Vegan Chocolate Chip Muffiins

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Today is the day!  We are about to put up our Christmas tree!  I love this day.  We always put up our Christmas tree the week before Thanksgiving, so that when we return from our travels our house is ready for the Christmas season.  Seven years into marriage it feels like we are still just starting to establish our family traditions.  

It’s funny how the holidays often show us the many ways families are different.  I tend to do a lot of things like my mom.  I decorate like her, bake the same things, prioritize activities just like her.  I learned early on in our marriage the importance of asking B what Christmas, and other holidays, were like for his family.  I do my best to incorporate his traditions into our family just as much as mine.

This often happens in very simple ways.  We might make the cookies his mom made at Christmas, or listen to the music his dad always played.  But these seemingly little things are so important for making sure he feels like his family traditions are seen as equally important.  And I think his family appreciates it as well.  Call your mother-in-law and ask her for a Christmas recipe.  There is so much more in this act than just a simple phone call.  It’s a way of saying that we value our family heritage and want to make an effort to continue what they worked so hard to create.  I am so thankful for the people who raised my husband and this is the least that I can do.

It makes no sense that I’m sharing a vegan recipe as I talk about our families.  We both come from the least-vegan families possible. :). I really like to challenge myself to eat vegan occasionally.  I do think it is good for our bodies to have a break from animal products.  These muffins are so great and quite filing.  The kids, of course, love them!

 

Vegan Chocolate Chip Muffins

30 min, makes 10

Ingredients:

2 T chia seeds plus 8 T water

1/2 c full fat coconut milk

1/2 c unsweetened applesauce

1/4 c pure maple syrup

1 t baking powder

1/2 t baking soda

1/2 t salt

1/4 t cinnamon

1 1/2 c spelt flour

1/2 c vegan chocolate chips

 

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375 F

  1. In small bowl, mix chia seeds and water together.  Set aside for at least 10 minutes.
  2. In medium bowl, stir coconut milk, applesauce, and maple syrup together.
  3. Add baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon and stir to incorporate.
  4. Once chia seeds have sat for at least 10 minutes, fold them into the batter.
  5. Fold in the spelt flour.
  6. Fold in the chocolate chips.
  7. Scoop batter into greased muffin tins and fill almost to the top.
  8. Bake for about 21 minutes, or until knife inserted comes out clean.
  9. Carefully move muffins to a cooling rack and let cool slightly before eating.