Go Straight to Recipe (skip chatty stuff)
It occurred to me as I typed the name of this post that there is something a little odd about “ingredient naming” a dish–I could just as well call these Apple-Walnut-Honey-Whole Wheat Muffins, or Apple-Walnut-Cinnamon Muffins, or Whole Wheat Honey Muffins with Apples and Walnuts, or … you get the drift :D. But, since these are a mouthful (and not the tasty kind of mouthful you get from actually eating said muffin), we just default to identifying a key ingredient or two and moving on. I suppose that, as I have a degree in English and a predilection for writing and editing, I should exercise my creative powers and come up with flashier names for my dishes. Oh well. I’m not getting any hits right now, and at least this title doesn’t leave you wondering what the heck I’m feeding you!
No matter what they’re called, these muffins are quite tasty, and actually pretty good for you, especially in the world of muffins! Muffins are such a wonderfully portable and fast food, but, like many things that can be called “fast food” (literally), the fast food industry has a tendency to bloat them up with extra simple carbs, sugar, fat, and overall calories. The calorie numbers on a muffin from Starbucks, or even on one of the those delicious giant muffins Costco sells, are…really really scary, even to someone who doesn’t usually pay a great deal of attention to such things (after all, it’s a treat, by definition not so often consumed!). SO MANY of the calories come from sugar and fat, and they don’t have to. So, preachy comments aside, try these. You don’t have to feel guilty, or bloated, if you want to eat them for breakfast, and you can make up a big batch at once for convenience. We eat them for breakfast sometimes, and they also travel well. They were breakfast (and a snack option) for several days running the last time we drove the 30 hours between my parent’s home and our own, and they only got a little stale tasting the last day. Oh, I did make about half the batter as “mini-muffins” for easy eating in the car (fewer crumbs, because they fit in your mouth in one bite, usually). If you’re going to do mini-muffins just make sure you really have finely chopped the apples and nuts, so the flavors will still be well-distributed in the smaller bundles.
You can use all whole wheat flour in this recipe, if you want, but it will make the muffin heavier. Just fair warning :-). If you have a nut allergy you can omit the walnuts, but the overall product will be a little squishier without that extra texture contrast.
Apple-Walnut Muffins (yields 12-16 muffins, give or take)
Ingredients:
- 1 large baking apple, unpeeled but chopped into small pieces
- generous 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup light oil, such as canola
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 3/4 cup unbleached white flour
- 1/4 cup wheat germ
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp. baking powder
Directions:
1. Place the finely chopped apples and walnuts into a small mixing bowl and pour the honey over the top. Set aside.
2. Mix the egg, oil, and milk together in a large mixing bowl.
3. Add the flours, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder to the liquids and mix well. Add the wheat germ and mix until just combined.
4. Fold in the apple mixture, making sure everything is well-distributed and evenly moist.
5. Grease a muffin tin, or line the cups with those little paper liners. Fill each cup about 3/4 of the way full (or a little more) with the batter. Put them in an oven preheated to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for 18-22 minutes, or until firm and a tiny bit browned on top. When done, remove from tin and let cool on a cooling rack. Enjoy!
