The Raw Vegan Princess

PBRMs - Perfect, Brilliant, Robust, Magical Peanut-Butter Raisin Muffins

In case you can't tell, I really like the muffins I made today! I have been wanting to do peanut butter muffins for ages but at the same time not wanting to because of how much fat is in PB. And I admit, I can atually taste/feel the fat in these muffins, which is odd and a little unpleasant after so many fat free muffins. But then it kind of occurred to me that I've been putting nuts in my muffins, which is probably actually more fattening than the smallish amount of PB I used. So anyway, I made them. And of course I had to add raisins - I don't know if I've ever actually had them before and I was expecting them to just taste like big sultanas, but they actually have a unique (and yummy) flavour.

I have decided that I want to try making sugar free muffins from now on, using more natural sweetners. Today i just stuck with some more of my incredible maple syrup (as discussed a few posts ago) but in the coming weeks look out for other sugar alternatives.



Finally, in addition to my muffins I took four bigs globs of mixture and stuck them on a baking tray to make 'muffin tops' - this was inspired by a recipe in Dreena's The Everyday Vegan. Yes, I do still have it - it was due back at the library yesterday but I reborrowed and now have another wonderful three weeks to enjoy it! The muffin tops are totally delicious and I think i will be doing this again - the bottom stayed moist, the inside was a little chewy and the top was crisp - what more could you ask for? The picture below shows the tops before cooking and in the first picture you can see them beside the muffins after cooking. So here goes the recipe:

Ingredients:
-1 1/2 cups self raising wholewheat flour
-1/2 cup atta flour (could sub chickpea flour or just unleached plain)
-2 tsp baking powder
-3/4 tsp cinnamon
-1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp soymilk
-1/2 cup water
-2 (generous) tbsp natural peanut butter (the kind you grind yourself - nothing but peanuts!)
-2 tbsp unsweetened applesauce
-3 1/2 tbsp pure maple syrup
-raisins (to taste)

Instructions:
Preheat a fan forced gas oven to 180C before you start. In a large bowl combine the flours, baking powder and cinnamon, digging a well in the centre. Put all remaining ingredients except raisins in another bowl and mix well with a fork or wire whisk until there aren't any big peanutty lumps anymore, then add to the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined then stir through the raisins (I don't measure but I'd say maybe 1/4 cup). Place in silicone muffin pans or, for something a bit different (and yummy) put large blobs (maybe 1 1/2 tbsp) on a baking tray and bake until browned and risen, about 25 mins. Remove from oven and enjoy their scrummy goodness!