Vegan Apple Walnut Muffins

After a treat filled December, what better way to start the new year with a fresh and healthy slate? I will be attempting to go vegan for the entire month of January in the hopes that I will explore more meatless recipes and incorporate less dairy/meat into my everyday go-to meals.

I know I haven't posted any new recipes since 2012 (what!) but I'm going to try to upload everyday this month as a way to hold myself accountable and guarantee the success of this challenge. 

I am determined to find a way to make vegan amazing and I think I'm off to a good start, here are the Apple-Walnut muffins I made for breakfast this morning: 

Recipe (12 muffins) 

1 3/4 cups of flour 

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

pinch of salt

2 apples, peeled and dived

1 1/2 cups walnuts, chopped

1 1/4 cups of water

1/2 cups brown sugar

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup of oil 

1. Preheat the over to 400 degrees

2. Mix the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt in large bowl 

3. Mix the water and sugar, add oil and vinegar

4. Blend the apples and walnuts into the flour mixture

5. Mix the wet ingredients into the flour mixture, pour immediately into prepared muffin tins

6. Bake 25 minutes 

7. Bon Appetit! 

Apple Caramel Cupcake Bites

We've experienced with a lot of different apple/fruit cakes in our family and have loved practically every recipe, especially my mom's apple yogurt cake (coming soon... hopefully!) but these little cupcake bites definitely gave that cake a run for it's money. I used a mini cupcake pan as I brought these to work and was afraid they'd make too much of a mess! I placed each little cupcake in a regular sized cupcake wrapper to avoid any spills or drips. They were very moist, and especially divine with the caramel drizzled on top...Here's the recipe: enjoy! 

For the cupcakes: 

1 Cup of flour

1 Tsp of Baking Soda

1/2 Tsp of Salt

1 Tsp of Cinnamon 

1/2 Tsp of Nutmeg 

A pinch of cloves 

1 Cup of sugar 

1 Egg 

1/4 Cup of oil

3 Medium sized apples, peeled and finely chopped

Step One: Mix all the wet ingredients (egg, oil, apples) until combined. 

Step Two: Mix all the dry ingredients into a small bowl (flour, sugar, spices). 

Step Three: Dry into Wet, mix until combined. 

Step Four: Scoop into cupcake pans, bake in a 350-oven for 30 minutes. Voila! 

For the Caramel Sauce: 

1/2 Stick of butter

1/2 Cup of brown sugar

1/4 Cup of heavy cream 

1 Tsp of Vanilla

Step One: In a small sauce pan, bring butter, sugar and cream to a boil. Reduce the heat and let simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, add vanilla, let cool completely. 

Drizzle caramel over cupcakes once both are completely cooled. 

(don't eat too many! These were meant to be shared!) 

Bon Appétit!