Apple Cinnamon Muffins
Prep. Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
35 minutes
Servings
12 muffins
Difficulty
Easy
Soy-Free, Nut-Free, dairy-free, egg-free
Fall always brings me back to baking with apples — it’s the easiest way to make the house smell good and keep everyone happy. These vegan apple cinnamon muffins come together in one bowl, with simple ingredients and a tender, spiced crumb that holds up well for a few days. I usually bake them on a weekend, let the kids grab them for snacks, and freeze a few for busy mornings or road trips. I make the batter with cubed apples, and really, any apple goes. I've tried Fuji, Gala, Honeycrisp and maybe others? Not sure, but if you use kinds that lean to the sour end, like Granny Smith, balance it with the amount of sweetener.
Ingredients
For the Muffins
-dry ingredients-
7oz (200g) wholegrain spelt flour
2.8oz (80g) all-purpose flour
2.5oz (70g) almond flour (for a nut-free recipe, substitute with all-purpose flour)
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon powder
1/2 cup brown sugar
-wet ingredients-
1 tbsp flaxseed meal + 1/2 cup plant-based milk + 1 tbsp apple vinegar
1/2 cup store-bought apple sauce (unsweetened)
1 large apple, peeled and diced
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
For the Cookie Crumble (to Coat the Muffin's Cap)
1 cup almond flour
1/2 cup granulated brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon powder
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
2 tbsps plant-based milk (for a soy- and nut-free recipe, choose milk that is labeled as free of these allergens)
Instructions
Making the Cookie Crumble
Preheat the oven to 370F/185C.
In a mixing bowl, combine the ingredients listed for the cookie crumble, and mix until a dough is formed.
Line an oven pan with parchment paper, and place the dough on the paper. Flatten it to an approximately 0.5'' thickness.
Place the pan in the oven and bake for 12 minutes, or until golden.
Once ready, remove from the oven, but keep the oven heated.
Making the Muffin Batter
Line 1-muffin pan (12-wells) with muffin paper or silicone cups, and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and mix.
Pour all the wet ingredients into the dry bowl, and sift until the batter is consistent and smooth.
Quickly (since now the vinegar and baking powder are now mixed), spoon the batter into the muffin wells, up to 3/4 of the well's height.
Place the pan in the oven, and bake for 35 minutes or until the top is golden, and the muffins are stable and spring back lightly when pressed in the center. A toothpick inserted in the middle should come out clean or with just a few dry crumbs. Let them cool in the pan for a few minutes before transferring to a rack — they’ll finish setting as they cool.
Notes
You can use only all-purpose flour if that's what your pantry allows. Alternatively, you can substitute the almond flour with more all-purpose flour. For the muffins to rise nicely, make sure at least a third of the total flour quantity (at least 3.5oz/100g) is all-purpose flour.
Instead of maple syrup, you can use silan or agava syrup (same quantity), or 1/3 cup granulated sugar.
Instead of cocnut oil, you can use extra virgin olive oil or vegan butter (check out my recipe here).
The Latest Bite
No-Bake Pistachio Ice Cream Cake
I love ice-cream cakes, and it is so hard to find vegan ones in stores, so I knew at some point I'd want to try and whip a recipe up, but one thing that's always a factor for me is whether or not it'll be a time-consuming project or not. If I need to use my mixer, food processor or oven, it means I need to plan for more dishes and more time spent on this, and that's where I sometimes hold off on exploring and developing new recipes. I was not only aiming for an easy-to-make recipe here, but also one that requires very few ingredients and as allergen-friendly as possible. This makes it a store-in-the-freezer dessert for when I have unexpected guests, or when we are on the road and want an indulgent treat.
Made primarily from raw pistachio butter, coconut cream and almond flour, this easy no-bake cake is elemental and holds texture and flavor impressively. Compliments are guaranteed!