Gluten Free Vegan Berry Muffins

Oh my!

I just made the most delicious creation.  I have been playing around with using Cream of Tartar and Soy Yogurt in my gluten free vegan baking and am very pleased with how my baked goods are turning out!  Don't you just love when your hard work yields something magnificent?

Cream of Tartar is an acidic substance which is a natural byproduct of the wine making process.  It's most commonly used in making Baking Powder (read this article for a "Homemade Baking Powder Recipe") as an acidic substance which reacts with Baking Soda to create a rising effect in baked goods.

The general rule is 1 teaspoon Baking Soda + 2 teaspoons Cream of Tartar = 1 tablespoon Baking Powder. (NOTE: If you make this recipe at home, use it immediately, or read the above mentioned article for how to store this product successfully.)

Wholesome Chow's Organic Gluten Free All-Purpose Baking Mix has baking soda already in the mix which makes this product super flexible.  You can use it as is with the baking soda for recipes which require just baking soda, or add some cream of tartar to the dry mix to make recipes which require baking powder.  Just follow the above formula and place the appropriate amount of Cream of Tartar into your dry mixture.  Wholesome Chow's mix has 1/2 tsp Baking Soda per cup of mix.

My other new favorite ingredient is Soy Yogurt (or dairy yogurt if you aren't opposed to dairy).  Yogurt is a great acidic ingredient for reacting with the baking soda in Wholesome Chow's mix.  It is also a great tenderizer and yields a moist and fluffy product.

Using my two new favorite ingredients, I created these Gluten Free Vegan Berry Muffins.

They are super moist, fluffy, not too sweet and have a tangy berry flavor.  I used a combination of Organic Raspberries, Strawberries, and Blueberries.  Trader Joe's has a great variety of Organic Frozen Berries which I always use in my baking.

Also check out the Variations at the bottom of the recipe for Choco-Coconut Muffins and Mango Muffins.

And, to quote my boyfriend, "These are the BEST muffins I've ever had!  They're so moist and yummy!  Can I have the rest?"

And here we go!

Gluten Free Vegan Berry Muffins

Gluten Free ● Egg Free ● Dairy Free ●Peanut & Tree Nut Free ● Casein Free ● Vegan

Yields 10-12 muffins

2 cups  Wholesome Chow's Organic Gluten Free All-Purpose Baking Mix

3/4 cup Sugar (preferably unrefined)

2 tsp Cream of Tartar

1/2 cup Yogurt (soy or dairy)

1/2 cup Milk (non-dairy or dairy, I used Organic Soymilk)

1/2 cup Oil (I used Organic Safflower)

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

1 1/2 cups Frozen Mixed Berries 

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and grease a muffin pan.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine All-Purpose Baking Mix, sugar and cream of tartar.  Mix well with your clean fingers
3. Add yogurt, milk, oil and vanilla.  Use a wooden spoon to thoroughly mix batter until smooth, about 1 minute.
4. Fold in frozen berries.
5. Use a greased ice cream scooper or tablespoon, scoop batter into muffin pan.  Batter should  almost fill the entire tin.
6. Bake for 30-32 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out without sticky batter (its ok if berries or crumbs come out).
7. Let muffins cool in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to finish cooling.  
8. Enjoy when cooled, or store in a airtight container for up to 3 days.

Variations:

• Instead of berries, add 1 cup Chocolate Chips and 1/2 cup Shredded Unsweetened Coconut for Choco-Coconut Muffins.
• Instead of berries, add 1 1/2 cup Chopped Frozen or Fresh Mango for Mango Muffins.