Spiced apple muffins make a mouthwatering but wholesome weekend breakfast, snack or picnic treat. Easy to make and guilt free!
Apple Breakfast Muffins!
We have a tradition of having muffins for breakfast at the weekend – American muffins, that is, not the ones that were once hawked around the streets of London by the muffin man for toasting. It’s such a pleasure to have something fresh from the oven first thing, yet so simple. I find muffins very easy to whip up first thing in the morning, based on my failsafe recipe. I just adapt it according to what we fancy on the day.
These spiced apple bran muffins are a lovely wholesome treat. Apple is delicious in cake, soft, moist and fragrant. Using a mixture of spelt and wheat flour makes these muffins more cake like. (If you do not have spelt flour, use all plain flour.) The bran, however, provides a good measure of fibre, so I don’t feel guilty about eating cake for breakfast!
Using soft dark brown sugar and leaving it slightly lumpy produces gorgeous caramelised specks in the baked muffins. All in all, they feel really quite special, so be good to yourself this weekend.
Making the Most of Muffins
When you make American muffins, it is important to remember that lumpy batter is just fine. Over-mixing, on the other hand, is not because it destroys the texture of the muffin. Sift the flour and spices well before you start and break down any large lumps in sugar before you start combining the dry ingredients with the wet. Then keep your folding to a minimum – no more than 15 folds is my rule.
How to Make Spiced Apple Muffins
Step one – Preheat the oven to GM 5/190°C/375°F. Gather and prepare your ingredients, sifting the flour and spices and removing large lumps from the sugar by crumbling them between your fingers. Set your muffin cases in a tray, ready for the oven.
Step two – Put all the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Mix the apple into the dry ingredients well, so that each piece of apple is coated and not sticking to the others.
Step three – Whisk the milk and oil together. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and fold together gently. The batter should be lumpy. Mixing should take no more than 15 folds.
Step four – Divide your mixture into the cases. Bake for 20–25 minutes, until risen and dark golden. Enjoy your spiced apple bran muffins fresh from the oven.
Spiced Apple Muffins
Ingredients
- 4 ½ oz flour (I used half plain and half wholemeal spelt.)
- 1 tbs bran
- 1 ½ oz soft dark brown sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp ground all spice
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- pinch salt
- 1 grated apple
- 4 ½ oz milk (dairy or plant)
- 1 ½ oz sunflower oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to GM 5/190°C/375°F. Gather and prepare your ingredients, sifting the flour and spices and removing large lumps from the sugar by crumbling them between your fingers. Set your muffin cases in a tray, ready for the oven.
- Put all the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Mix the apple into the dry ingredients well, so that each piece of apple is coated and not sticking to the others.
- Whisk the milk and oil together. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and fold together gently. The batter should be lumpy. Mixing should take no more than 15 folds.
- Divide your mixture into the cases. Bake for 20–25 minutes, until risen and dark golden.
If you like this recipe, why not try my blueberry compote yoghurt muffins? Or if you are nostalgic for the muffin man, make Ed’s English muffins for breakfast or tea.
This recipe was first publish in December 2009, and updated in February 2020 with step by step instructions.
the caked crusader
yum – I think I need to bake something appley – it’s been too long!
Happy new year
Scratchnsniff
These are perfect! I’ve been looking for a simple breakfast muffin to serve to the brood for a while! I’ll be making these tomorrow :)
kylieonwheels
they sounds fabulous! so delicious
Sallyanne Rock
delicious and perfectly healthy.
Helen
Amended. I think the type of bran does not matter.