Seven Species Muffins

½ cup dried figs, chopped
½ cup dates, pitted and chopped
1 ¼ cups unsweetened almond milk
¼ cup applesauce
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
¼ teaspoon salt
⅓ cup olive oil (or substitute ⅓ cup unsweetened applesauce for oil-free)
½ cup organic cane sugar
⅔ cup organic brown sugar or coconut sugar
2 tablespoons Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer + 4 tablespoons water (or use your favorite egg replacer)
½ cup barley flour (or around 1/3 cup pearl barley blended or ground (re-measure after blending)
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon baking soda
¾ cup golden raisins (if hard, soak in hot water 10-20 min)
⅔ cup chopped walnuts
3 tablespoons sliced almonds
¾ cup pomegranate arils (seeds)

Optional topping:
Turbinado sugar, extra sliced almonds, or cinnamon sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit (218 degrees Celsius)
2. Blend the almond milk, apple sauce, vanilla extract, cinnamon, allspice, dates, and figs until smooth.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, both sugars, and thickened egg replacer. Add the mixture from the blender and whisk again.
4. In a large bowl, sift in the flour, barley flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Whisk to combine.
5. Add the pomegranate arils to the dry mix, tossing them well to coat them in the flour mixture.
6. Using a spatula, form a well in the center of the dry mixture. Pour in the wet mixture and scrape the sides of the bowl to get all of it. Gently fold the mixture together until just combined (don’t overmix).
7. Fold in the golden raisins, chopped walnuts, and sliced almonds. Gently stir to combine.
8. Add the mixture to a greased muffin pan or use liners (we used a silicone pan). Use a large cookie scoop to add enough batter so they look “domed.” This recipe makes around 12-14 muffins. If you have extra batter, add it to a greased ramekin and bake for a similar amount of time for a bonus treat.
9. Place the pan in the center of your middle rack. (Note: if you’re using a silicone muffin pan like we are, place it on an empty baking tray to allow for easy removal from the oven later.)
10. Close the oven door and immediately reduce the heat to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (191 degrees Celsius). This helps the muffins rise.
11. Bake 26-28 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
12. If you used a metal muffin pan, let the muffins cool for 10 minutes, then carefully remove from the pan and let cool completely on a wire rack (they are moist and can stick to the pan). If you used a silicone muffin pan, let the muffins cool 20-25 minutes in the pan and then let them finish cooling on a wire rack. If you remove them too early from a silicone pan you can tear the muffin as they’re quite fragile when hot.

1. Find more of Liz’s recipes at Zardyplants. This particular recipe is reprinted with permission from their e-book, Plant Based Jewish Recipes (Volume 2, estimated publication March 2024) by Liz and Paul Madsen. Follow them on Facebook and Instagram.
2. Recipe adapted from Tori Avey.