Lemon Chia Seed Muffins You Can't Live Without

Even if I have cake trays and cookie jars full of goodies, I still feel like baking. For who? I don't care!

I just love baking. I like to try out new recipes and tweak them to make them healthy and vegan. I like to hag around the kitchen and have my eldest daughter help me mix, mix, mix up the batter, and I love the smell that wafts through the air as the muffins rise in the oven.

I also like a challenge. It's easy to make something taste delicious when it's filled with sugar and butter; but, to make those same cookies taste equally as delicious without using all those unhealthy ingredients is a challenge I use purely vegan ingredients and my treats are amazing (not to toot my own horn, but I mean, let's call a spade a spade - heaven in every bite)!

So, I found this recipe for Lemon Poppyseed muffins and I immediately thought of my pregnancy with my youngest. I craved Starbucks Lemon Poppyseed cake every single day. Literally. And so, every morning, rain or shine (and trust me, I mean rain - this one time, I ran out of the house at 7:00am 9 months pregnant, eldest in tow, just to get me some Lemon Poppyseed cake).

It is so freakin delicious, it just melts in your mouth. I was always so sad when I would get to the last bite, or worse, when my daughter asked me for some. But alas, I gave birth and my fat-person behaviour needed to stop. Actually, that's not the whole reason... I learned the ingredients and almost fell to the floor. I couldn't believe I was eating such unhealthy food everyday for 9 months straight! 

The craving came back a couple of weeks ago. I needed something lemony.  So, I started browsing. 

Here is kind of what I found (cause I changed a few things):

Lemon Chia Seed Muffins

Bake 350 degrees for 17-22 minutes (until toothpick comes out clean)

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 flax eggs (1 flax egg = 1 tbsp ground flax w/ 3 tbsp water, refrigerate 5 minutes)
• 1 applesauce container (I use Mott's unsweetened Cherry Berry Carrot 111g in the container)
• juice from 1 whole lemon
• zest from 1 whole lemon
• 1/4 c melted coconut oil
• 1/4 almond/coconut milk (or any other milk you want)
• 1/3 cup palm coconut sugar
• pinch of sea salt
• 1.5 tsp baking soda
• 1 heaping tbsp of chia seeds
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1.5 cups spelt flour

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Lightly grease muffin tray with coconut oil or Earth Balance butter (tray of 12).
2. Prepare flax egg. Then put in large bowl.
3. Add applesauce, lemon juice, lemon zest, almond/coconut milk, cane sugar, baking soda and salt. Mix for 45 seconds to 1 minute. Mixture will foam up due to reaction of lemon with baking soda, this is normal. 
4. Add the flour and oats. Do not over mix. Batter should be thick, not pourable. Add chia seeds.
5. Divide batter evenly between 12 muffins tins.
6. Bake 17-22 minutes.

These muffins will be moist and delicious and should keep for about a week if kept in a container.

Enjoy these muffins and watch how your friends and family will gobble them up - no one will know they are super duper healthy ;)

Thanks for stopping by!

Z.

picture credit: minimalist baker