Vegan apricot carrot muffins

Most of last week was spent at the beach with an amazing group of friends for our co-ed bachelor/bachelorette trip. We drank, laid in the sun, cooked, played games, swam, and danced. It was laid back and casual, just our style. I highly recommend doing the same when you're ready for that.

Needless to say, I had a hard time getting back into my regular schedule. I knew most of my weekend would be spent working, so I procrastinated and made these yummy muffins on Saturday morning. I'm not usually a sweet breakfast person (prefer eggs over pancakes any day), but every now and again I want a tasty scone or muffin.

It's amazing how fickle baking can be. I made the same recipe in class a few weeks ago and it turned out great. When I made them at home, the first batch didn't rise as much as the second batch (see image below). The original recipe says to let the batter to sit for a minute so it will rise, but clearly the batter than sat for 12 minutes won. I think the humidity of my kitchen slowed that process down a good bit. I've made those notes in my recipe below.

Don't worry if your muffins don't rise all the way either, they still taste delicious. I love that they're packed with beta-carotene rich carrots and apricots, and the applesauce keeps them moist for days.

Vegan apricot carrot muffins
1/3 c dried unsweetened apricots, diced
1/2 c apple juice
1 c all purpose unbleached flour (or whole wheat pastry flour)
1 c whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg (cloves or allspice would work nicely too)
3 T olive oil
1/2 c unsweetened applesauce
1 c maple syrup
1 T apple cider vinegar
1/3 c almond milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
6 T apple juice, reserved from draining the apricots
1 c shredded carrots

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a muffin tin with coconut oil or cooking spray.

Soak the apricots in the apple juice for about 15 minutes or until they've plumped up. Strain over a bowl and reserve 6 T of the apple juice.

Whisk (or sift) together the dry ingredients—flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg—into a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, mix the wet ingredients—oil, applesauce, maple syrup, almond milk, vinegar, vanilla extract, apple juice—together. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry and mix until smooth. Fold in the apricots and carrots. Do not over mix. Let the batter sit for at least five minutes depending on the humidity of your kitchen. You should notice that the batter has grown a little.

Pour the batter into the muffin tins two-thirds full. Pop into the oven and cook for 12-14 minutes. Use a toothpick to see if they're done. Remove from the oven and let cool. Enjoy warm from the oven with a dollop of yogurt. These muffins are very moist and taste great the next day too.