muffins are one of my favorite foods these days. i love that they make for a quick, portable breakfast, an easy snack, or even (if served with a bit of ice cream or yogurt), a delicious dessert. while my favorite types of muffins are admittedly ones overflowing with chocolate or nutella, i try my best to eat slightly healthier than that most days. and these whole wheat apple muffins are absolutely scrumptious, with far less “guilt” than the dessert-type muffins I normally go for.
the recipe comes from vegetarian blogger (real-life friend) lesley eats – i’ve had a lot of success with her recipes, so i was confident that these would turn out deliciously. and you know what? they did! these muffins are wonderfully light, with a slightly sweet cinnamon-apple flavor, and a delightful bit of texture + heft from the apples + oats. oh, + the brown sugar topping? it bakes up wonderfully sweet + crunchy – soooo addictive. i’ve been eating at least 1 muffin a day since I baked them, which means I’m already down to my last few muffins. looks like it’s time to make another batch!
Whole Wheat Apple Oat Muffins
makes about 14 muffins, adapted from King Arthur Flour, as seen on Lesley Eats
ingredients
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed, divided into two 1/4 cups
1 large egg
1 cup (8 ounces) milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large apples, peeled, cored, + chopped into small cubes (about 2 to 2 1/2 heaping cups), preferably Honeycrisps, Fujis or Galas – I used Galas.directions
preheat the oven to 450°F. grease + flour the cups of a muffin tin (or use muffin cup liners) + set aside.
mix together the flours, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, allspice + cinnamon, + set aside. in a separate bowl, cream the butter + sugars until fluffy. add the egg + mix well. add the milk + vanilla + mix again. then add the dry ingredients, mix + fold in the apple chunks with a spatula (by hand).
divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling to the top of the cup, sprinkling the remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar on top (about 1 teaspoon per muffin). bake for 10 minutes, turn the heat down to 400°F, + bake for an additional 5 – 7 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. cool the muffins for 5 minutes in the tin, then remove them to a wire rack to cool completely.