This time of year I find myself wanting to bake things that will fill my house with warm spicy smell of cinnamon and other fall spices. In spite of the fact that the weather is supposed to be in the 90’s this week, in my kitchen, at least, it feels like fall. Most of the baking I have been doing lately has been for all our holiday meals, but I decided to make these muffins “just because” and that made them an even more wonderful treat.
These apple crumb muffins are my favorite new fall indulgence. Sweet, moist with apple chunks, and topped with a crunchy cinnamon streusel, these feel like the kind of muffins you would find for sale at the farmstand in apple orchard, right next to the cider doughnuts. I have to admit that in my book it is a bit of a stretch to call these muffins, they really are mini cakes, sweet enough for dessert. They aren’t the wholesome whole grain muffins you pack in your kids lunch, but the special treat muffins that make your afternoon snack feel something decadent.
I adapted the recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction, making them both dairy and gluten-free, and they were still fantastic. The original recipe also had a vanilla glaze over the top of the crumbs but these were already more than sweet enough for me so I left the glaze out and none of us missed it at all.
Ingredients
1/3 cup (67g) light or dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon (15g) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup (60g) earth balance buttery sticks, melted
2/3 cup (84g) all-purpose flour*
1/2 cup (115g) earth balance buttery sticks
1/2 cup (100g) light or dark sugar
1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup (120g) plain or vanilla coconut yogurt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 and 3/4 cups (220g) all-purpose flour*
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup (60ml) non-dairy milk of choice (I used coconut)
1 and 1/2 cups peeled, chopped apple (2 small apples)
*to make these gluten-free substitute the same amount by weight of Authentic Foods Multi-Blend flour .
Preparation
Combine the sugars, the cinnamon, and margarine in a medium bowl. Gently stir in the flour until the topping is crumby. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 425F degrees. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners or grease it well. Have a couple of freestanding cupcake papers set aside for the overflow batter.
Place the margarine in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 15 seconds. Add the brown sugar and granulated sugar and beat on high until creamed, about 2 full minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the eggs, coconut yogurt, and vanilla extract. Beat on medium speed for 1 minute, then turn up to high speed until the mixture is combined and smooth.
Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk gently to combine. Add the milk, and gently whisk until the batter is just combined. Fold in the apples with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula.
Divide the muffin batter evenly between all 12 muffin tins. Each muffin should be almost all the way full. Place any remaining batter in the freestanding muffin cups. Press a handful of the crumb topping into the top of each.
Bake for 5 minutes at 425F degrees, then without removing the muffins from the oven, lower the oven temperature to 350F degrees and bake for 14-16 more minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
http://oldsite.couldntbeparve.com/2014/10/apple-crumb-muffins/
