Making something old new again. This recipe is a perfect example. It was one my Gram had in her recipe box, one she shared with my mom and now one that I use. I remember the first time we made it because my mom had to find the whole wheat flour for it, back then, it wasn’t as much a pantry staple as it is today.
When I googled this recipe to find out where it came from I found links with comments such as, “I clipped this out of a magazine 30 years ago, been using it ever since.” 30 years? Yea, I guess 30 years would be about right. I never did find the original publisher, if anyone has an idea…let me know.
These days, when I scan the list of a recipe’s ingredients the first thing I do is figure out how I will make substitutions for eggs and milk. When we first decided to give them up I lived by vegetarian/vegan cookbooks, afraid to venture out trying the same substitutions in our own tried and true favorites. With time (and lots of ‘do-overs’) I’ve learned a few things and feel much braver about making my own changes; making old recipes fit to the new way we eat.
For this recipe the changes I made were using sucanat instead of white sugar, Earth Balance non-dairy butter, non-dairy milk and flaxmeal + water for eggs. You can easily swap the eggs and dairy back into this recipe in the same measurements used here. If you choose to try using flax for eggs the key is to really whip them until they are the same consistency as egg yolks. I use my immersion blender in a bowl for this, but a regular blender or food processor works too.
These muffins are moist, but on the dense side. Funny, that this was something I remembered from baking them with my mom. Even then I was sure they couldn’t turn out right with a batter that thick. But they did…and they were delicious.
Bostonian Blueberry Muffins
Makes 12 muffins
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sucanat
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
1/2 cup Earth Balance, melted
1/2 cup non-dairy milk
2 tablespoons flaxmeal + 6 tablespoons water (the equivalent of 2 eggs)
1 teaspoon vanilla
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Combine dry ingredients. Toss 1 tablespoon of the dry ingredients with the berries until coated.
Combine melted butter, milk, flaxmeal and vanilla.
Add liquid to dry ingredients and mix well (remember batter will be very dense).
Gently fold in blueberries.
Fill muffins tins and bake for 15-20 minutes.
Trying these the first time I made the ingredient substitutions I was pleasantly surprised. I had thought maybe they would be less moist or not have the flavor the original recipe held. But it was all there…moist and hearty with a touch of cinnamon and the sweetness of blueberries.
When I gave them to the boys Samuel loved them and thought it was ‘so cool’ to be eating a recipe from his great-Gram. Henry, after eating the entire muffin, stated, “I liked the blueberry muffin, I just didn’t like the blueberries.” Oh well…can’t please everyone. But it got me thinking maybe raspberries would be good too, knowing how much he loves them. Hmm…maybe another new change to this old recipe? We’ll have to give it a try.
Happy Weekending!
Alison
I just found your blog and I must say I really love it! I am not a vegan, nor a vegetarian, but I eat a mostly vegetarian/vegan dier because this is what I prefer. I’m glad I have found you!
Thanks for visiting…I hope you’ll come back soon!
They look so healthy, wholesome and scrumptious! I can’t wait to try this recipe!
Thanks Maria…I hope you’ll like them!
Glad to see this recipe on here! I was going to ask you for it!
I’m glad yo liked it. I know Campbell liked the blueberries.
just found your blog! and im loving it! awesome photos, I will be back regularly
Thanks for visiting Connie!