Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Muffins

2 cups flour or 2 cups Trader Joe’s GF flour blend + 1½ tsp xanthan gum or 2 cups Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 GF flour or 2 cups of your favorite GF flour blend + 1½ tsp xanthan gum (omit if your flour already contains)

1½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

1½ - 2 tsp cinnamon (depends on how cinnamony you like them)

2 cups (about 2 medium) apples diced, cored & skinned

2 tsp flour or 2 tsp GF flour (whichever flour you have chosen for the recipe will work)

½ tsp cinnamon

½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature (If you only have salted butter, just omit the ½ tsp salt)

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp GF vanilla

½ cup milk

Topping Options

            Crumb

                        1/3 cup packed brown sugar

                        2 tbsp flour or 2 tbsp GF flour (whichever you have chosen for the recipe)

                        ¼ tsp cinnamon

                        1 tbsp butter, cut into small pieces

            Cinnamon & Sugar

                        Cinnamon & sugar (to shake on top)

Prepare a 12 cup muffin pan. Either line with paper muffin cups or lightly spray muffins cups with GF baking spray. (see notes)

In a small bowl mix together 2 tsp GF flour & ½ tsp cinnamon. Toss with diced apples until they are coated. Set aside.

If you choose the Crumb Topping, make it first & set aside. In a small bowl, thoroughly combine GF flour, brown sugar & cinnamon. Cut the butter onto the flour mixture. Blend with a fork or pastry cutter until it is a fine crumb mixture. Set aside.

Whisk together GF flour, xanthan gum (if using), baking powder, salt & cinnamon. Set aside.

Cream together butter & sugar until it is light in color, about 3 minutes on medium speed on your mixer.

Add eggs, one at a time, thoroughly incorporating each into mixture.

Mix in vanilla.

On low speed or by hand, gently add flour mixture, alternating with milk just until combined.

Fold in apples by hand.

Fill muffin cups evenly.

If you choose the Crumb Topping, sprinkle it over each muffin. (This part gets a little messy – but that’s ok! Brush off as much of the crumbs as you can that are on the pan & not on the muffins. I find a pastry brush works really well, but you can also just use your fingers.)

Crumb Topping

If you choose the Cinnamon & Sugar Topping, mix together a little cinnamon & sugar – to your own taste. Sprinkle on top of each muffin.

Bake at 375° for about 30 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin should come out clean.

Once the muffins are done, gently remove them from the pan to cool on a wire rack. If they don’t come out easily, just gently run a table knife around the sides of each muffin – this may happen if you are not using paper muffin cups. But I still found they came out easily after loosening with the knife.

They are really good served warm, but they are also good after they cool. And they store well in an airtight container or plastic bag for a couple of days.

Notes:

These muffins are really moist! What I found was if you are serving them right away, they are equally moist with or without paper muffin cups. But if there will be left overs or you will be serving them the next day, they hold their moisture better if they are in paper muffin cups.

My taste testers liked the flavor made with Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 GF flour & Trader Joe’s, but thought the ones made with the Bob’s Red Mill flour were just a tiny bit grainy. Most of them also preferred the crumb topping, but also liked the cinnamon & sugar topping.