Applesauce Muffins

2 toddlers sitting in an apple orchard

Apple Season is Here!

When my oldest son was a year old, our family packed up our essentials and moved to Montreal QC for nine months with my husband’s job.  That October, we spent our weekends driving through country roads, admiring the foliage and stopping at orchards to pick the most delicious apples we’d ever had!  Apple season has always been a favorite time of year for me.  The leaves are turning, temperatures are cooling off, and holiday season is around the corner!  Produce just tastes better when it’s eaten in the season that it was intended to grow in.  Nature knows just the right amount of sunlight and rain to make apples taste heavenly in the fall!  My boys love trying the different varieties: Sweet Tango, Granny Smith, Pink Lady, and our current favorite Envy Apples.

Fall is in the Air

While I do love a good pumpkin chocolate chip bread, you’re more likely to find applesauce muffins around our house in the fall.  The combination of apples, cinnamon, and maple syrup makes the house smell heavenly!  I usually have all the ingredients on hand in my pantry and fridge, so they’re quick to throw together for play dates when my kids show up with a friend or two after school. If you do happen to have tons of apples on hand and want to make your own applesauce, here's a great recipe from The Food Blog. I do love that they’re made with natural sweeteners and don’t need any white or brown sugar unless you want to garnish them right before baking.  These muffins are great for breakfast on the go or to throw into kids' lunchboxes!  Gluten free flours sub in perfectly here too!  For allergy concerns, you can easily sub in coconut oil for butter or almond milk as a non-dairy milk option.  Looking to avoid nuts?  Add raisins or chopped apples instead!  And if you’re worried about choking hazards with little ones, just skip the add-ins all together.  

 

Applesauce Muffin Recipe

ingredients for applesauce muffins: applesauce, whole wheat flour, eggs, maple syrup, oats

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • ⅔ cup quick cook oats
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ¾ tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 ⅓ cups unsweetened applesauce
  • 2 large eggs
  • ⅓ cup butter, softened
  • ⅓ cup milk, room temperature
  • ⅓ cup 100% maple syrup
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
  • Optional: 3 Tbsp quick cook oats and 2 Tbsp sugar for garnish

    Directions:

    1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  Spray a 12-count muffin tin with nonstick spray, or fill with cupcake liners.  These muffins can be sticky so give a light spray to your cupcake liners just to be safe!
    2. Combine dry ingredients and set aside: flours, oats, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
    3. In a separate bowl, combine wet ingredients: applesauce, eggs, butter, milk, maple syrup, vanilla.  Mix well.
    4. Adding about ½ cup at a time, stir in the dry ingredients.  Mix well.  Gently fold in the chopped pecans or walnuts.
    5. Spoon into the muffin tins, filling each one evenly and close to the top.  If desired, garnish with extra oats and a pinch of sugar.
    6. Bake for 5 minutes at 425, then reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F (do not open the oven).  This caramelizes the garnish and gives an amazing taste and texture!  Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.
    7. Allow muffins to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing.  Transfer to a cooling rack and enjoy with a warm cup of tea!
    Fresh applesauce muffins and apple slices
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