller bowl, first mix together:

• 1 cup vegan milk (I used unsweetened organic soy) and the juice from one lemon

Then stir in to the "buttermilk":

• 1 cup applesauce
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoon almond (or vanilla) extract (I also happen to be out of vanilla at the moment!)
• 1 tablespoon sugar

In another small bowl, crumble together 1/2 cup walnut pieces & halves, 1/4 cup brown sugar, and 1 tablespoon Earth Balance vegan butter. (This is for the topping).

Add the wet ingredients to the dry without over-stirring, and then gently fold in 1 cup of frozen blueberries. (I threw in a few chopped strawberries too, but that's totally optional.) Spoon the muffin mixture into the muffin tin and top them with the walnut sugar topping. Bake for 18-20 minutes, let cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, and then enjoy!