Thursday, November 7th, 2024

Vegan Blackberry Muffins (Low Sugar)

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Last wee’s recipe was a Vegan Apple and Blackberry Pie with Ready-To-Roll Shortcrust Pastry if you remember, made with our own Bramley apples from the garden and foraged blackberries. We still managed to forage some more when we took the dog (and the kids) for a forest walk nearby. This time, we made some low sugar muffins with them. These muffins are moist, fluffy and very fruity!

Low Sugar Baking

To be frank, decreasing the sugar in this recipe produces a more mature flavor. In fact, the children tasted it and concluded that it needed more sweetness – hence, we eventually topped it with a mix of granola and demerera sugar.

However, as you know, it’s not a bad idea to reduce the sugar content of a bake or at least try to see where you can take it. Less sugar in our diet is beneficial for a lot of reasons. I normally go in with 40-50% less when I adapt a recipe to be vegan and also low on sugar. Sometimes it works, especially in case of cookies and chocolatey sweets. This time, because of the blackberries sharpness (they were foraged and not store-bought, sweet blackberries, that are cultured to have sweet flesh) the kids said they need more sugar, but to be honest, us grown ups loved them!

I typically recommend reducing the sugar content in a recipe by about 20-30%. This usually won’t have a significant impact, unless the sugar is crucial for the texture and structure of the dish. In simpler baked goods like cakes, cookies, and muffins, you probably won’t even notice the difference. As I’ve mentioned before, it’s possible to reduce the sugar even further, but it’s a risk. It’s all about trial and error and it’s definitely worth experimenting.

Tips for Making Vegan Blackberry Muffins

  • Any type of sugar can be used, as it doesn’t really matter for muffins.
  • You can replace the lemon zest with lemon essence, using only a few drops.
  • Either fresh or frozen blackberries can be used, and it is not necessary to thaw the frozen ones.
  • For some extra crunchiness, since these are quite moist, you can top them with homemade granola or toasted oat flakes mixed with a little sugar.
  • This recipe also works with other berries, or even a mix of them.

Vegan Blackberry Muffins (Low Sugar)
Prep Time
15 mins

Cook Time
25 mins

Total Time
37 mins

 

Increased foraging yielded more blackberries, allowing us to bake blackberry muffins. They were scrumptious and easy to make.

Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American, European
Keyword: Vegan Blackberry Muffins
Servings: 10 muffins

Ingredients
  • 150 g fresh blackberries can be frozen too, don't defrost them
  • 250 g all purpose flour
  • 110 g vegan butter or margarine
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 130 g granulated or light brown sugar you could add more up to 200g if you prefer sweeter muffins
  • 250 g vegan yogurt plain, unsweetened
  • 4 tbsp plant milk
  • 1 lemon zested or few drops of lemon essence
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1.4 tsp salt

Instructions
  1. Set your oven to preheat at 190°C if using a fan oven, 375°F or Gas Mark 5. Prepare a cupcake or muffin tin by lining it or simply greasing it.

    Combine all the ingredients, excluding the blackberries, in a large bowl.

    Gently fold the blackberries into the batter to avoid breaking them.

  2. Transfer them into the cupcake/muffin tin using a spoon.

    In the preheated oven, bake them for roughly 25 minutes. Allow them to cool slightly before consumption.

    Enjoy!

If you liked this Vegan Blackberry Muffins (Low Sugar) recipe, you might like my other fruity recipes, too:

Simple and Delicious Vegan Apple Muffins Recipe

Beetroot, Orange and Ginger Soup (Vegan Recipe)

Orange and Kale Salad with Pistachios (Vegan Recipe)

Vegan Blackberry Muffins (Low Sugar)