Another Yummy Muffin, Please!

Our friends John and Nancy visited us this weekend ... we had such a great time catching up and laughing over old times during 'the college years' ! Sitting with muffins and coffee was a perfect way to start Saturday morning. Thankfully, I'd planned ahead for breakfasts and had a platter of muffins ready for warming up. Nancy liked them immensely!

These muffins come from that basic Moosewood Restaurant muffin recipe ... my add-ins this time were applesauce, grated Empire apple, cinnamon, currants, and chopped and roasted walnuts. I also sprinkled the tops with raw sugar to create a crunchy muffintop. So good warm with a pat of butter and a glass of milk, too! Another muffin, please!

Basic Muffin Recipe

adapted from Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home’s Muffin Madness

Ingredients:

2 eggs
½ c. canola oil
¾ - 1 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 c. unbleached white flour
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp nutmeg

Add-ins:

1/2 c. applesauce
1 apple, quartered and cored and then grated (leave the skin on!)
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/3 currants tossed with 1 tbsp. flour
1/2 c. chopped and roasted walnuts
raw sugar for sprinkling on the tops before baking.



Making the Muffins:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line muffin pans with paper liners or grease cups liberally.

2. In a large bowl, whip together the eggs and the brown sugar.

3. Add the oil and vanilla extract and continue whipping. Fold in the apples and applesauce.

4. Prepare the dry ingredients in a four-cup measuring cup and whisk to combine.

5. Toss the currants with a bit of flour.

6. Stir dry mix into the egg mixture by hand, being careful not to over mix. Fold in the currants and walnuts. Spoon into greased muffin tins. Sprinkle the tops with large-crystal raw sugar

7. Bake regular sized muffins for 20 to 25 minutes, mini-muffins for 15-18 minutes.

8. Cool for a few minutes in the tins and then turn out to cool. Store closely covered to maintain moisture.


Note: Makes about 14-16 regular sized or 36 mini-muffins.