I’m not a vegan, but I do like to make vegan desserts because they tend to be on the healthier side.
For me, it’s not the vegan side of these cupcakes that’s the best part, but the wholesome ingredients used. We have wholemeal spelt flour, coconut oil, matcha, flax seeds, almond milk and dark chocolate. I don’t want to include the coconut sugar and maple syrup in the good-for-you-group here because I’m not sure they are so much better than regular sugar, but hey, gotta sweeten these muffins up with something! And all those fake, non-caloric sugars are either really expensive, or they taste horrible.
The texture and taste of these muffins are amazing! Fluffy, moist, sweet and tender. As a replacement for eggs, I used two flax eggs, which are just ground flax seeds with some water. A great substitute for eggs in lots of recipes.
I love green tea, so naturally, I love anything matcha also. And matcha pairs great with chocolate, so the pieces of chocolate in the muffins really make them extra good. Oh, for those who don’t know what matcha is – it’s ground green tea with lots of health benefits, usually used for drinking, but can also be used in baked goods. It looks like a bright green powder and has an earthy taste. Matcha is on the expensive side, but if you buy baking grade matcha, you can save some money. If you want to learn more about this amazing tea, google it.
The recipe is really quick and easy to make. Muffins are best eaten the same day as they are made, but because of the coconut oil, they stay pretty moist for some time. I eat at least 3 right after they are done, whoops. If they don’t disappear the same day, I like to heat them up in the oven, and they are as good as fresh.
The amount of chocolate used depends on you, and how chocolaty you like sweets, I mostly use 55 g.
Ingredients
(makes 10 muffins)
145 g wholegrain spelt flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp matcha powder
pinch of salt
2 tbsp finely ground flax seeds
60 g coconut oil, soft (not liquid, not hard)
55 g coconut sugar
65 g honey or agave/maple syrup for vegan
130 ml almond milk (or other plant-based milk)
1 tsp vanilla extract
50-70 g chocolate chips
Instructions
Make 2 flax eggs-mix 2 tbsp of finely ground flax seeds with 5 tbsp of cold water, leave for 5-10 min in the fridge, or until it forms kind of a gel. Preheat the oven to 180℃ and line a muffin baking tray with 10 muffin cups. In a bowl stir together the flour, baking powder, matcha and salt. In another bowl, mix the coconut oil, coconut sugar and agave syrup for 1 min, then add the flax eggs and mix well. Add the dry ingredients from the first bowl, milk and vanilla. Mix until combined. Add the chocolate chips and stir to distribute them evenly. Fill the muffin cups with the batter and bake for 20-23 min. Check if it’s done, by inserting a toothpick or a knife into the center of the muffin. If it comes out with no wet batter on, it’s done. Leave to cool a bit and then indulge :)!
Matcha Chocolate Chip Muffins (Vegan)
Ingredients
- 145 g wholegrain spelt flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp matcha powder
- pinch of salt
- 2 tbsp finely ground flax seeds
- 60 g coconut oil soft (not liquid, not hard)
- 55 g coconut sugar
- 65 g honey or agave/maple syrup for vegan
- 130 ml almond milk or other plant-based milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 50-70 g chocolate chips
Instructions
- Make 2 flax eggs-mix 2 tbsp of finely ground flax seeds with 5 tbsp of cold water, leave for 5-10 min in the fridge, or until it forms kind of a gel.
- Preheat the oven to 180℃ and line a muffin baking tray with 10 muffin cups. In a bowl stir together the flour, baking powder, matcha and salt. In another bowl, mix the coconut oil, coconut sugar and agave syrup for 1 min, then add the flax eggs and mix well. Add the dry ingredients from the first bowl, milk and vanilla. Mix until combined. Add the chocolate chips and stir to distribute them evenly.
- Fill the muffin cups with the batter and bake for 20-23 min. Check if it’s done, by inserting a toothpick or a knife into the center of the muffin. If it comes out with no wet batter on, it’s done. Leave to cool a bit and then indulge :)!
[…] Matcha Chocolate Chip Muffins […]