Cinnamon Sugar Apple Doughnut Muffins

Parenthood routinely puts me in my place. Any time I think I’ve got things under control, the kids show me otherwise. I plan a fun-filled weekend for the kids and it is, as planned, super fun. But then the next morning they have a fun hangover and are doing their best Incredible Sulk aaallll day. In an attempt to keep them occupied, we decide to bake some apple muffins which is also awesome because it covers breakfast for the week. Double win! And then the little one has a random accident on the stairs despite being potty trained for a pretty long time now. Yeeeaaahhh. Some or all of these things may have happened over the weekend. Tip of the iceberg.

I was happy to have these muffins around as a late afternoon snack, especially after completely forgetting lunch. They taste more like an apple doughnut or an apple fritter but they are whole grain and not as indulgent as they seem. A nice little consolation while waiting to see where things will go next.

Prep 20 minutes
Cook 35-40 minutes
Yield about 14 muffins

Ingredients

For the apples:

5 medium apples, peeled and sliced
1½ tbsp. unsalted butter*
1 tbsp. granulated sugar
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt

For the muffins:

1 cup oat flour*
¾ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup whole wheat flour
¼ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
¾ tsp. kosher salt
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. grated nutmeg
6 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
¾ cup milk
½ cup low-fat greek yogurt (or sour cream)
1 large egg

For the topping:

3 tbsp. melted butter*
¼ cup granulated sugar
¾ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. grated nutmeg

Directions

01
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the sugar, cinnamon and salt. Add the apples to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until the apples are tender and browned, about 15-20 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly. When cool, transfer to a cutting board and coarsely chop.
02
Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Grease muffin tins or line with paper liners. In a large bowl, combine the flours, sugars, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Whisk to blend. In a liquid measuring cup, combine the melted butter, milk, yogurt, and egg. Whisk until well blended. Pour the liquid mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients and fold together just until incorporated and no dry streaks remain. Fold in the chopped apples.
03
Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin pans filling each about 2/3 of the way full. Bake, rotating halfway through the baking time, until the muffins are lightly browned and just set, about 20-22 minutes total. Let cool in the pans about 5 minutes, gently remove from the pans and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
04
To finish, melt the butter in a small bowl. Combine the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg in a small bowl and whisk until evenly combined. Dip the top of a muffin in the melted butter, then into the cinnamon-sugar mixture to coat with a thin layer. Repeat with the remaining muffins.
05
Note:
- If you cannot find oat flour or would prefer not to purchase it, you can grind oats in your food processor until finely ground and use that instead.
- I haven’t tested it out yet, but I suspect refined coconut oil would work well as a sub for the butter.

Source

slightly adapted from Good to the Grain by Kim Boyce