I typically buy Blue Diamond’s Almond Breeze in unsweetened vanilla and love it, so when they offered the chance to try their new Almondmilk Cashewmilk blend, I jumped at the chance.
I got the unsweetened vanilla variety and seriously adore it. It’s so creamy and nutty. Perfect to top a snack-y bowl of cereal or wash down a dessert. And goodness knows I have a bunch of those hanging around the house; I added cookies, toffee, seven-layer bars, and more cookies yesterday!
But aside from that, I figured I could use it as a main ingredient in a slightly healthier baked good that I showed you yesterday.
Because while I pretty much always want some sweet carb-y goodness, I know that the best way to start most days probably isn’t with cookies for breakfast.
The solution? These muffins. Granted, they can be enjoyed any time of the day, but why not eat them for breakfast? They have delicious nutty flavor from the whole grain flours and almond extract, a little extra texture from the quick oats, and an addictive sweetness from the glaze. I could pour that glaze on pretty much anything.
Maple and almond is one of my favorite flavor combinations and I associate the winter months with maple-flavored treats. We might be having unusually warm weather, but it’s still winter, so I’ve been craving maple extra lately. Craving satisfied!
So, quick recap. These are:
- Healthier muffins
- Packed with comforting maple and nutty almond flavor
- Completely snack-able and perfect for breakfast
- Drizzled in the sweetest glaze
Basically, you want these in your life.
- Muffins
- 1 c. all-purpose or white whole wheat flour
- 1/4 c. oat flour
- 1/4 c. quick oats
- 1/2 T. baking powder
- 1/2 t. salt
- 1/4 t. nutmeg
- 1/4 t. ground cloves
- 1 t. cinnamon
- 3 T. unsalted butter, melted
- 3/4 c. Blue Diamond Unsweetened Vanilla Almondmilk Cashewmilk, room temperature
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1/2 c. pure maple syrup
- 1/2 t. vanilla extract
- 1/4 t. almond extract
- Glaze
- 1/2 c. powdered sugar
- 1/4 t. vanilla extract
- 1/4 t. maple extract*
- 2 T. Blue Diamond Unsweetened Vanilla Almondmilk Cashewmilk
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Generously spray a mini muffin tin with nonstick spray. You will end up with more than one tray's worth of batter, so you can either prepare a second tray or wait until the first one is done to bake the rest!
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, oats, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the melted butter, milk, egg, vanilla and almond extracts, and maple syrup.
- Pour the wet ingredients over the dry and stir until combined.
- Spoon about a tablespoon of batter into each mini muffin cup.
- Bake the mini muffins for 10-13 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the middle should come out with a few crumbs, but no raw batter and the edges will pull away from the sides.
- Allow muffins to cool in the tray for a couple minutes before removing to a wire rack.
- Combine powdered sugar and extracts in a small bowl as much as possible.
- Add the milk and stir until the sugar dissolves entirely. The glaze is not very thick. If you want it thicker, feel free to add a few extra tablespoons of powdered sugar.
- When the muffins are cool, dunk or drizzle them in the glaze. Enjoy!
- *Optional, but provides the excellent maple flavor I mentioned earlier. Almond or vanilla extract would also work!
- Muffins can be stored at room temperature for about 5 days. I also happen to like them cold, so if you're so inclined, they last in the refrigerator for a week.
Do you like dairy products in general?
Mini foods or “regular” size? I like mini foods because they’re cute. I more than make up for their size with the number I eat ?
What flavors do you associate with winter?
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Almond Breeze Almondmilk. Enter for a chance to win the Ultimate Kitchen Prize Pack, get great savings and ideas for delicious Blendabilities at AlmondBreezeBlendabilities.com. As always, all opinions are my own! I love these products, truly think they’re delicious, and wouldn’t have accepted the offer to write a post on them if I didn’t.
You packed a lot into these little muffins 😉 So cute!!
Thanks, Rebecca 🙂
I *love* dairy products, but they don’t love me (dairy intolerant), so I avoid them most of the time and only splurge every now and again. Giant sad face, though…my favorite non-dairy milk is almond, but I’m allergic to almonds too (non-fatally so, thankfully!). As such, I have to say that I really appreciate Blue Diamond’s forthright packaging saying that it is a cashew/almond blend. I had a bad experience with an inaccurately labeled blend milk (not Blue Diamond), so I am definitely a fan of Blue Diamond and their honesty. Now I’m just waiting for them to come out with a pure cashew milk (please, please?? ??)!
I don’t really care mini vs. regular, though I tend to think the mini version are just cuter, so I’d probably go for those. I have weird winter flavor associations…rosemary, mushrooms (though those are totally year-round eats for me), squash, sage, anything rich and creamy…as well as perhaps more standard ones like maple, peppermint and apple (my winter tastes are heavily influenced by fall as you can see ?). Weird how we have some flavors associated with seasons and others that we wouldn’t even think of having any seasonality at all!
Eeek I had some dairy issues at one point, but I’m super happy to say those seem to be mostly over. I can’t believe I didn’t realize you are allergic to almonds! Sorry about your bad experience 🙁
I agree about sage and creamy things for sure (though I also eat them any time). I love thinking about associations in general. They’re so strong and personal and hard to explain.
They’re so tiny, I’m pretty sur eI’d eat the entire batch. Love the recipe, Ellen!
It would be easy to do! Thanks, Julia!