Everyone has a weakness. And muffins are one of mine. I love muffins. They make me happy. They’re warm, fluffy, tasty and great with coffee. You can carry them around in your hand pretty easily. You can take a bite, or break off pieces. They can be chocolate, blueberry, lemon poppy-seed, pistachio, cinnamon, the list goes on and on. How can you not be pleased if you are presented with a muffin?

Alas, muffins are rarely the healthiest choice. Recently, I’ve been making an effort to lose a pound or two that I’ve gained since moving across the country. I’d like to nip that in the bud before the holidays are in full swing. These efforts have been successful, but, of course, one of the things I’ve been doing is consciously checking calories and making sure that I’m making the best choices when I’m eating. Whether in a coffee shop or at home.

One day it hit me that it had been literal months since I had eaten a muffin. This famine must end.

I took matters into my own hands and share them now with you! These cinnamon crumble muffins use flax seed instead of egg as well as coconut oil with a milk alternative. There is still brown sugar, but not an obscene amount. If you’re really counting calories, you can leave out the crumble topping and that will save you a few, but this muffin is truly joyous to make and to consume. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (make sure you took out all of those pans you store in there) and let’s get baking!

You can see the whole flax seeds in the upper left corner, but this is the ‘egg’ waiting to set.

First: make the flax seed goop. It will substitute for your egg and it’s better to let it sit for a bit. Take two tablespoons of flax seeds and grind them in a food processor. They may look like they’re more ‘chipped’ than ground, but trust me, they’re grinding. If you want to do it the old fashioned way with a mortar and pestle, by all means, don’t let me steal your joy. Once they’re ground, drop them into a third cup of water and set them to the side to congeal.

Next: make the crumble. It’s quick and easy and then you can set it aside near the flax mixture. If you’re looking to scrape off a few extra calories, you can skip this part. You’ll need 1/4 cup rolled oats, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1 tbsp brown sugar and 1 tbsp coconut oil. Now, let’s talk about coconut oil briefly. At room temperature, it’s solid, so you need to warm it to mix it with things. (Unless you really like a messy challenge.) What I do is mix the other three ingredients together in a small bowl, scrape the tablespoon of coconut oil out as a solid, then stick the whole thing (measuring spoon included) in the bowl with the other ingredients. Then stick the whole bowl in the microwave for one minute until the coconut oil is liquid and mix it all together. You can microwave the oil separately in a different bowl, and I’ve done that, too. I do try and avoid microwaving things a much as possible, but then you’re also messing up more dishes, which you then have to wash. It’s really up to you. Regardless, mix all of those things together and put them aside.

Now: making the most of the muffin. Mix the dry ingredients first. 3/4 cup whole wheat flour, 3/4 cup all purpose flour, 1/2 cup of brown sugar (either light or dark is fine, it’s the molasses that we want), 2 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp baking soda, 2 tsp cinnamon and a sprinkle of salt. Mix those guys together and then add the wet ingredients; 3/4 cup unsweetened oat milk (or soy or whatever you have on hand, just make sure it’s unsweetened), 1/2 tbsp vinegar (I use apple cider vinegar) and 1/3 cup coconut oil, see above for how I like to melt this. For this one, if the bowl is too big for the microwave, I find that just putting the measuring cup in a separate bowl or having a plate under it will help. You just don’t want it spilling everywhere when you remove the measuring cup. Add the flax seed mixture with the wet ingredients! You’re almost done!

Finally: mix it all together. If you’re using a whisk, the batter may start to get caught up inside. I use an up and down, butter-churning motion when I use a whisk and that keeps the batter pulling itself back into the main mixture. The batter will be thick and sticky. You have the choice of spraying the pan with a (hopefully health conscious) cooking oil, or using muffin tin liners. Each muffin will be a little over half full with batter. Sprinkle the crumble on top before placing in the oven.

How many muffins do you want to make? If you want to make an even dozen, you can bake them for 16 to 18 minutes. If you want to make six big muffins, you can! Bake them for around 22 - 23 minutes. Regardless, check one with a toothpick and make sure that the toothpick comes out clean. Allow the muffins to cool a little in the muffin tin and then transfer them out to rest for a bit longer. (A wire rack would be ideal if you have one, but I do not and let them rest on a plate and they’ve been great.)

I’ve taken these muffins around to meetings, brought them to neighbors, given them to my husband and they’ve been joyfully consumed by vegans and meat eaters alike! And I think that they are quite pretty.

Egg-free cinnamon crumble muffins, so tasty!