Fall is my favorite season and what says autumn more than apples? I wanted to share with you one of my favorite apple recipes from my own kitchen. My family does not like apple pie, but they do really love my apple pie muffins that incorporate those delicious flavors of the apple pie with a simple crumb topping. If you happen to have an abundance of apples on hand, I highly recommend giving these apple muffins a try.
You can choose any kind of apples you like and we happened to have a large amount of Golden Delicious apples that worked really well in these. You just want to make sure that you select an apple that is sturdy enough and appropriate for baking. My usual selection in these apples is a Granny Smith because I love how the tart addition balances out the sweetness in these muffins.
The batter is sweet, but not too sweet, and the apples have a warmness to them thanks to the cooked apple and the cinnamon that is worked into the crumb topping and within the muffin itself. Serve these up with a big glass of milk and you have the makings of a perfect snack!
Apple Pie Muffins (Adapted from Food.com)
Crumb Topping:
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Muffins:
1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
2/3 cup canola oil
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk (I used 1 cup of regular milk and then added 2 tsp. white vinegar to sour it)
3 cups diced peeled firm tart apples
Topping: In a small bowl toss together sugar, flour, butter and cinnamon until crumbly; set aside. Muffins: In a large bowl whisk together brown sugar, oil, egg, cinnamon, and vanilla until smooth. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, soda and salt. Stir oil mixture into flour mixture alternately with buttermilk. Fold in apples, mixing just until combined. Spoon into greased muffin cups filling 3/4 full.
Sprinkle topping over evenly. Bake at 350°F for 25-30 minutes (mine took about 27 minutes) or until golden brown and tops spring back.
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Frozen Crumb Topping
Crumb topping is an easy recipe to double or triple for your freezer. I love to make a huge batch of this to keep on hand for topping any muffins we might be creating in our kitchen. When you want to use it for your next batch of muffins, just pull it out and use a fork to give it a scraping to loosen the topping. I find when it is frozen, it makes it even easier to get that delicious crumb effect on top. It is my favorite topper to these muffins and my banana crumb muffins and adds that bakery feel to any baked goods you might be making!
If you still have lots of apples on hand, I highly recommend giving some of these Apple Pork Chops a try! They are moist, sweet, savory and the perfect addition to your menu planner!
What are your favorite apple recipes? Feel free to share your links or ideas for using those apples in your house!