Vegan Corn Muffins or Cornbread from Your Own Mix

Vegan Corn Muffins from your Own Mix

Growing up, I loved my Mom's Cornbread. She didn't cook often, but when she made Cornbread I considered it a special treat.

When I became vegan, I veganized her recipe - then converted it into a mix for the pantry. It is a "Northern" (US) Cornbread - somewhat sweet, but no added fats (whereas Southern Cornbreads tend to be non-sweet, and saltier with added fat/lard/butter). If you prefer a Southern flavour, you might want to reduce or omit the sugar.

Vegan Cornbread Mix
3 cups Flour (I use unbleached, all purpose here)*
3 cups Cornmeal
1/2 cup sugar
3 Tablespoons Baking Powder
1/4 cup Arrowroot Powder or Tapioca Starch (this subs for eggs)
Scant Tablespoon Salt

To make a Batch of Muffins:
Stir together
2 cups Cornbread Mix
1 Cup Water
1/2 cup Applesauce

(of course, if you like, you can add your favorite stir-ins, like whole bits of corn or green chilies)

Fill prepared muffin tins, and bake in a preheated oven at 425degrees Fahrenheit for 25 minutes, or till they begin to turn golden brown on top, and are firm to the touch. This recipe makes about 9 muffins in my large tins.

*I tried once making these with Whole Wheat Pastry Flour in place of the Unbleached, All Purpose, and while the results were okay, they didn't turn out "like Mom's"- which is what I'm going for here.

I bake these in a lightly oiled non-stick muffin tin. I am not sure that the oil is absolutely necessary, but I've tried paper liners and those do not work well (muffin sticks to the paper for several hours following baking).

You can also use this recipe to make an 8"x8" square pan of cornbread - bake by the same instructions - though it might take 5 to 10 more minutes to finish.