Pumpkin Apple Muffins
I love fall. I love the break from the 100 degree days. I love the crunch of leaves under my feet as I walk my oldest to school. I love the hint of winter that floats in the cool, crisp breeze. I love back-to-school supplies, Halloween, pumpkin patches, and snuggling under piles of blankets in bed. But, most of all, I love pumpkins.
Pumpkin, to me, is the perfect fall flavor. When I taste it, I taste fall and I will take fall in any form I can get: muffins, breads, lattes. You can bet, then, that I was ecstatic to find this recipe on Allrecipes.com. It combines two of my favorite fall experiences: pumpkins and the use of our many apples from apple picking.
I used my magic modification skills and came up with an even healthier version of this recipe:
Laura’s Apple-Pumpkin Muffins
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour OR a combination of white and whole wheat flour
2 1/2 cups white sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon flax seed
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
2 eggs
1 cup canned or cooked pumpkin
1/2 cup applesauce OR oil
2 cups apple, peeled and shredded
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin pan with paper liners or grease well.
2. Sift together the flours, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, flax seed and sugar into a large bowl. Add the shredded apple. (I shred the apple right into the bowl.) Set aside.
3. In a smaller bowl, add the eggs and beat lightly. Add the applesauce/oil and pumpkin. Mix well.
4. Add the pumpkin mixture to the dry mixture and stir until just mixed. Spoon into the muffin tins.
5. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
Notes
Topping: I added an optional streusel topping of 1/4 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 2 tablespoons white flour, and four teaspoons cold butter. Mix the ingredients in a small bowl, using your fingers to cut and crumble the butter together. Sprinkle over the muffins before baking.
When I used whole wheat flour, I used a half and half mixture of applesauce and oil to make it a little more moist.
Makes: 18-24 regular muffins
Photo Credit: naneki
About the Author - Laura
Walden Mommy: Life Behind the Red Front Door
Laura is the mother to a herd of four small children, wife to her Engineer Husband, and owner of a pesky dog. She blogs about her life in the Midwest at Walden Mommy: Life Behind the Red Front Door.
