Vegan Jelly Donut Muffins with Multi-Grain Goodness (baking through "Ovenly" while puppy-dancing. . . finally ran a 5k race and I didn't fall: Yay!)

The other day, DH and I were discussing our earliest food memories. Mine centered around my grandmother's homemade grape jelly. DH said one of his were these huge cinnamon twist doughnuts from a local bakery where he grew up. Then I added, Oh yeah, well, we had doughnuts, too--my favorite always had jelly inside and pink icing. Then there was the debate of whether or not having a food memory not tied to a homemade item constituted a food memory. Then we both sat there fighting off the urge to once again abandon all rational thought and have doughnuts for dinner. 

*I seem to have a running theme here lately with the doughnut obsession. I know not where it comes from, I just know that it is. 

After our conversation about doughnuts had run its course, I finally decided to bake something along the lines of said food stuffs, and turned to adapting a recipe for Jelly Doughnut Muffins from Ovenly. (Oh how I wish all cookbooks were this crave-worthy--more in a second on this.) I had some adjustments to make to go vegan with these, plus I wanted to up the health factor a bit--so I subbed in some spelt flour (my all-time favorite multi-grain baking flour hands down--except it usually does better for me when combined with AP flour), and omitted the eggs. . . obviously. Muffins are one of the most forgiving baking items you could manage. As I soon discovered once again during one of my "some-timers" moments.

I was halfway through my baking, now placing the dough into the muffin tins when I decided to "taste" the batter--because it looked a little stiff-ish. (That's the beauty of vegan baking--dough tasting won't land you in the ER.) Whoa--my batter tasted like. . . well like I'd forgotten to add sugar! Now what was I going to do? I couldn't add the sugar crystals to an already mixed batter of dough--doing so would have created a gluten disaster or "donut muffin bricks".   

So, like a baking Ninja, I grabbed my bottle of agave nectar and measured out the equivalent amount of sugar, poured it over the blob and carefully and ever-so-slowly mixed it all in, then spooned the now resuscitated batter into the muffin tins. Fingers crossed. And. . . Viola! The muffins turned out perfectly. I mean Perfect-Perfect. I love it when baking "happy accidents" happen. These have been our breakfast go-to items for the past three mornings. Still delish and still moist (even after storing them in the fridge). 

Speaking of Ninja baking. It takes real skill to manage through any cooking in the kitchen with The Puppy under foot. No sympathy. Yes, the adorable mistress of: "Hey Look! I can reach the top of tables and counters now--whoo-hooo!" (That's our place mat in her mouth. Notice, however, her "doggie toy" right behind her). We knew this day would come. When the giant paws--much too big for her body--could suddenly reach up and swipe away an entire counter of--fill in the space with whatever here--because it's free game now, while I try to remain calm and gently correct her to place her four paws on the ground because that's what GOOD girls do. 

It's a dance. I have seconds between walking away from one spot over the counters to another, while also keeping one eye behind me. (We've stopped Puppy School for now. Mommy and Frankie were too stressed after our last class. She's fine with it. I'm fine with it. We'll live.)

I walked off our hiking path down to the bank of the Meramec River with her recently. New thing to explore! She immediately froze in place. Like, maybe she was thinking this could be Fun? Dangerous? A toy? Water bowl? It's moving. . . can I chase it? What's over there?

And most of the time, she is a "blur". Plus, she knows what a camera phone is now.

 Let me back up a second here and again mention one of my most cherished new cookbooks this fall: Ovenly: Sweet and Salty Recipes from New York's Most Creative Bakery by Agatha Kulaga and Erin Patinkin. So far, their vegan chocolate chip cookies are the best I've ever had. Period. Make them! Get the cookbook. Here's a link to the recipe.

 If you are in a rush for a cookie and need them pronto, which I usually do--I just mix the dough, measure out my cookies with my ice cream scoop and place them in the freezer on a cookie sheet for thirty minutes while I do other things. Remove how ever many you want and bake. We are on our fourth batch and trust me: Best. Ever. I could bake my way through the entire book. In addition to these Jelly Donut Muffins, I've got my eyes on even more vegan-adaptations I'd like to attempt. 

A year ago today, I fell and broke my ankle. (I just realized this "anniversary" after posting this a few hours ago--something was gnawing at me--I couldn't put my finger on it. . . until now.) How far we've come. I have almost no pain. Almost because if a wicked cold front comes to town, I can pretty much feel every single barometric pressure point in my ankle. But I still consider myself very lucky after all that "crazy" ankle breaking time. I can still run.

 A couple of weeks ago, a friend mentioned a cupcake race. Go on. I'm listening. No sooner had I gotten home, I was registered. Feed me a cupcake, watch me run. Or watch me run, then see me eat MANY cupcakes. And I did. . . eat a lot of cupcakes. Because it turns out I placed second in my age group overall with a finish time of 9:45 for the 5k--and received a Giant Cupcake for the win! (In addition to the one in my hand there--plus the other four I stopped and bought on the way home for Dr. Thyme!) As I said, lots of cupcakes were consumed. And no. Not bragging. Just grateful. Grateful I still CAN run (I run about four days a week now--but little runs, no big deals--maybe four miles here and there. I can't tell you the last time I did five). Grateful I didn't fall, too! It had been so long since I'd competed, I'd forgotten the thrill of the race--the competitor in me hasn't. I have a friend who recently finished a 10k race--she ran phenomenally well for our age group--just over sixty minutes. Wow--I told her what an inspiration she was for me. 

We are all over fifty now. One of the benefits of being in this age group--the field of runners sort of shrinks down. Sad. But true. I don't know why more women in their fifties don't run. Or maybe they do and they stay off the event runs. All I know is that running is my religion, my sanity, the thing that takes life's "edge" off, my one constant saving grace. And because I had so much fun running the cupcake run, I signed up for a Turkey Trot, too And now. . . I'm considering a 10k in December. I said "considering". First I have to get through a couple other big weekend events here in November.

Vegan Jelly Donut Muffins with Multi-Grain Goodness  

*adapted from "Ovenly" by Agatha Kulaga and Erin Patinkin

makes 12

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1 cup spelt flour

1 tablespoon ground flax seed (otional)

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup agave nectar

1/4 cup plus 1/8 cup canola oil

1/4 cup water

3/4 cup coconut milk (or soy milk)

favorite berry jam of choice

Preheat oven to 350. Line or lightly spray a 12-muffin tin. Whisk together all dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, add all wet ingredients and whisk well to combine. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir with a wooden spoon just until all the dry flour parts are moistened. Fill the muffin tins about half full (make sure you have enough batter left over to top off the muffins after you add the jam). Mix up your berry jam of choice so it's easy to spoon over the muffins (I went with a mixed berry jar of jam) and drop a teaspoon or so over the dough in each, then finish adding the rest of the dough over the jam. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cook for five minutes. Remove from muffin tin and enjoy one warm! Store in an airtight container for a few days in the fridge.