Apple Muffins

I went shopping yesterday and bought a new mini-muffin pan.  Right before bed, I got the idea to make something special for my husband to eat on his long commute into work.  I had a small, Gala apple on the counter and just enough roasted pecans to make muffins. So, that's what I did.  

These apple muffins are not sugary sweet.  The chopped apple and roasted pecans give the muffin a little chew, without making it feel like an energy bar.  I went light on the cinnamon and nutmeg.  I was taking into consideration someone's stomach that is awake at four o'clock in the morning.  That early in the morning, the tummy needs a little something easy, full of goodness, but not too heavy, and doesn't distract from the first cup of coffee.  Am I over thinking this?

HERE'S THE APPLE MUFFIN RECIPE 

Wet ingredients:

• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup melted butter or applesauce
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Dry ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 small apple, peeled, cored & chopped
• 1/2 cup toasted pecans

Preheat oven 400F degrees. Grease bottoms of muffin cups. 

In a small bowl, whisk the wet ingredients.  In a medium bowl, mix all the dry ingredients together and make a well in center of bowl.  Pour in wet ingredients and slowly stir together until the dry ingredients are moistened.  Do not over mix the batter.

For the mini-muffin pan, I used a small (1 teaspoonful) scooper, for uniform muffins.  This recipe made 24 mini-muffins plus 2 regular size muffins; or 12 regular muffins.

Bake the mini-muffins 10-12 minutes.  Regular size muffins 18-20 minutes.

These apple muffins are delicious anytime of the day.  We've been eating them all day long.  Try them and see for yourself.