Cinnamon Sugar Dipped Apple Muffins

Growing up, Zack had a few favorite foods, but I would say none has a more lore-like nostalgia in his mind than these apple muffins. Well, maybe Norwegian potato balls, but that's another post, and likely never will be. Anyway, back to apple muffins. I've heard of them many times in our five years of marriage, but until about a week ago I had never eaten one and didn't know what all the fuss was about.

Apple muffins? Doesn't really sound like anything special! But the thing is, these muffins bake up with the texture of cake donuts and once baked are rolled in melted butter followed by cinnamon sugar. Now I get it. Last week, Zack's brother gave me a photocopy of a very old and sacred recipe card. Armed with it, I baked these muffins for the first time on Tuesday morning. I sent them with him to work for the weekly treat, still warm from the oven. He emailed me with this report - "they are dead on - totally delicious". That made my day, really totally made it. The recipe card didn't talk much about the method and (GASP!) called for shortening, but I used butter, and regular muffin techniques apply. Here is my adapted version and method, just in time for you to make them for breakfast tomorrow morning.


Cinnamon Sugar Dipped Apple Muffins
adapted from Suzi Hubert's kitchen
makes 10 small muffins, you may want to make a double batch...

1/3 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 cup flour
1 3/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp fresh grated nutmeg
1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup peeled, grated Granny Smith apple

1/4 cup melted butter
Cinnamon sugar

Cream together butter and sugar for 2-3 minutes until fluffy. Add egg and mix till incorporated. In a seperate bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. Starting and ending with the flour, alternately add the flour mixture and the milk (will be 3 additions of flour and 2 of milk), mixing till just incorporated between each addition and occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl. After final flour is just mixed in, add grated apple and any juice and fold in until just combined.

Coat a muffin tin well with non-stick spray. Then use a regular ice cream scoop to distribute batter evenly to 10 spaces.

Bake for 20-25 minutes in the middle of your oven. Check after 20 minutes. Test with a toothpick. When it comes out clean, the muffin is done.

Melt 1/4 cup butter in a small bowl. Dip warm muffins, top and bottom and roll them liberally in cinnamon sugar. You can make the cinnamon sugar to your liking. I like lots of cinnamon so used about 2 tsp for 1/3 cup sugar.

Serve warm!