Apple Muffins

February is apple month. That means there are great deals to be had on all kinds of apples. About a year ago, I went looking for a new recipe for apple muffins. I stumbled across "The Official New York State Muffin Recipe", which apparently IS the official state muffin! Believe it or not, the recipe was developed by elementary school children in North Syracuse. Way to go kids!

Well it looked like a pretty good recipe, except for the fact that it had no chocolate chips! I played around with it a bit and came up with my own version of Apple Muffins. I used half whole wheat and half all purpose rather than all white flour. I prefer almonds to walnuts any day so that was an easy swap. I eliminated the raisins and added lots of chocolate chips instead.

So, with apologies to the kids and the state of New York, here is my recipe:

APPLE MUFFINS

Topping

1/2 cup chopped almonds

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon lemon peel

2 tablespoons melted butter

Muffins
1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1-1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cloves

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1 1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped almonds

3 eggs, slightly beaten

1/2 cup butter, melted

4 ounces light cream cheese, cut into small pieces

1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups apples, coarsely chopped

Combine topping ingredients and set aside.

Combine flour, sugar, salt, spices, and baking soda. Stir in the chocolate chips and almonds and set aside.

Combine eggs, butter, cream cheese, and vanilla until creamy.

Stir in the apples. Add dry ingredients, a little at a time, to the apple mixture. Stir until just combined. Do not over-mix.

Portion the batter into paper lined muffin pans. Sprinkle with topping. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. Cool on wire racks.

Makes 2 Dozen

This recipe freezes well.

Enjoy!

dn