Apple Muffin Recipe

In my opinion, almost nothing is better on a crisp, cool fall day than a warm muffin, steaming between my chilled hands and smelling of cinnamon and toasted apples. It's practically the very essence of autumn!

This recipe is a family favorite in the back-to-school months; the smell of cinnamon and allspice would flood the kitchen as we arrived home from class.

Simple and delicious, these apple muffins were always in demand. Pick your favorite type of apples at an orchard with the family and whip up a batch of these fall harvest muffins!

Enjoy with a pat of butter and a hot mug of pumpkin spice cocoa.

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Line one muffin tin with twelve muffin papers. You can also spray your muffin tin directly with non-stick cooking spray and just avoid the muffin papers entirely, but I find that this causes the bottom and sides of the muffins to be a little more cooked than I would prefer.
3. Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl: flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, allspice and nutmeg. Mix together well.
4. Whisk together the apple juice (apple cider works just as well), vegetable oil, maple syrup, egg and imitation vanilla in a separate bowl. Set both bowls (dry ingredients and wet) aside.
5. Grate one large apple of your choice (I used Golden Delicious, but any type of apple will work) using a normal sized grater. You can peel the apple ahead of time, but I leave the peel in for added fiber and vitamins. You can drain off the juice, or add it if you prefer really moist muffins
6. Stir the dry ingredients and wet ingredients together until they're just mixed
7. Fold in the grated apple and the golden raisins. I tend to either skip the raisins or add a small amount because I don't like raisins, but my family insists the muffins taste better with them
8. Bake the muffins until the tops are golden brown, which is about 20-22 minutes. Alternatively, you can insert a toothpick to see if it comes out clean
9. Let the muffins cool for ten minutes before removing them if you used muffin papers, otherwise the bottoms will stick to the papers and your muffin will break in half. Muffins can be removed almost immediately if you used non-stick cooking spray.

Enjoy your apple muffins with other fall-inspired recipes, like pumpkin spice hot cocoa or pumpkin soup!

Stephens brand of Pumpkin Spice Hot cocoa is my favorite autumn drink alongside a fresh-from-the-oven muffin.