Sweet Treats and a Virtual Housewarming Party

As the weather fluctuates from warm, pleasant, and sunny, to freezing, gloomy, and dark (all in the matter of a few days!), I can't exactly say that I have been wanting to spend much time outdoors. However, being the busy, active person that I am, I refuse to just sit in the house doing nothing - I always have to be engaged in something productive, and moving around. To combat the "cold, dreary weather blues," I have been spending ample amounts of time in one of the places that allows me to be fully "in my element" and stress-free: the kitchen.

The kitchen is definitely my domain, since I have a cooking and baking addiction (as you may already know, if you've been following my blog); and as the weather cools down and the holiday season arrives, I cannot help but want to cook and bake even more (especially when I am free from classes, exams, and studying)! This past week, I had the chance to create three new muffin varieties, thanks to my family's input on ingredient/flavor choices; and one of these muffin varieties will be featured as part of a "virtual housewarming party" event! So grab a plate and a beverage-of-choice, as I share with you the latest sweet treats to emerge from my kitchen (I apologize in advance for the less-than-stellar quality of my photographs lately - my camera focus-lens has not been cooperating):



Many of the muffin varieties that I bake involve bananas in one way or another - I find that bananas serve as a lovely, flavorful "foundation" for muffins, and work well with many other ingredients (i.e. dried fruits, nuts, carob, etcetera). When I asked my family what type of banana-muffin they would like, I received many requests; however, my dad's request sounded the most intriguing to me, and perfect for the autumn season: Banana-Apple-Date Muffins. Ironically, the abbreviated title of these muffins turns out to be "B.A.D." Muffins; and while these muffins may taste as if they’re “bad” for you, they are actually quite the opposite!! They are perfect to enjoy at any time of day, and are a nice change from just a standard, plain banana muffin. Thanks, Dad, for this incredibly delectable new muffin variety! :0)

B.A.D. (Banana-Apple-Date) Muffins




• 1 cup whole wheat flour

• another 3/4 cup whole wheat flour

• 1 Tablespoon baking powder

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• 2 Tablespoons unrefined sugar

• 3 very ripe bananas, mashed

• 1 cup plain or vanilla non-dairy-milk (such as soymilk, ricemilk, oatmilk, etc. – I use oatmilk)

• 1/3 cup applesauce

• 2 Tablespoons agave nectar

• 1/4 cup dried apples, finely chopped

• 1/4 cup seedless dates, finely chopped


Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a muffin pan with cupcake/muffin cups. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and cinnamon, and mix well.

In another bowl, mash the banana with the sugar, non-dairy-milk, applesauce, and agave nectar. Add the chopped dried apples and dates to the wet mixture, and stir well to combine.

Pour the wet mixture into the flour mixture, and stir just until combined (do not overmix the batter). Pour into muffin cups and bake for 15-20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

Makes 12 muffins.





While it is true that my family and I can't get enough of the Pumpkin-Pecan-Raisin Loaf, we wanted to try a different type of baked good that incorporated at least the pumpkin. So, what better way to eat pumpkin than in a muffin? Yes, I know, this isn't very innovative; but I can honestly say that I have never eaten a pumpkin muffin before, so this idea appealed to me quite a bit. After stumbling upon a recipe for Pumpkin-Spice Muffins on the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine website, I knew it would be the perfect guideline for creating my own pumpkin muffin variation:


Pumpkin-Raisin Muffins


• 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

• 2 Tablespoons unrefined sugar

• 1 tablespoon baking powder

• 1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1⁄2 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1⁄4 teaspoon nutmeg

• 1 15-ounce can solid-pack pumpkin

• 1⁄2 cup raisins


Preheat oven to 375°F.

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl.

Add pumpkin, 1⁄2 cup of water, and raisins. Stir until just mixed.

Spoon batter into a muffin-cup-lined muffin pan, filling to just below tops.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until tops of muffins bounce back when pressed lightly. Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes.


Makes 12 muffins.


Now, I know what you're probably thinking, after reading through the ingredients list: only 2 tablespoons of sugar? no oil? water instead of nondairy-milk? and these muffins are supposed to taste good? I'll admit, I was skeptical at first; but considering I made two batches of these muffins within a matter of two days (since they're extremely popular in my household now), my skepticism quickly diminished - they're beyond scrumptious!! Don't believe me? Try them for yourself! And feel good in knowing that just one of these delicious, autumn-themed muffins supplies you with 4 grams of fiber, 3 grams of protein, and just 1 gram of fat - not bad for a baked good, eh?



Although the two previous sweet treats that I created do contain different ingredient/flavor combinations, I still wanted to venture out and create a completely new baked good variety; and, to stick with the baked-good-type theme, I made sure to bake a new muffin variety ;0)

One treat that I have not enjoyed in years is the classic campfire S'mores - you take a block of chocolate and a fire-roasted marshmallow, and sandwich them in between two graham crackers. I thought that I would never be able to enjoy this treat again (since marshmallows are definitely not vegan, and it's quite difficult to find vegan graham crackers); however, thanks to the Vegan Essentials online store, I was able to order a package of Sweet & Sara vegan marshmallows and Health Valley vegan graham crackers - how fun!! After these "I-can't-believe-they're-vegan" type of goodies arrived in the mail, I was more than ready to see how this new-muffin-idea of mine would turn out:


S'Mores Muffins

• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

• 1/4 cup powdered sugar

• 1/4 cup carob powder

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 5 Tablespoons applesauce

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• 1 cup plain or vanilla non-dairy-milk (such as soymilk, ricemilk, oatmilk, etc. – I use oatmilk)

• 1/4 cup carob chips

• 1/4 graham crackers, broken into small pieces

• 1/4 cup marshmallows, chopped



Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a large bowl, combine flour, powdered sugar, carob powder and baking soda, and mix well.

In a separate bowl, combine applesauce, vanilla, nondairy-milk, carob chips, graham cracker pieces and marshmallows, mixing well.

Combine wet and dry ingredients; do not overmix.

Bake for 15-18 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle of muffins comes out clean.

Makes 10-12 muffins.



After just one bite of this muffin, all I could say is, "WOW!!" - and my family wholeheartedly agrees. When you pull apart the muffin, a long ooey-gooey string of fluffy marshmallow attempts to keep each half of the muffin together; and the graham cracker pieces really work well in this muffin, since they are also a crucial element to the classic S'mores. And the carob? Well, I never had carob in S'mores way back years ago, when I used to eat S'mores around a campfire; but as an avid carob-eater, I can attest that it works sensationally in s'mores (at least, in these s'mores muffins)!!

Since these muffins were such a hit with me and my family, I knew that they would be the perfect baked good to "share" with one of my fellow bloggers, Peabody. In order to celebrate moving to a new home with her fellow bloggers, she is hosting a "virtual housewarming party," and has asked her "guests" to "bring" some sort of dish or treat for the occasion. So, what better way to welcome someone into their new home than with a decadent-tasting, twist-on-a-classic-treat baked good? And since Peabody herself is always coming up with innovative ways to showcase a classic treat/dessert, I felt that these muffins were my own attempt at trying to bake more creatively. I hope that Peabody (and all her other guests, for that matter) enjoy my S'mores muffins at the "virtual housewarming party" - I can't wait to see what others "bring" for the celebration! ;0)

Even though the weather is quite unpredictable these days, my love for (and frequency of) baking will certainly not be unpredictable - in fact, I can guarantee that I will be baking more sweet treats very soon. I hope that all of you get a chance to indulge in some sweet treats as well, to get through these dreary, crazy weather conditions!