Do you have one of those recipes that have been passed around from generation to generation or from friend to friend? I have several of these, some of which are just handwritten scribbles on a piece of paper. That’s the origins of today’s recipe. The scrap of paper read, “Lemon Poppyseed Muffins.” One glance at the ingredients and I knew immediately this little recipe was ripe for a makeover. I removed the butter, milk, and eggs and replaced them with vegan substitutes. And then I decided to go for something a little different.

Orange Poppy Seed Muffins! Maybe that was because I was inspired to do something different or maybe it’s because lemons would require a trip to the store whereas I had a nice, plump orange in the fridge waiting to be harvested. Either way, the results were delicious.

Orange Poppy Seed Muffins

Ingredients

• ½ cup dairy-free margarine
• ¾ cup sugar
• ½ cup soy buttermilk (soymilk combined with 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar)
• Zest of one orange
• 1 cup vegan sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1.5 tablespoons poppy seeds
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda

Orange Glaze: (Optional)

Ingredients

• ½ cup powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

Preparation

1. Heat your oven to 350F and prepare your muffin pans (spray with vegetable spray or line with cups).
2. In a small bowl combine soymilk and vinegar, stir and set aside.
3. In a medium-sized bowl, cream the margarine and sugar with a mixer. Add the soy buttermilk, vegan sour cream, orange zest and vanilla. Mix again with your mixer until well-combined.
4. In a small bowl, combine the dry ingredients (flour, poppy seeds, salt, baking powder and baking soda). Add to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined (don’t over mix!)
5. Drop the batter into prepared muffin pans and bake for approximately 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.
6. Glaze. While you’re waiting for those muffins to cool down, stir together the powdered sugar and orange juice. Don’t worry if the mixture is a little runny – that’s what we’re looking for. Drizzle the glaze over the muffins.
7. Enjoy!

Makes approximately 12 muffins