Apple Cinnamon Muffins

[clevermanka]

Most of the time my recipe posts are concoctions I've come up with myself. Occasionally I'll post an unoriginal recipe for posterity (the scones) or out of amazement (the donut muffins). This one is a modification from a vintage cookbook.

Apple Cinnamon Muffins
1 c whole wheat graham flour
1/2 c all-purpose unbleached flour
2 1/4 t baking powder
1/4 c Splenda
1/4 c sugar
1/2 t salt
1 t cinnamon
1 egg
1/2 c milk
1/4 c oil
1 apple, diced
1/2 c chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 400F.

Combine dry ingredients, mix well. Beat egg, milk, and oil together. Add to dry ingredients. Mix gently until incorporated. Stir in apples and walnuts.

Spoon into oiled muffin pan, or use silicone cups.

Bake 30 minutes.

Makes 1 dozen muffins.

Heavily modified from Meta Given's The Modern Family Cook Book, 1942. It was originally a streusel-topped coffeecake.

Comments

[theoneinblue.livejournal.com]

Mmmm...those look super yummy, and I've been looking for ways to use the graham flour that T. accidentally bought a while back...this may be a project for tomorrow if we have another ice day...

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

I've been using graham flour a lot lately. It combines nicely with all-purpose flour in ways that stoneground whole wheat just doesn't.

FYI, I made Toll House Cookies last night using 1/2 and 1/2 graham flour/all purpose flour and they came out great. Very different texture, but quite tasty. I also subbed some Splenda for the sugar (1/2 c Splenda to 1/4 c sugar for both the white and brown sugars)--but I don't know if you do the artificial sweetener thing...

[theoneinblue.livejournal.com]

Hmmm...I may have to experiment more with the graham flour. But the Splenda makes me a tad uneasy...I'm not supposed to be eating artificial sweeteners right now anyway, but I'm also sort of a purist that wants the real thing, even if I have to eat the end product in smaller quantities...but where does Splenda stand in the line-up of artificial sweeteners? Scary? Better than most? No brain damage-causing agents or cancer carcinogens?

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

It depends on who you talk to about safety and artificial sweeteners of any sort. Use the full sugar if you want, that's fine!

[theoneinblue.livejournal.com]

Ah, actually, I found some Splenda in my cabinet from a pie-making experiment for a neighbor with diabetes some months ago...I'll go ahead and try the recipe as it is, and see how it turns out...

What are the odds...

[wyckedgood.livejournal.com]

Of 2 completely unrelated folks on your friends list posting apple muffin recipes on the same day? LOL

In case you were wondering...

[wyckedgood.livejournal.com]

These muffins though, I adore. They're definitely, recognizably cake muffins, but they won't put you into a diabetic coma, or leave your kids vibrating in a sugar rush for the whole morning.

Preheat your oven to the temperature of Food -- call and ask your grandma if you don't know what that is, -- then start with the dry ingredients in your mixer bowl:

2 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup oat bran
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger.

Run the mixer on low to combine these relatively evenly.

Now add in your wet ingredients;
2/3 oz Greek yogurt -- I used nonfat, but if you want, you can use plain yogurt if it's easier.
1/2 cup cooking oil -- canola, sunflower, wesson, whatever you got that's not sesame or olive.
4 eggs
2 cups unsweetened applesauce
1 cup honey

Mix until the lot resolves into a nice batter, then add;
1 cup dried cherries
1 cup rough-chopped walnuts
2 - 3 tablespoons buckwheat groats. I put these in for added crunch, and because I love buckwheat, but if you don't have or cannot find them, then just leave them off, and add in more flour if the batter seems to need it.

Line your muffin tin -- either with pre-formed paper cups, or if you've traveled recently in New Zealand, form your own cups out of squares of baking parchment, -- then ladle your batter in. These muffins rise, so don't fill up the space, or you'll be cleaning up a mess afterward.

In my oven, these want about 25-30 minutes, but depending on altitude, you'll probably want to start checking on them at around 20. When you can stab a toothpick into the centre of each, and it comes out without batter sticking to it, they're done. This recipe makes 18 good size muffins for me, but with smaller muffin tins, it could stretch to 24 pretty easily. And, since they're made with honey they'll keep longer in the fridge. Assuming you don't nom them all soon as they get out of the oven, that is. Trust me, that's easy to do.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Those sound great! Except for the cup of honey. Whoa. Over 1,000 calories in a cup of honey. I wonder if halving that would affect the texture outcome.

They do sound good...

[wyckedgood.livejournal.com]

Good point on the honey....I wonder if the honey is acting as a cohesive maybe?

[theoneinblue.livejournal.com]

Pretty good! The graham flour seems to make them very crusty - they strike me as particularly breakfasty or snacky in the afternoon with hot tea or milk...tasty!

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you liked them! I like the texture graham flour gives to baked goods much more than the dense heaviness of stoneground whole wheat.