Healthy Vegan Donut Muffins

Blueberry filled, pixie dust and sugared donut muffins

Variations of these muffins are all over the internet. They go by the names French muffins, French Toast muffins and donut muffins. My kids insist they taste just like cake donuts. 

My eggless version is vegan, lightly sweetened, extra light, and healthified with the addition of flax meal and beneficial oil. I offer 5 choices of toppings and a filling option to match the offerings in any donut shop. 

They are faster and easier than driving to the donut shop, have far fewer calories, less fat, and less sugar than fried donuts. 

This recipe will get you started, but the options for toppings and fillings are endless. 

3/4 cup sugar

1 TBS flax meal

2 TBS water

1 1/2 cups flour (All Purpose or whole grain)

3 TSP baking powder

1/2 TSP salt

1/4 cup olive or coconut oil

3/4 cup Almond or other milk

1 TSP vanilla

dash of nutmeg

Butter substitute, powdered sugar, sugar, cinnamon, cocoa powder, jelly, jam or preserves. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a muffin pan with cooking spray, grease lightly or line with cupcake papers.

In a large bowl, stir together sugar, water, and flax meal until well combined. 

Add flour, baking powder, salt, oil, milk, vanilla and nutmeg all at once. Stir until just combined.  

Fill muffins cups half way. 

For filled muffins, fill muffin cups 1/4 full. Place a small spoonful of filling in the center of the batter. Continue filling muffin cup halfway. 

Bake 15 minutes for mini-muffins, 20 minutes for full-sized muffins. 

Remove from oven and add topping while still warm. 

Toppings:

Butter and Sugar

Rub the top of the warm muffin across a stick or tub of butter substitute. Dip lightly in sugar. 

Powdered sugar

Roll warm muffins in a bowl of powdered sugar.

Pixie Dust

Mix 3 parts powdered sugar with 1 part cinnamon. Roll warm muffins in the mixture. 

Cinnamon Sugar

Mix 3 parts sugar with 1 part cinnamon. Rub the top of the warm muffin across the tub or stick of butter substitute. Dip lightly in cinnamon sugar. 

Chocolate

Mix equal parts cocoa powder and powdered sugar. Rub the top of the warm muffin lightly across the tub or stick of butter substitute. Dip in cocoa-sugar mixture.