Malted Coffee Cake Muffins

I'll be moving in a few weeks. Right now, the exact date is not yet clear, but I know it is approaching quickly. I feel the need to let go of a few things in this move. Right now, my room is too stuffed with things. I need some space to breath, to be able to work more focused and freely. It is the same with my kitchen. My pantry is full, and my boyfriend always jokes about me having enough food on hand to survive a war. I don't want to be this person, having bags over bags of grains and legumes and flours as if I awaited this "next war".
These muffins were created in an attempt to use up some things I have in my pantry. They use some of the stranger flours I have and the malt powder I bought a while ago. I grew up drinking Ovoltine, and really, these malted muffins taste a bit like it in muffin form. But better. They are only lightly sweet because you replace some of the sugar with malt powder and they have a crackly top.



Malted Coffee Cake Muffins
recipe adapted from these coffee coffee cake muffins from Joy the Baker. The thing I here refer to as malt powder is also called malt extract. It is thought to be used in baking or to substitute sugar. I found mine at my local health food store.

70 g oil (I used refined coconut oil, the coconut scent of unrefined coconut oil would probably be too strong here)
1/4 cup almond milk (or any other milk)
1 tbsp ground flax seeds plus 2 tbsp water
60g red rice flour (or any rice flour or other flour you might have on hand)
70g all-purpose flour
60g sugar
40g malt powder
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp instant espresso powder mixed with 1 tablespoons warm water

For the Topping
3 Tablespoons cold, unsalted coconut oil (same as above, unfragrant would be better, these are not coconut muffins)
30g all-purpose flour
2 tbsp malt powder

Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C. Prepare your muffin pan, line the cups with liners.
Mix the ground flax seeds with the water and set aside. Also mix the espresso powder with the water. In a mixing bowl, mix all the dry ingredients. Stir together oil, milk, the flax mixture and the coffee.
Prepare the topping: add the ingredients to a small bowl, and rub it between your fingers until small crumbles form. (If you want a crumblier topping, you'll have to freeze it for 10 minutes or so, I think this should do the trick). Set aside.
Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients to form the batter.
Spoon the batter into the muffin pan and top it with the crumble.
Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Makes 6 muffins.