Vegan Apple Flaxseed Walnut Muffins

No, I'm not vegan. The great thing, though, is you don't have to be vegan to enjoy these muffins, and you don't have to feel guilty about indulging either. With whole grains, oil replaced with apple butter, and healthy fats and protein from the flax seeds and walnuts, there's a lot to like about these muffins. They're hearty, and yet light, with just the right amount of sweetness from a little maple syrup. Also, they're screaming with apple flavor (grated apples, diced apples, and apple butter), and anything that's made with apples is going to be good. If there's anything better than that, it's that the muffins come together quickly. Really, there's no downsides here.

Ingredients

2 cups spelt flour (or whole wheat flour)

1 Tbsp flax seed

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground allspice

pinch nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

2 Tbsp ground flaxseed + 5 Tbsp water

1/3 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup apple butter (or applesauce)

3/4 cup coconut milk (or almond or soy, if you have on hand)*

1 cup peeled, grated tart apple (1 large or 2 small)

1 cup diced, unpeeled sweet apple (1 medium)

1/2 cup chopped, toasted walnuts

Directions

1. Combine flax seed and 5 Tbsp water in a small bowl; set aside for 10-15 min, or until a gel has formed.

2. Meanwhile, combine flour, whole flax seed, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and salt in a medium mixing bowl.

3. In a separate bowl, combine flaxseed gel, maple syrup, apple butter, and grated apple.

4. Stir wet ingredients into dry, just until combined.

5. Gently fold in chopped apple and walnuts.

6. Spoon batter into a muffin pan lined with paper cups or lightly greased. Top muffins with extra chopped walnuts if desired.

7. Bake muffins in a 350 degrees F oven for 30 min, or until tops are golden .

8. Allow muffins to cool in pan for 10 min, then switch over to a wired cooling rack. Allow to cool completely, but also don't feel guilty about grabbing a still-warm muffin to stuff in your face. :)

*If you have unsweetened coconut lying around, don't go buying a can of coconut milk. It's really easy to make your own, and you can make exactly as much as you want. For the amount in this recipe, I put 1/2 cup coconut in a blender, then added 1 1/4 cup boiling water, and blended for 15-20 sec. Allow to sit for 5-10 min, then filter through a fine mesh colander to remove solids. I also let the solids dry out, so I can incorporate them when I make this.