apple bran muffins

Trending on the blog: all vegan everything. because that's how it is now. :) These muffins are made with wheat bran  (not cereal flakes but little bran flakes), and like small-flake oatmeal, they aren't really visible once baked. Rather they make for a heartier, more wholesome texture and muffin. yay! inspired by breakfast things (and these blueberry ones), the apples and added whole grains make them worth biting into. cheers.

apple bran muffins

2 cups flour (1 cup whole-wheat, 1 cup white)
1 tbsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup apple sauce
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups soy milk (I used a soy-rice blend, as that was what I had on hand)
1 granny smith apple, peeled and chopped small
1/2 cup wheat bran

Preheat oven to 400 F and line muffin tin, or grease if you prefer to go paperless.

In a large bowl, whisk together flours, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. In a separate medium bowl beat together the apple sauce, sugar, oil, and milk. Stir the wet ingredients into flour mixture, and gently blend. Fold in apples and bran.

Fill muffin cups 3/4 full with batter. Bake for 25minutes. leave muffins in pan for 5 min before removing. Cool on wire rack.

Yields 16 muffins.  I think they could have had an extra half of an apple, as I would've liked these a tad bit more apple-y. nevertheless I proceeded to eat one, two, ... three in a row.. enjoy!

iced carob brownies

More of a tea cake than a brownie, this not-too-sweet treat won me over. Maybe these are atypical adjectives to describe brownies, but to me these are just easy-going and comfy. They are simple, and they are not based on the c-h-o-c-o-l-a-t-e that's ever-present in the brunette variety of baked goodness (though it is that way for good reasons;)). These are made with carob, thus they taste like carob. One shall not be fooled by their chocolatey appearance. I also used substitutions to make them vegan, which may have altered the texture a bit. I used tofutti non-hydrogenated cream cheese in the icing, and it wasn't too pretty. It did come together alright, but there were definite white specks, and it donned a different taste. Thus they are slightly modified, from here! Carob away, darlings. 

1/2 cup melted earth balance (or butter)

1/4 cup carob powder

2 eggs (I replaced with 2tbsp ground flax seeds mixed with 6tbsp water)

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup water

1cup flour

1tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup dried currants or raisins

1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts

dash or two of cinnamon or allspice (optional)

preheat oven to 350 F and grease an 8x8in pan.

beat the melted butter, carob, eggs, sugar and vanilla in a medium bowl. then stir in the water. 

sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. stir into the first mixture, along with currants, walnuts and optional spice. mix just enough until everything is incorporated.

spread evenly into pan and bake for 20-25 min, or until toothpick comes out clean. cool completely. 

for the icing

1/4 cup carob powder

8oz cream cheese, softened (or a vegan substitute)

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

beat all ingredients until very smooth. spread on cooled brownies. I decorated with trader joe's "cocoa pearls." enjoy!