One Bowl Vegan Irish Soda Bread Muffins

Don't be deceived by their size; my One Bowl Vegan Irish Soda Bread Muffins are packed with flavor, rich in vitamins and minerals, and utterly delicious. They're perfect as a snack for both kids and adults, and they taste wonderful when reheated from the freezer.

By Rose Huxford

One of my favorite quick breads is Irish Soda Bread. However, in March, I decided to try making a muffin version for fun. I usually make my muffins relatively small so they fit well in my kids' lunches, but you can certainly make them larger. My One Bowl Vegan Irish Soda Bread Muffins are packed with great ingredients, including a mix of dried fruits (Trader Joe's offers a fantastic variety), applesauce for moisture, which also replaces butter and eggs, homemade buttermilk, fresh orange zest and juice, fresh lemon zest, chopped pecans, and much more. The natural sweetness of all the ingredients truly stands out in this muffin, offering a wonderful way to celebrate March.

One Bowl Vegan Irish Soda Bread Muffins

Pre-heat oven: 375 degrees F

Yields: 24 small muffins, 12 large muffins

Prep-time: 10 minutes

Bake-time: 15 minutes or 30 minutes for two muffin tins in the oven

Total-time: ~40 minutes

Equipment: 1 large mixing bowl, muffin pan(s), muffin liners, 1 small bowl, zester, citrus juicer, measuring spoons, liquid measuring cup, measuring cup, spatula, ice cream scooper, cooling rack.

By Rose Huxford

By Rose Huxford

By Rose Huxford

By Rose Huxford

By Rose Huxford

By Rose Huxford

*As an Amazon and King Arthur Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 cup King Arthur Gluten Free Flour or regular all-purpose flour

• 1/2 cup oats or Gluten Free oats

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1/2 tsp baking powder

• 1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon powder (I use Ceylon Cinnamon)

• 1/2 cup pecans, chopped

• 1 whole orange zest

• 1/2 lemon zest

• 1 cup dried fruits (blend of dried cranberries, blueberries, and raisins)

• 1/2 cup orange juice or rum (I used rum in this recipe)

• 1/2 juice from an orange

• 1 1/3 cup coconut milk or buttermilk

• 5 tsp apple cider vinegar

• 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce

• 1/2 cup coconut sugar

• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

• 1/2 tsp pure almond extract

• Demerara sugar, as the topping (optional)

Directions

1. Pre-heat the oven 375 degrees F.

2. Line your muffin pan(s) with muffin liners and set it aside.

3. Add the dried fruit to a small bowl and then add either the orange juice or rum. Let the two ingredients sit for about 10 minutes so the dried fruit absorbs the liquid.

4. Next, combine coconut milk and apple cider vinegar in a liquid measuring cup. Stir and let it sit for about 5 minutes. This is your homemade buttermilk. *You can skip this step and add 1 1/3 cup of buttermilk.

5. Meanwhile, to your large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, oats, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, pecans, orange zest and lemon zest.

6. Drain the liquid from the dried fruits and incorporate them into your dry mixture. Use the spatula to cover the dried fruits. Next, add the coconut sugar, buttermilk, apple sauce, juice from an orange, chia seeds, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Blend all the ingredients with the spatula until they are just combined.

7. Use a ice cream scooper and scoop your batter into your prepared muffin pan(s).

8. Sprinkle some demerara sugar on top of each muffin.

9. Bake for about 15 minutes. If you're baking two pans at a time, bake for about 30 minutes, or until a tooth pick comes out clean.

10. Let the muffins cool on the cooling rack for a few minutes and then enjoy!

11. For storing, let them cool completely and store them in an airtight container for about 4 days. Or, keep them in a freezer bag for about 1 month. Reheat to enjoy!

By Rose Huxford