Falling for Fall

Oh autumn. The rusty orange leaves, the gray morning fog, the briskly blowing breezes… Yeah, I could do without the last two. While they give me the perfect excuse to curly up inside with a fuzzy fleece blanket, I much prefer other reminders of the changing seasons. Ones that warm my bones instead of freezing them stiff and solid.

 

Like pumpkin. Pumpkin bread, pumpkin pie, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin cheesecake… Or ginger. Gingerbread, gingersnaps, gingerbread cookies… Or apples.  

 

Although many other bakers associate apples with pie, I already made mine a while ago (in the spring, shh!) and instead turned to a spicy muffin recipe. After stirring up a cloud of cinnamon, I popped the batter into the oven. Twenty minutes later, I burned my tongue on the first bite—but oh was it worth it!

 

 

Apple and Cinnamon Muffins

modified from Baking Made Simple

makes 8 muffins

These made my house smell like fall! If they don’t disappear as soon as you pull them out of the oven, store in an airtight container and reheat them for 15-20 seconds in the microwave.

muffins

1 c. whole-wheat flour

1½ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

2 tsp ground cinnamon

¼ c. sugar

½ c. milk

1 egg

3 tbsp plain nonfat yogurt

½ tsp vanilla extract

1 medium eating apple, diced

 

topping

4 tsp light brown sugar

½ tsp ground cinnamon

 

1. Preheat the oven to 400° and lightly coat 8 muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray.
2. To prepare the muffins, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and sugar in a large bowl. In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, yogurt, and vanilla. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and add in the wet, stirring just until incorporated. Fold in the apple. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cups.
3. To prepare the topping, stir together the brown sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle over the tops of the muffins. Bake the muffins at 400° for 18-23 min or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 5 min before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

 

 

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