A Muffin That Tastes So Good, You Won't Believe It's Vegan

InStyle
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Credit: Dillon Burke

Being a vegan has its fair share of health benefits, but when it comes to baked goods, the absence of key ingredients (eggs, milk, and honey) can make everything taste, well, bland. But it doesn't have to be that way. New Yorkers are currently flocking by the dozens to Sweets by CHLOE, a new independent bakery from up-and-coming vegan chef and former Cupcake Wars champ Chloe Coscarelli, with menu optons ranging from cinnamon rolls to matcha chocolate babka (yes, that's a real thing).

Because not everyone is a whiz in the kitchen, we asked her camp for an easy variation on the unsung hero of their whole operation--the chocolate orange muffin--to make at home. "Orange and chocolate go so nicely together, but are sometimes viewed as an unexpected pairing," pastry chef Richard Leach tells InStyle. "To us, chocolate orange muffins are an ideal way to start your morning this fall." Paired with a piping hot pumpkin spice latte, we imagine. Read on for the full breakdown.

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Chocolate Orange Muffins

Makes: 2 dozen muffins

Ingredients

2 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup safflower oil
1 tbsp orange zest, packed
1 tbsp pure orange extract
1 cup chocolate chips*

*Note: Remember to check the ingredients for the chocolate chips to make sure they are vegan. We like Enjoy Life Dark Chocolate Morsels ($7/9 oz bag; shop.enjoylifefoods.com) and Kirkland Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips ($26/4 1/2 lb bag; amazon.com).

RELATED: Make Your Baked Goods Vegan with These Easy (and Delicious) Ingredient Swaps

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees

2. In one bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

3. In another bowl, combine the orange juice, safflower oil, orange zest, and orange extract.

4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until combined. Do not overmix the batter.

5. Stir in the chocolate chips until well combined.

6. Scoop the muffins into two lined muffin tins, top each muffin with sugar and a few chocolate chips and bake for 20 minutes. Let cook and serve!