Apple Cinnamon Muffins

September and October are perfect months to cook up a batch of Apple Cinnamon Muffins. Most recipes for muffins contain a lot of sugar as well as dairy & full gluten flour.  I have created this recipe to contain a minimum of sugar, no dairy (although I have left a butter option) . I have left a bit of dark brown sugar for the topping, however, just for the wonderful crunch that it gives when you bite in the Apple Cinnamon Muffin.

You can pick any type of apple you like, except Green Granny Smith, as they are not naturally sweet enough for this recipe.

The topping: you could choose to make these muffins without the extra work to create the topping but I am here to tell you that the  Cinnamon Crunch Topping is totally worth the effort.

This recipe make 12 good size muffins ,perfect for breakfast, snacks or entertaining , with a cup of tea.

Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Ingredients

For the Muffins

2 cups gluten free flour + 2 teaspoons for coating apples

1½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 cups diced apples

½ cup unsalted butter or dairy free margarine

1/3 cup granulated Stevia

2 large eggs-beaten

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

½ cup almond or oat milk

For the Topping:

1/2 cup butter or dairy free margarine, melted

1/4 cup dark brown sugar

1/8 cup ground cinnamon

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375º F. Either fill 12 muffin tins with paper muffin cups or spray muffin tins with non stick baking spray

Stir together 2 cups flour, baking powder, salt, and 2 teaspoons cinnamon in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Meanwhile, mix 2 teaspoons flour with 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Toss 2 cups of diced apples with the flour/cinnamon mixture to coat apples in a separate bowl. Set aside.

Cream together butter and granulated Stevia until light & fluffy. Add an egg, one at a time, taking care to fully incorporate before adding the other. Mix in vanilla.

Gently add in the flour mixture, alternating with almond/oat milk. Stir until just combined. Fold in diced apples and scoop mixture into prepared muffin tins, filling about 2/3 to 3/4 full. Bake approximately 30 minutes or until a in the middle comes out clean.

Prepare topping for muffins while the muffins are baking by melting the butter and allowing to cool slightly. Pour butter into a separate bowl sized easy for dipping tops of muffins. Mix together dark brown sugar and cinnamon in a separate bowl and set aside.

Once muffins have baked, remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly in the muffin tin. Once cooled slightly, remove each muffin and brush the butter on with a pastry brush and then into the cinnamon brown sugar mixture. Place onto a baking rack to finish cooling.

Notes:

Use a gluten free flour like Bob’s 1-1 to get a good consistency. I’ve also had good results with Robin Hoods gluten free flour for muffins (not for cakes though).

If you like even more of a cinnamon flavor you can increase the amount of cinnamon in the topping.

Do you love apples? Perhaps you’d like to try your hand at making a Perfect Apple Pie for a special dessert.