[T]he leaves are beginning to change here; the fall foliage creeping in with vibrant bursts of crimson and golden yellow. Autumn has begun in fits and starts. It was in the mid-eighties today, a full twenty degrees warmer than just a few days ago. Summer’s last gasp. My culinary mind, however, is quite stubbornly set to autumn. The Swoon kitchen is filled with the aromas of fall baking, slow-braised stews and hearty, simmering soups.

[I]nspired by the start of apple season, I over-indulged at the market this week, tempted by the many lovely varieties, beautifully-stacked and practically glowing. Spoiled with apples year-round through the wonders of cold-storage, it’s easy to forget that apples have a season. But they are sweeter, fresher, crisper during the actual fall harvest season, beginning in early-September.

While apples are incredibly versatile in both sweet and savory dishes, the classic combination of apples with cinnamon and sugar is hands-down my very favorite. Sprinkled with a cinnamon-streusel topping and bursting with apple flavor, these indulgent little muffins are somewhere between breakfast and dessert and a sweet way to start the day.

Cinnamon-Streusel Apple Muffins
(Adapted from Epicurious)
Makes 12 muffins

Muffin Batter
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
8 tbs unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups apples, minced

Streusel Topping
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tbs all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbs unsalted butter, cold

1. Preheat oven to 375. Grease twelve muffin cups.

2. For the streusel: In a medium-sized mixing bowl, mix together the brown sugar, flour and cinnamon. Using a fork, cut in the butter, until combined, forming small pea-shaped pieces. Set aside.

3. In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves until evenly combined. Set aside.

4. Using a stand-up or hand-held electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about two minutes. With the mixer on low-speed, slowly add the eggs, and then the vanilla until combined.

5. Stir the apples into the wet ingredients. Slowly add the apple-mixture to the dry ingredients and stir to combine. The batter will be very thick.

6. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tins and top with a sprinkling of the streusel mix. Bake for 18-20 minutes until golden brown and a cake-tester comes out clean. Allow the muffins to cool for five minutes in the muffin tin before removing and cooling on a baking rack. Serve warm.

May We Also Recommend:

Classic Blueberry Muffins Spiced Apple Tartlets Zucchini & Apple Quick Bread Cinnamon Raisin French Toast with Berries and Almonds Aunt Marie’s Molasses Cookies

3 Comments

1. 

   Kristina

   March 19, 2013 at 10:19 pm

   Delicious muffins. Great pairing with a cup of tea on a cool morning.

   Reply
   • 

     Laura

     March 20, 2013 at 1:57 pm

     Thank you Kristina! They are perfect for breakfast…

     Reply

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