Spiced Pumpkin and Apple Muffins
When school started in September Ceri was in a twirl about lunches and I had my share of worries about getting a decent breakfast on the table. Little did either of us know that snacks would sneak up on us and make themselves the surprise stressor. I can’t keep the damn things in the house. And what I do manage to have Scarlett tires of in record time. I also have to deal with snack pressure. “Can’t I bring potato chips? ” Scarlett whines. Or my favourite, “My friends have their halloween candy!” Now, I know the kids in her class and most bring decent snacks so I’m not sure who she is spending recess with. The eighth graders hanging at the corner store?
photos by Maya Visnyei
I decided to start leaving the snack up to her. What do you want to eat at recess? “Apples!” she replied. “Can’t I just give you an apple?” I asked. “No!” Now, I’d give you the rest of her answer but it was a long winded explanation about being able to manage the jungle gym and an apple. She had a point. So I came up with these muffins full of big apple bits. I also put pumpkin in them for me. I’ve got to have snacks, especially since I ate all the halloween candy.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, a little extra for sprinkling
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 gala apple, diced
- 2 cups spelt flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ginger
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp salt
Method
Preheat the oven to 350.
Prepare a muffin tin with muffin sheets.
In a large bowl, using an electric hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar. Add the honey. Then add each egg one at a time, be sure to blend the egg into the mixure before adding the next.
Mix in the pumpkin as well as the diced apple.
In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt.
Blend the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until they are well combined.
Drop the dough into each muffin paper, filling 3/4 of the way.
Sprinkle the dough with a bit of brown sugar.
Place in the oven to bake for about 22 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Keep in an airtight container for one week.
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We're Ceri and Laura, a couple of magazine-editors-turned-food-bloggers. Also, we're mothers obsessed with delicious, healthy, family food. We're constantly thinking of ways to make your time (and our own!) in the kitchen easier and more productive, but still nostalgic for the days when dinner was cereal eaten over the kitchen sink.
9 Comments
Laura
November 15, 10:25Love this! My older daughter has braces and can’t eat an apple unless it’s cut up … I made the colossal mistake of sending a paring knife in her lunch bag one day (she’s 13 and quite capable of peeling and slicing an apple). After almost sending the school into lock down, and getting a terse call from the principal … well, I’m looking for apple alternatives. Many thanks!
Amy
November 15, 13:12I’ll be trying these asap! I’m always looking for new muffin recipes — with one child in JK and a seven-month-old home with me, muffins are perfect for quick breakfasts, school lunches and snacks. And, I recently bought spelt flour for the first time and am looking for ways to use it. Can it be substituted in equal parts for a/p flour in other recipes?
Thanks!
Ceri Marsh
November 17, 14:28I find spelt swaps out for whole wheat or all purpose flour pretty well. The only thing I’d say isn’t doesn’t give quite as much structure. So sometimes I’ll have 3/4 cup spelt and 1/4 a/p or wh.wh in exchange for other flours. But for this recipe I think you’d be fine to just swap it. Let me know how it goes, okay?
Ceri Marsh
November 17, 14:32Laura,
Your comment made me laugh out loud! What’s the world coming to when you can’t send a knife to school with your kid?! Lol! I’m glad we’ve given you this alternative! Let us know if you give them a whirl.
Amy
January 31, 11:17Hi Ceri. I totally forgot to get back to you on this! I made these muffins ages ago, (I used half a/p flour and half spelt) and they were soooooo good!!! I absolutely loved them. I may have eaten 4 of them in one day. They were actually a hit all around, and my husband says he doesn’t like pumpkin. 🙂 Thanks for the recipe!
Roundup: Snacks For Peace - Sweet Potato Chronicles
January 22, 11:30[…] Spiced Pumpkin and Apple Muffins Ok, we already have a pumpkin muffin but who can resist getting there apple a day this way? […]
Allison
September 22, 16:07How many muffins does this recipe make?
Laura Keogh
September 22, 22:17This recipe makes 12 medium muffins. Sorry for the omission.
Paula
January 07, 10:59Thanks for the great recipes!