Ingredients
Equipment
Method
Bake the Blueberry Muffins
- Preheat and line the pan. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line 8 cups of a standard muffin tin with parchment liners.
- Prepare flax binder. Combine the ground flaxseed and warm water. Let stand 5 minutes, until thickened.
- Combine dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk the 1 cup gluten-free baking flour, almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
- Combine wet ingredients. In another bowl, whisk the flax mixture, plant milk, yogurt, maple syrup, oil, vanilla, lemon zest and lemon juice until smooth.
- Mix and hydrate the batter. Fold the wet mixture into the dry just until combined. The batter should be thick and scoopable, not runny. Let stand 10 minutes to hydrate the gluten-free flour.
- Fold in the blueberries. Toss the fresh blueberries with the extra teaspoon of gluten-free flour. Gently fold them into the batter.
- Bake until set. Divide evenly among 8 muffin cups and bake 21–25 minutes, until the tops spring back and a toothpick inserted into crumb away from a berry comes out without wet batter.
- Cool completely. Cool in the pan 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack for approximately 45–60 minutes, until fully cool before slicing. Muffins may be baked a day ahead.
Prepare the Maple-Pecan Streusel
- Mix the streusel ingredients. Combine chopped pecans, certified gluten-free oats, almond flour, maple syrup, melted vegan butter, cinnamon and salt.
- Spread in a dry skillet. Spread the mixture evenly in a dry skillet over medium-low heat.
- Toast until golden. Toast 4–6 minutes, stirring frequently, until golden and fragrant. Watch closely because maple syrup can caramelize quickly.
- Cool until crisp. Transfer to a plate and let cool to become crisper.
Make the Warm Blueberry Sauce
- Combine sauce ingredients. Combine blueberries, maple syrup, water, lemon juice, lemon zest and salt in a small saucepan.
- Simmer the blueberries. Cook over medium-low heat for 5–7 minutes, until soft and releasing juices.
- Mash some berries. Gently mash a few blueberries, leaving plenty whole.
- Finish the sauce. Remove from the heat when glossy and lightly thickened. The sauce should be spoonable rather than jam-like.
Whisk the Lemon-Vanilla Cream
- Mix and chill the cream. Stir the thick dairy-free yogurt, maple syrup, vanilla and lemon zest until silky. Refrigerate until serving.
Cook the Muffin French Toast
- Slice cooled muffins. Cut each fully cooled muffin horizontally into two halves.
- Whisk the custard. Whisk soy milk, yogurt, cornstarch, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, optional almond extract and salt until smooth.
- Warm a buttered skillet. Preheat a large nonstick skillet over medium-low to medium heat and melt a little of the measured vegan butter.
- Quickly dip cut surfaces. Dip each muffin’s exposed cut surface into custard for 1–2 seconds only. Do not soak like ordinary bread.
- Brown the cut sides. Set cut-side down in the skillet and cook 2–3 minutes, until golden and lightly crisp.
- Warm opposite sides. Gently flip and warm the opposite sides for 1–2 minutes. Work in batches, adding the remaining measured vegan butter as needed.
- Keep warm for serving. Transfer cooked halves to serving plates while warm.
Finish and Serve
- Plate the French toast. Arrange four warm muffin halves on each of 4 plates, overlapping slightly. Spoon warm blueberry sauce over the centers, leaving the golden edges visible.
- Add cream and crunchy finish. Add lemon-vanilla cream alongside each serving and scatter maple-pecan streusel over the top. A little extra fresh lemon zest or a few fresh blueberries are optional.
Nutrition
Notes
Make ahead: Bake muffins a day before, cool completely and refrigerate airtight. With muffins ready, the remaining work takes about 30 minutes depending on pan capacity.
Protect the tender crumb: Slice completely cooled muffins. Dip only the exposed cut side for 1–2 seconds; a long soak makes them soggy or fragile.
Texture and serving: Cook the cut surfaces golden, keep the berry sauce spoonable, cool the toasted streusel until crisp, and add the yogurt cream and streusel just before eating.
Diet and allergens: Choose labeled vegan and gluten-free baking flour, certified gluten-free oats and suitable packaged soy milk, yogurt and butter. The recipe contains almonds and pecans; soy is included when using soy milk. Check all product labels for allergies.
Storage: Refrigerate cooked French toast, toppings and sauce separately for up to 3 days. Reheat the muffin halves in a skillet or air fryer. Plain fully cooled muffins can be frozen for up to 2 months.
Time and portions: The approximately 125-minute from-scratch estimate includes generous cooling time; actual time varies with how many muffin halves fit into your skillet. Four servings each receive four muffin halves (equivalent to two muffins) and one-quarter of the sauce, cream and streusel.
Nutrition: Nutrition values are estimates based on soy milk, soy yogurt and 2 tablespoons of skillet butter, with the optional almond extract and extra garnishes excluded. Ingredient brands, substitutions and the amount of custard used can change the values.
