I usually make a mid-afternoon pot of coffee, enjoy a leisurely cup, and the rest is leftover, staring me down saying: “you’re wasteful, Ashlee.” Whoa. If this happens to you, you can do one of two things:
Action One: Decant the cooled coffee into a glass bottle or jug, add agave, cardamom, cinnamon, and almond or coconut milk to taste. Pop the lid on and shake, shake, shake. Put in the fridge and the next day, you have a delish iced coffee that’s ready for on-the-go enjoyment. -or-
Action Two: MAKE THESE. Pronto. Coffee is a wonderful sub for traditionally fattier ingredients and makes this muffin fluffy and a bit crunchy on the edges. The consistency of the muffins and icing turned out reminiscently donuty (donut or doughnut? I’m gonna use both). If you’re so inclined, or you want to gift to friends, by all means, pour the batter in a doughnut pan and go on with your bad self. I don’t have a doughnut pan (cue the violins), so I present to you…muffins.
Vegan Coffee Muffins with Mexican Cocoa Glaze
- Prep time: 20 minutes
- Cook time: 30 minutes
- Yields: 24 muffins
For the Glaze Icing
- 1/4 cup vegan margarine
- 3/4 cup unsweetened pure cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup warm, brewed coffee
- 1/3 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 – 2 cups powdered sugar (depending upon how thick you want your icing)
- Salt, to taste
- Optional: Pinch of cayenne, orange zest, cardamom, and/or almond extract to flavor more exotically
For the Muffin Batter
- 2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup warm coffee
- 1/2 cup vegan margarine (or coconut oil or your preferred baking fat substitute), melted
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- Generous dash of cinnamon
- Spray coconut oil, or your choice of veggie oil to grease pan
Place rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 12-cupcake tins with coconut oil or your choice of mist vegetable oil. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together coffee, melted vegan margarine, and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients, all at once to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. If the batter is too thick to pour easily, add a bit more coffee.
Pour the batter into the prepared cupcake pans. The batter will be relatively thick. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin comes out clean.
Single glazing gives just enough punch of flavor, while double glazing makes for more decadent, doughnut-like results.
For the icing, melt the vegan margarine and cocoa powder in a medium saucepan on medium heat, stirring consistently. Gently add the coffee and vanilla extract. While stirring, gradually add a bit of the powdered sugar to desired consistency (should still be liquid and viscous).
Remove muffins from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before icing. Drizzle icing or dunk into a larger batch of icing (especially fun with the donut version) and top with chopped pecans, coconut, orange zest, or whatever you please. Allow glazed muffins to cool on a cooling rack and serve. Or, if you’re particularly adventurous, double- or triple-glaze those puppies for a more decadent result.
Serve and make friends. Or just eat them all yourself. – Ashlee Piper
Ecorazzi covers news and gossip on celebrities and notables in support of the environment and humanitarian causes. You can follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
Image: emmadiscovery