Lemon Chia Seed Mufins

Close your eyes.

Imagine the gentle scent of citrus wafting up to greet you, warm, welcoming and somehow reminiscent of times past. A bite follows – an airy, delicately sweetened morsel, zesty and studded with just the right amount of subtle crunch.

Are you there yet?

These muffins were a result of a last ditch effort to create a sweet counterpart to my savoury offering (the coveted pumpkin kibbeh, of course) for a vegan potluck brunch I attended a few weeks ago.

During my university days I was quite partial to the classic lemon-poppyseed muffin. There was a Cafe Nero not too far from campus which served them – delightfully yellow and black in a large brown paper muffin liner. I must have had one at least once a week, alongside a steaming hot cup of coffee while I sat by the large glass windows and people watched.

Needless to say, aside from not being vegan-friendly, they were probably not the healthiest of treats, but I am happy to have had that ritual nevertheless. The smell of a warm lemon-scented baked good will always remind me of being 18 again, timid and nervous, yet excited and ready to take on the next chapter of my life in a new country.

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Lemon Chia Seed Mufins

Course Baked goods

Author Nada E.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups spelt flour organic
• 1/2 cup white flour unbleached organic
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup coconut sugar
• 1 1/2 tbsp chia seeds
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 3/4 cup almond milk
• 1 1/2 lemons juice and zest
• 1/4 cup coconut oil odorless
• 1/4 cup applesauce unsweetened

Instructions

• Start by preheating your oven to 176 C / 350 F, and preparing your muffin tin with liners.
• In a large mixing bowl, sift in the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt and stir till combined.
• In a smaller bowl, combine the wet ingredients; maple syrup, almond milk (or non-dairy milk of choice) lemon juice and zest, coconut oil and applesauce.
• Slowly stir the wet ingredients into the dry until just combined, you don't want to over mix. Fold in the chia seeds and then divide equally filling your muffin liners 3/4 of the way.
• Bake for 15-18 minutes until slightly golden.

Notes

I used organic odorless coconut oil, but the regular stuff would work just fine here, as would canola oil so don't fret if you don't have coconut on hand.

I was pleasantly surprised with how great these turned out. My initial reservations about how the spelt would fare in place of white flour, and if chia seeds would be an apt stand-in for poppy seeds, were quashed instantly at first taste.