cinnamon apple muffins

Oh cinnamon apple muffins, you are so yummy in my tummy. Miam miam miam.

I never really make muffins because no one eats them in my house, but I had a bunch of apples at one point that were starting to get a little mushy so I decided to mixed them in some muffins instead of a pie, because well, I didn’t really feel like rolling out dough, ok? They were so easy to make and their moist centres allowed them to be eaten up in right away, which made this baker very happy :) 

What is it about muffins that make them so good? Probably the fact that you can make so many variations just by changing the fruits or adding nuts. Basically, as long as you have one good base recipe for muffins, that’s all you need. Don’t go around wasting your time looking for a million different recipes, when all you really need to do is use your imagination and add whatever flavour you want. Yes, baking is definitely a science and you should always measure your ingredients precisely, but things like fruits, nuts and oats…it won’t matter that much if you miss your count a little, so be creative! This recipe can easily be made with plums, cranberries, blueberries, peaches, nectarines…you name it. Now get baking!

Cinnamon Apple Muffins

Yields 10-12 muffins (depending on how many apples you add)

Ingredients

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for pan
¾ cup sugar, plus 2 tablespoons
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus ¼ teaspoon
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, room temperature
¾ cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 medium apples (I like McIntosh), cored, peeled (if you want) and sliced into cubes

Procedure

Preheat oven to 375^oF. Grease and flour 10 cups of a standard muffin pan. Melt the butter and set aside. Mix 2 tablespoons of the sugar and ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, ¾ cup sugar and ½ teaspoon cinnamon. In a separate medium bowl, whisk the eggs, milk and vanilla and then whisk in the melted butter (use a rubber spatula to scrape down all the melted butter). Using the spatula, fold the egg mixture into the flour mixture until evenly incorporated. (Note: folding does not mean whisking or beating! Do it slowly but make sure all the ingredients are well mixed). 

Spoon the batter evenly in the prepared muffin pan, filling about 2/3 of the way. Place the cubed apples into each pan and use a spoon to mix them into the batter just a little but still have some poking through the surface (just make sure they aren’t completely exposed otherwise your apples will burn). Sprinkle the tops with the prepared sugar and cinnamon mixture. 

Bake, about 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean and the muffins look puffy and golden brown. Place the pan on a wire rack and allow to cool about 5-10 minutes, then turn them out onto the rack and let cool a bit more. I usually can’t wait too long so I like to eat them when they are still slightly warm and moist! Mmmm.