Apple Cinnamon Muffins
This recipe was adapted from another recipe to make it allergy free. The muffins are quite delicious and make for great snacks, breakfast, or even a light dessert. Give them a try!
Apple Cinnamon Muffins
1 3/4 cup Flour (gluten free)
1 1/2 tsp Baking powder
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Baking soda
1/2 tsp Salt
1 cup Apple (grated)
1 cup Apple (diced in 1/4" cubes)
1/3 cup Coconut oil* (melted)
1/2 cup Maple syrup**
2 Flax eggs***
1/2 cup Milk**** (dairy free)
1 1/2 tsp Vinegar
1/2 cup Applesauce
1 tsp Vanilla extract
1 Tbsp Raw sugar (for sprinkling on top (optional))
Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Combine the dairy-free milk and vinegar, and set aside to allow it to combine.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.
Prepare the apples by grating and chopping them. Set aside.
In a medium sized bowl, combine the coconut oil, maple syrup, flax eggs, vanilla, applesauce, and the milk mixture.
Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients, and stir until well combined. Add in the apples, and stir briefly.
Pour the batter into greased or lined muffin tins, sprinkle with sugar, and bake for 13 to 15 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted.
Let the muffins cool for a few minutes before removing them from the tins and serving.
*You can use olive oil in place of coconut oil if desired.
**Honey can be used in place of maple syrup, but it makes the muffins brown faster, so you will need to bake the muffins at 325°F for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick can be poked into the center of the muffin and come out clean.
***To make flax eggs combine 1 Tbsp ground flaxseed meal with 3 Tbsp water for each egg. Let the mixture sit in the fridge for 15 minutes before using.
****The dairy free milk and vinegar are used to create a buttermilk-like substitute for greek yogurt. If you do not have a dairy allergy, you can simply use 1/2 cup of plain greek yogurt.
Notes:
I decided to make both mini muffins and regular muffins. I thought the mini muffins would take less time to cook, however, I ended up leaving them in for the full 15 minutes. The normal sized muffins took a bit longer. I was worried they would start to burn so I covered them with aluminum foil after the first 15 minutes and left them in for another 5-10.
After making the first tray of mini muffins and normal sized muffins, I had enough batter to make 1 more tray of mini muffins. Since the others had just barely seemed cooked after 15, this time I started off covering the tray with foil for 12 minutes, then removed it and baking for another 8. Total time for this round of mini muffins was 20 minutes. I didn’t see much difference in the “doneness.”
Everyone who tried these liked the flavor. The grated apples were a nice touch because it felt like the apple flavor got distributed better than with some other recipes. I also thought the maple syrup gave plenty of sweetness and additional flavor. The mini muffins worked much better than the big muffins because they definitely seemed baked all the way through. The big muffins were a little too dense, and tasted a little too doughy even though I baked them longer than the recipe stated.
My coworkers sampled some of the mini muffins, and the main notes I got were about the apples. A few commented that the muffins could use a few more apple chunks, and another noted that adding some chopped nuts or dried fruit could help counteract the slightly doughy flavor. My coworkers did not try the larger muffins, but commented that they could see how anything bigger than a mini muffin would not necessarily cook all the way through.
Adapted from: https://cookieandkate.com/2016/healthy-apple-muffins-recipe/