Another muffin fail

Noah had basketball tryouts this morning, and he's going on a camping trip this afternoon, so I thought I would make him a good breakfast to start him off well.  I decided on this gem from the famous Forks Over Knives Cookbook, so it would be healthy and failproof (recipe at the end of this post).

My first snag was that when I pulled the applesauce out of the fridge, I noticed it was moldy.  Had to throw that away.  :(  I didn't have any more applesauce, but I had plenty of apples, so I made my own applesauce.  Unplanned and time-consuming, but tasty and successful.  Back to the recipe.  After I added the applesauce, the batter was coming together like bread dough instead of muffin batter.  Clearly missing some liquid.  I'm not a rookie; I know I must go back and carefully check the recipe to make sure I got all the liquid and measured it correctly.  Almond milk, check. Vinegar, yep. Applesauce, just did it. Maple syrup, yep, I remember measuring that and thinking that was an expensive ingredient.  Vanilla...nope, forgot that.  But I doubt 1 1/2 tsp of liquid is going to fix this dry batter.  I add the vanilla.  Still dry bread dough.  

I'm surprised that the Forks Over Knives people would mess up a recipe so badly, but I clearly need to fix it.  I add more almond milk and applesauce.  It's still pretty thick, but I'm going with it. If I don't get them in the oven soon, they won't be ready before Noah has to leave.  I put them in the oven, set the timer, start cleaning up, and notice....1/2 cup of maple syrup carefully measured, still sitting there in the measuring cup.  Well, there's the problem. These muffins are going to be disgusting.

Whole Wheat Berry Muffins

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup unsweetened pant-based milk
• 1 Tbsp ground flaxseed
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp salt (optional)
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 cup 100% pure maple syrup (or agave)
• 1-1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup berries

Servings: muffins

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with silicone liners or have ready a nonstick or silicone muffin pan.
2. In a large measuring cup use a fork to vigorously mix together the plant-based milk, flaxseed, and vinegar. Mix for about a minute, until it appears foamy. Set aside.
3. In a medium mixing bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt (optional). Make a well in the enter of the mixture and pour in the milk mixture. Add the applesauce, maple syrup, and vanilla, and stir together the wet ingredients in the well. Incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until the dry ingredients are moistened (do not overmix). Fold in the berries.
4. Fill each muffin cup three-quarters of the way to the top and bake for 22 to 26 minutes, or until a knife inserted through the center of a muffin comes out clean.
5. Let the muffins cool completely, about 20 minutes, then carefully run a knife around the edges of each muffin to remove.

Recipe Notes

from FORKS OVER KNIVES - THE COOKBOOK