Whole-wheat Apple Cinnamon Muffins
It is almost the end of March and we are still waiting for Spring to arrive. With the promise of a flurry of snow in the air, warmer weather seems like a distant dream now. Now that we are stuck at home due to yet another spell of cold weather (hopefully the last), I thought of baking some wholesome muffins to eat with our evening cuppa! And my 4.5 year old absolutely loves to have these for breakfast. So tomorrow there is going to be no fuss at the breakfast table.
As the warm aroma of the Apple-Cinnamon Muffins baking in the oven envelops me I am reminded of the long gone crisp autumn days. There is something about smell of cinnamon, and nutmeg that feels me with warmth. I use Apple Pie Spice in this recipe as well. Apple Pie Spice is a concoction of ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, ground allspice and ground ginger.
This recipe yields about 8 muffins.
Ingredients:
As the warm aroma of the Apple-Cinnamon Muffins baking in the oven envelops me I am reminded of the long gone crisp autumn days. There is something about smell of cinnamon, and nutmeg that feels me with warmth. I use Apple Pie Spice in this recipe as well. Apple Pie Spice is a concoction of ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, ground allspice and ground ginger.
This recipe yields about 8 muffins.
- Whole-wheat flour - 1 Cup
- Baking Powder - 1/2 tsp
- Baking Soda - 3/4 tsp
- Cinnamon Powder - 1 tsp
- Nutmeg - 1/4 tsp
- Apple Pie Spice - 1/2 tsp (if you do not have apple pie spice use 1/4 tsp of allspice)
- Salt - 1/4 tsp
- Egg - 1 (room temperature)
- Honey - 1/3 Cup
- Vanilla Extract - 1 1/4 tsp
- Oil - 1/2 Cup + 2 tbs
- Buttermilk - 1/4 Cup
- Apple - 3/4 Cup, peeled and chopped
Preheat oven to 350 F.
In a bowl, sift together the whole-wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon powder, nutmeg powder, apple pie spice and salt. In a separate bowl whisk together the egg, honey, oil and vanilla extract. Add the buttermilk. You can use store-bought buttermilk. I make mine at home.
For one cup of buttermilk: In a measuring cup add 2 tbsp of vinegar or lemon juice and then pour in milk till it reaches the 1 cup mark. Let it sit undisturbed for at least 15 minutes and you will have your buttermilk!
Now add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and fold in till just combined. Last goes the chopped apples. Once again, gently fold the pieces in.
The most important thing to keep in mind while making a muffin is perhaps the how its batter is prepared. It is called a 'muffin method' (used for making quick breads, pancakes, waffle batter) where the dry ingredients and wet ingredients are mixed separately first and then folded in gently till fully combined to prevent gluten formation.
Scoop in the batter in a muffin tip lined with cupcake liners. Bake for 14-16 minutes - use a toothpick to check for done-ness - it should come out clean. Cool and store in an airtight container. These should stay fresh for 4 days.
In a bowl, sift together the whole-wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon powder, nutmeg powder, apple pie spice and salt. In a separate bowl whisk together the egg, honey, oil and vanilla extract. Add the buttermilk. You can use store-bought buttermilk. I make mine at home.
For one cup of buttermilk: In a measuring cup add 2 tbsp of vinegar or lemon juice and then pour in milk till it reaches the 1 cup mark. Let it sit undisturbed for at least 15 minutes and you will have your buttermilk!
Now add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and fold in till just combined. Last goes the chopped apples. Once again, gently fold the pieces in.
The most important thing to keep in mind while making a muffin is perhaps the how its batter is prepared. It is called a 'muffin method' (used for making quick breads, pancakes, waffle batter) where the dry ingredients and wet ingredients are mixed separately first and then folded in gently till fully combined to prevent gluten formation.
Scoop in the batter in a muffin tip lined with cupcake liners. Bake for 14-16 minutes - use a toothpick to check for done-ness - it should come out clean. Cool and store in an airtight container. These should stay fresh for 4 days.
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