Recipe—Dutch Apple Pie Muffins

The last couple of weeks I have had some beautiful apples in my produce boxes. Not quite enough to make applesauce or an apple pie though. So I thought, why not try to whip up some apple pie muffins! This recipe calls for brown sugar rather than any white sugar giving them a rich caramel apple flavor. These are not your typical light and fluffy muffins, they are actually dense and really moist, sort of like a pound cake. A perfect treat to enjoy during chilly fall mornings with a big cup of joe. Not that we have had any mornings like that this season in California though. My Halloween decorations are up and I don’t think we have had a day under 90º. This girl is ready to break out her scarves and boots! Nonetheless, I will continue pretending like it’s fall weather when cooking in my kitchen. This weekend I am headed up to Apple Hill for our annual family pumpkin picking trip where I will be sure to get a big bag of apples. My next mission, crock-pot applesauce!

Note: This recipe makes one dozen delicious muffins.

TOPPING INGREDIENTS
1/2 c brown sugar
7 tbsp flour
1/4 c butter, softened
1 tsp cinnamon

MUFFIN INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 c brown sugar
2/3 c oil
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 c sour cream
2 1/2 c flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
2 c diced apples

STEPS

• Preheat oven to 350º.
• Grease your muffin pan or line with paper muffin cups.
• In a small bowl combine all topping ingredients and mix until crumbly. Set aside.
• In a large bowl mix together sugar, oil, egg, vanilla, and sour cream.
• In a separate bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
• Slowly stir the flour mixture into the batter until combined.
• Add the diced apples mixing until evenly distributed.
• Distribute the batter among the 12 muffin tins. It’s okay if they are fairly full. These do not swell up really big.
• Generously sprinkle the muffins with the topping.
• Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle.
• Allow muffins to cool in pan for 5–8 minutes before removing and then transfer to a cooling rack or cutting board.