My whole family adores these strawberry vegan muffins, but I definitely love them the most. These muffins bring back childhood peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in a sophisticated and more nutritious way.
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.
In a large bowl, and using an electric mixer on high speed, beat the almond butter and oil until creamy. Add the maple syrup and beat until well combined. Add the applesauce and vanilla and continue beating until creamy.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon until well combined.
Add one-third of the flour mixture to the creamed mixture and beat on low speed just until combined. Add half of the almond milk and beat again. Add another third of the flour mixture, followed by the rest of the almond milk, and ending with the remaining flour mixture. Continue mixing just until the batter comes together. Do not over mix.
Using a small ice cream scoop or spoon, fill the muffin cups one-quarter full. Use the tip of a spoon to push the batter to cover the entire bottom and a little up the sides. Place 1 rounded teaspoon of jam in each muffin cup, trying to center it as much as possible. Top the jam with the remaining batter, making sure it covers the jam.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and spring back when gently pressed. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove and serve.
Notes
To make this gluten-free, replace the flour with 1 1/2 cups of gluten-free all-purpose flour.
Fill with the jam of your choice. I love the strawberry and almond butter combo but any jam will work well.
These freeze well in a freezer-safe container. Just thaw when ready to enjoy.