Apple-Cinnamon Muffins with Flax Seed and Walnuts

Have you baked anything really amazing recently? Have you gone into your kitchen, measured flour and sugar and butter, and created a tasty masterpiece? I did. I made these muffins. They are fabulous mix of fall and spice and festivity. I was looking for a recipe that wasn't too sweet with a bit of nutty flavor and texture. I came across this recipe (like many of the recipes I post on this blog) from Joy the Baker. Originally, Joy made this amazing treat in a loaf pan. I wanted something a little more portable so I put my batter into muffin cups for tiny treats.

I'm not kidding when I say that this recipe goes to the top of the list of my favorite quick breads/muffins (like the chocolate chip banana bread). These muffins were delicious and they have the added benefit of whole wheat flour and flax. Forget veggies, these are a health explosion. Go make these for your boss and your friend and your grandpa.

These muffins bake up to be super moist and terribly irresistible. They were especially delicious right out of the oven with pumpkin butter...

I loved how the apples contribute to the recipe. They grated apple delivers a distinct apple-y sweetness and the chopped apple pieces give the muffins a great texture.

I didn't have buttermilk (I actually hardly ever have buttermilk) so I used my standard substitute: 1 cup of milk to 3 teaspoons of white vinegar. Since this recipe only called for 2/3 cup of buttermilk, I used 2/3 cup of skim milk and 2 teaspoons of white vinegar.

Golden, fall goodness.

Apple-Cinnamon Muffins with Flax Seed and Walnuts (from Joy the Baker)

makes about 12-15 medium muffins

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour (I used white-whole wheat flour from Trader Joes)
• 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• generous pinch freshly ground nutmeg
• 2/3 cup buttermilk (or if you're like me: 2/3 cup milk and 2 teaspoons white vinegar. Allow to sit and curdle for at least 5 minutes)
• 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup grated apples (I used Granny Smith's)
• 1/2 cup apples, coarsely chopped
• 1 tablespoon flax seeds (next time I would add more)
• 3/4 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped and divided
• cinnamon and white sugar, for sprinkling

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Line a muffin pan with muffin/cupcake liners
3. In a medium-large bowl, mix both flours, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Whisk and set aside
4. In a small bowl, mix buttermilk, melted butter, vanilla, and eggs.
5. Mis the wet buttermilk mixture into the dry mixture. Fold in the grated and chopped apples, flax seed and half of the walnuts.
6. Spoon batter into lined muffin pan about 2/3 of the way up. Sprinkle with remaining walnuts, cinnamon, and white sugar.
7. Bake 20-25 minutes (my oven may be slightly off, so keep an eye on them) or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
8. Let cool in pan for 20 minutes. Remove and allow muffins to completely cool before wrapping (if you're not planning on eating all of them first). Muffins keep 5-7 days sitting out, but can be frozen for up to 3 months.