Apple cinnamon muffins
Sweet Nourish
I like to make a batch of these muffins on a Sunday as snacks for the week ahead. I keep them in the fridge and warm them up as needed, but they can also be frozen if you want to store them longer.
Ingredients
2 eggs
60g (1⁄4 cup) milk or almond milk (see dairy-free tip)
95g (1⁄2 cup) rapadura or coconut sugar (or you can use brown sugar)
120g (1⁄2 cup) macadamia oil (or extra virgin coconut oil, melted – see Tips)
160g (1 cup) grated apple (use cubed apple for Thermomix version)
60g (1⁄2 cup) almond meal (ground almonds) (use whole almonds for Thermomix method. Also see nut-free tip)
60g (1⁄2 cup) chopped walnuts (use whole walnuts for Thermomix)
160g (1 cup) wholemeal self-raising flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon (or ground cardamom or a mixture of both)
Method
1. Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, sugar and oil. Stir in grated apple, almond meal and two-thirds of the walnuts. Sift in flour (returning any sifted out husks to the bowl) and cinnamon, and mix until combined.
3. Divide mixture evenly between paper cases and sprinkle over remaining chopped walnuts. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden and a skewer inserted into the centre of each muffin comes out clean. Allow to cool in tin for 5 minutes, then transfer onto a wire rack to cool before serving.
THERMOMIX METHOD
1. Preheat oven 180°C (160°C fan). Line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases and set aside.
2. Place walnuts into mixing bowl and chop 2 sec/speed 5, until coarsely chopped. If preparing muffins for young children, chop for a further 1–2 sec/speed 5, until
finely chopped. Transfer into a bowl and set aside.
3. Place almonds into mixing bowl and mill 15 sec/speed 9 or until finely ground.
4. Add apple and chop 3 sec/speed 6. Scrape down sides of mixing bowl with spatula.
5. Add eggs, milk, sugar and oil and combine 10 sec/Reverse/speed 3. Scrape down sides
of mixing bowl with spatula.
6. Add flour, cinnamon and 40 g of the reserved walnuts and combine 15 sec/Reverse/speed 3.
7. Divide mixture between paper cases and sprinkle with remaining reserved chopped walnuts. Bake for 20–25 minutes or until golden and a skewer inserted into the centre of each muffin comes out clean. Allow to cool in tin for 5 minutes, then transfer onto a wire rack to cool before serving.
Tips
If you prefer to use a lighter-flavoured extra virgin olive oil, it also works well in these muffins in place of the macadamia oil.
Variation
Dairy-free muffins: Use the almond milk option, instead of cow’s milk.
Nut-free muffins: Omit the walnuts and replace the almond meal with a ground seed mix (such as a mixture of sunflower seeds, pepitas and linseeds, milled until finely ground). Note that without the walnuts, the mixture will make 11 muffins.
