Dreary Day Baking... Apple Muffins!

Apple Muffins

On dreary days I like my house to smell like soups and breads and the benefit is the warmth of the oven warming my house and yummy food for my family to eat!  I love to cook & bake and winter time it is so much easier because it is chilly outside and makes it feel so warm and cozy inside!  One of my family's (and friends) favorite recipe is my apple muffin recipe.  It is an easy recipe and it is great for fall and winter when the apples are in season.  I like cooking and baking in season because it makes the season more enjoyable and of course it is more sustainable.

So first of all check out my table cloth... Yep it is still my Christmas one!  I guess I better put that one away and get out my snowman table cloth!  On a side note, my kids & I keep up our snowmen and one strand of Christmas lights.  Since my birthday is in late February I like keeping up my favorite thing which is snowmen!  Anyway, these apple muffins are a great treat!  Lukas & Elsie eat them like dessert and they do not last more than a day... maybe 2!

I prefer making mini muffins because when you cook without oil, eggs and white flour they tend to be gummy in the middle when they are bigger muffins.  But I do make the regular size muffins I just bake them longer. And my kids think bite size muffins are a staple in our home!

All the ingredients.  I use homemade applesauce so there is no added sugar.  And if you have a problem with cinnamon just use 1/2 cardamon & 1/2 coriander as a substitute.  And I use dark brown sugar because I like the flavor better.

You can shred the apple any way you like.  I use my twister jar from my Blendtec and I pulse shred it.  A cheese grater would work or a food processor.  I usually leave the skin of the apples on because it adds fiber.

Apples all mushy and shredded.  I did it in 2 batches so I did not over load my jar.

I like to mix all the wet ingredients together first and then I add the dry ingredients one at a time.  But you can also add all the dry ingredients together and add the wet ingredients one at a time.  It does not matter since you are not baking with eggs.

All mixed up and ready!

24 mini muffins.  I will share a nice trick for anyone who is OCD... I use a 2 TBS ice cream scooper so the muffins are relatively the same size and it is less mess.  And then my kids can help too.

And this scooper is a 1/2 cup one.  It just makes the muffin making much faster and it is easier.  I love being in the kitchen but I like to be efficient too.  I like to eat so the quicker the better!

Apple Muffins

2 flax eggs (2 TBS ground flax seed + 6 TBS water)

¾ c applesauce

1 tsp vanilla

2 c shredded apples w/juice

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

1 TBS cinnamon (or 1 ½ tsp coriander + 1 ½ tsp cardamom)

¼ c dark brown sugar or ¼ c maple syrup or honey

3 c whole wheat flour (fresh ground)

Instructions

1. Mix wet ingredients together in a large bowl.
2. Mix dry ingredients one by one into the wet ingredients and mix well.
3. Bake in a preheated oven for 20-25 minutes.
4. Makes 48 mini muffins or 18-24 muffins.

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Ready to devour!

My big boy helper!

My big girl helper!  Another good reason for the little ice cream scooper so the kids can help.  :)  It's a win, win for Mama!

Enjoy warming up your house and your tummy!