You have no eggs or milk of any kind, and your pantry is bare, so baking is out of the question, right? Wrong! These clever muffins use cornstarch instead of eggs and canned-fruit syrup in place of milk. Use whatever nut or dried fruit you have on hand and canned peaches if you don’t have pears. No trip to the store for provisions necessary!
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 45 min |
| Prep: | 5 min |
| Cook: | 40 min |
| Yield: | 12 muffins |
Ingredients
- Cooking spray
- 1/2 cup pecans, walnuts or almonds
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 3/4 teaspoon fine salt
- One 15.25-ounce can pears packed in syrup
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries, cherries or raisins
- Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with muffin liners, and spray with cooking spray.
- Spread the pecans out on a rimmed baking sheet, and bake until toasted and golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool, and roughly chop.
- Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger and salt in a large bowl.
- Chop the pears into 1/2-inch pieces, and set aside. Pour the syrup into a liquid measuring cup. Pour off any excess syrup, or add water if needed, to make 3/4 cup.
- Whisk together the syrup, oil, granulated sugar and vanilla in medium bowl. Pour the mixture into the flour mixture, and add the pears, pecans and 1/4 cup of the cranberries. Gently fold the mixture together until almost completely combined (it’s OK if there are a few lumps).
- Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, and press some of the remaining 1/4 cup cranberries into the top of each. Bake until lightly golden and the muffins bounce back when pressed in the center, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes in the tin, then remove and let cool completely on a rack. Dust with confectioners’ sugar before serving.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 12 servings |
| Calories | 276 |
| Total Fat | 14 g |
| Saturated Fat | 1 g |
| Carbohydrates | 37 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Sugar | 18 g |
| Protein | 3 g |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg |
| Sodium | 208 mg |
Reviews
I used fruit cocktail in juice (not syrup). I also used 1/2 cup sugar and around 1/4 cup of oil. I also subbed 1 cup of whole wheat flour for the white. I thought the muffins were plenty sweet and moist even with these substitutions. I enjoyed them and will definitely make again.
These muffins were moist, very tasty and delicious! Would like to get the nutritional value for these Vegan Muffins.