Mary Anne’s Top-of-the-Morning Apple Muffins - KTUL.com - Tulsa, Oklahoma - News, Weather & Sports

Light, moist, and delicious describe these apple muffins. Perfect muffin for those busy, on-the-
go mornings. These make a wonderful healthy snack, too.

 

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup whole-wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg or cardamom

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 large eggs

1 cup apple butter or applesauce

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup buttermilk, recipe for homemade buttermilk below

2 medium Gala or Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored and chopped into 1/4-inch pieces

1/2  cup toasted pecans, optional

 

Streusel Topping: (Optional)

4 Tablespoons packed brown sugar

1/4 cup toasted chopped pecans, plus one tablespoon

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus a little more if you want a more cinnamon-y flavor

Pinch freshly grated nutmeg, optional

2 Tablespoons melted unsalted butter

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a 12-capacity muffin or cupcake tin with cooking spray or line tin with cupcake liners. Note: I like to line with cupcake liners to insure they come out easily.
• To make the optional streusel topping, in a small bowl, combine all the ingredients and stir until well combined and crumbly. Set aside.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose and whole-wheat flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
• In a large bowl, stir the brown sugar and oil until combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, stirring well after each addition. Add the apple butter or applesauce and vanilla and stir well.
• Stir in half of the flour mixture and then add half of the buttermilk to the apple butter or applesauce mixture. Repeat with other half of flour mixture and buttermilk. Stir until combined.
• Gently stir in the apple pieces and toasted pecans, if using. Pour the batter into the prepared muffin or cupcake tin and sprinkle with about one tablespoon of the streusel topping, if using.
• Tap the pan on the counter a few times to remove any air bubbles. Bake about 15 to 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center of muffins comes out clean.
• Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. If you did not use cupcake liners, run a knife around the muffins to loosen them and unmold. Cool completely on the rack.

Makes 12 to 16 muffins, depending on if you use muffin or cupcake tin.

Note: You can omit topping altogether, or you can half the recipe, thus not using as much topping; you can top just with toasted pecans.. The choice is yours.

Note: I have also made these muffins using the 6-capacity cupcake tin. I don't feel as guilty eating one large muffin than two or three smaller ones! I do bake them longer, though.

Note: I often keep powdered buttermilk and make buttermilk according to the directions on the
package. That way I don't have to keep buttermilk on hand or you use the recipe below to make a buttermilk substitute.

 

Homemade Buttermilk:

1 Tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice

1 cup milk, minus 1 Tablespoon

• Place white vinegar or lemon juice in a liquid measuring cup. Add enough milk to bring the liquid up to the one-cup line. Let stand for five minute. Then, proceed with your recipe. If you have heavy cream in the refrigerator, then you can make real buttermilk.