Apple Muffins

I have a new favourite muffin recipe. It's a bit more work than my Madrigal Muffins, but sooooo yummy.

This is an adaptation from a recipe that appears in our family cookbook, but I've dialed down the sugar, upped the fiber, replaced butter with oil, changed the spices, and simplified the method.



Apple Muffins
Yield: 32 mini muffins, or 16 regular muffins

Metric	American	Ingredient
125 g	1 cup	whole wheat flour
160 g	1.25 cup	white flour
160 g	.75 cup	packed brown sugar
5 ml	1 teaspoon	baking soda
5 ml	1 teaspoon	ground cinnamon
3 ml	.5 teaspoon	ground ginger
225 gg	1.5 cups	diced apple
240 ml	1 cup	buttermilk (or milk, plus 2 teaspoons vinegar)
12 ml	.5 cup	oil
	1	egg, beaten
5 ml	1 teaspoon	vanilla extract or essence

Topping:

50 g	.25 cup	packed brown sugar
45 ml	3 tablespoons	flour
3 ml	1 teaspoon	cinnamon
15 ml	1 tablespoon	melted butter

1. Preheat the oven to 190C or 350F and prepare the muffin tins. I use muffin liners for regular muffins but butter the tin when making mini-muffins.
2. In a bowl, combine all the ingredients of the topping, mixing so that it clumps together. (I've been known to use my fingers to rub it all together.) Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking soda, spices).
4. Add the diced apple to the dry ingredients and mix.
5. In a smaller bowl or large measuring cup, mix the wet ingredients (buttermilk or clabbered milk, oil, egg, and vanilla).
6. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients all in one go, then mix only until all the dry ingredients are moistened. Do not over mix.
7. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tins, then sprinkle some of the topping over each muffin.
8. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the muffins are nicely risen and browned, and the tops of the muffins bounce back when gently pressed.
9. Let rest in the tin for a few minutes, then remove the muffins to a cooling rack.