Two muffin recipes to serve up as legends of the fall

Article content

The chill in the air, a couple of mornings ago, confirmed that summer is ending, and a brand new season awaits us.

Article content

Fall is such a lovely time of year, not only in beauty as the landscape slowly turns from green to shades of amber, red and gold, but also an exciting time for us bakers.

Fall is what I associate with family baking time. It’s the start of a three-month period where the young and old get together to bake up some delicious fall treats. Not only is there an abundance of fresh autumn produce, but cooler temperatures in the house also makes it conducive for turning on an oven and baking.

While traditional berries reign supreme in the summer, it’s the variety of fall produce that makes baking fun this time of year. Apples, pears, pumpkins, cranberries and pomegranates are some of the wonderful choices when it comes to baking.

Spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, allspice and cardamom add warmth and deliciousness to fall baking. And purees from pumpkins and apples add moisture while allowing you to reduce the amount of fat added to your baked goods.

Article content

Two of my favourite things to bake, as the weather cools, are pies and muffins. Today, I’m sharing my favourite fall muffin recipes where I turn the flavour of pie into muffin form.

The apple crumble pie muffins, inspired by Dutch apple pies, are packed with chunks of juicy apples and sprinkled with a streusel crumb topping. The pumpkin pie muffin recipe is big on pumpkin spice flavour and drizzled with a glaze for a bit of a crunchy taste.

Both recipes are easy to make and can be whipped up in under 30 minutes. Since they contain purees, there’s less added fat yet maintain their moisture. These deliciously tender muffins will make a yummy fall breakfast, school treat or afternoon snack. They are adult and kid friendly.

Article content

(Note: Vegan/non-vegan and gluten-free adaptations included and explained at bottom by * and ** designations)

Apple crumble pie muffins

Makes 12 muffins

Ingredients

Wet Ingredients

1 large egg*

1-1/8 cup (280ml) unsweetened apple sauce

3 tbs (45g) melted unsalted butter*

3/4 cup (150g) brown sugar

1/2 tbs (7.5ml) apple cider vinegar

1 tsp (5ml) vanilla extract

Dry Ingredients

1-1/2 cups (180g) all-purpose flour**

2 tsp (8g) baking powder

1 tsp (4g) baking soda

1/2 tsp (3g) fine sea salt

1-1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

2 (350g) honey crisp apples, peeled, cored and diced into 1/2″ cubes

Crunchy Streusel Topping

1/4 cup (30g) all-purpose flour**

1/4 cup (50g) brown sugar

1/4 cup (20g) large flake rolled oats

Article content

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 cup (56g) cold unsalted butter*

2 tbs (32g) turbinado sugar

Streusel topping:

1. Add flour, sugar, large flake oats and cinnamon to a medium size bowl. Using a whisk, mix well to combine.

2. Add butter, and using your fingers rub oat mixture into the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Place mixture in the refrigerator until needed.

Muffins:

1. Move oven rack to the lowest position and preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit (425 F). If using a baking stone, place baking stone into the oven to heat up.

2. In a medium size bowl, add the egg, applesauce, melted butter, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar and vanilla extract. Whisk to combine and set aside.

3. In another medium size bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sea salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Whisk to fully combine. Add the cubed apples and coat the apples with the flour mixture. Set aside.

Article content

4. While oven is preheating, line muffin tin with muffin liners.

5. Once oven is fully preheated, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Using a silicone spatula and working quickly, fold the flour into the wet ingredients until mixture is about 85 to 90 per cent incorporated. It’s OK that batter is lumpy and shows streaks of flour.

6. Using a 1/4 cup ice cream scoop, add the batter to the lined muffin tin.

7. Top each muffin with about 2 tablespoons of Streusel and sprinkle with a 1/2 teaspoon of Turbinado sugar.

8. Place muffin tin into the oven immediately. Bake for 5 minutes at 425 F and without opening the oven door, lower temperature to 350 F and continue baking for another 15 to 17 minutes until the internal temperature measures 205 F.

Article content

9. Remove muffins from the oven. Allow muffins to cool in the tin for about 5 minutes.

10. Transfer muffins to a cooling rack to continue cooling. These muffins are best eaten the day they are made when the crunchy streusel is at its best. To keep the streusel from getting soggy overnight, place several saltine crackers into an airtight container along with the muffins. The crackers will help absorb the moisture. Enjoy!

Pumpkin pie muffins

Makes 9 muffins

Ingredients

Wet Ingredients

1 egg*

3/4 cup (180ml) pumpkin pie filling

2-1/2 tbs (38ml) light tasting olive oil

1/2 to 3/4 cup (100 to 150g) brown sugar, or to taste

1 tbs balsamic vinegar

1 tsp vanilla extract

Dry Ingredients

1-1/2 cups (180g) all-purpose flour**

Article content

2 tsp (8g) baking powder

1 tsp (4g) baking soda

1/2 tsp (3g) fine sea salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

1/16 tsp ground cloves

1/16 tsp ground allspice

Cinnamon Glaze

1 cup (120g) confectioners’ sugar

1/8 tsp cinnamon

1-1/2 tbs milk*

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Move oven rack to the lowest position and preheat oven to 425 F. If using a baking stone, place baking stone into the oven to heat up.

2. In a medium size bowl, add the chia egg, pumpkin pie filling, olive oil, 1/2 cup brown sugar, balsamic vinegar and vanilla extract. Whisk to combine and allow mixture to sit for about 5 minutes. Since pumpkin filling varies in sweetness, it’s important to taste the mixture. If further sweetness is required, add another 1/4 cup of brown sugar.

Article content

3. In another medium size bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sea salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and allspice. Whisk to fully combine.

4. While oven is preheating, line muffin tin with muffin liners.

5. Once oven is fully preheated, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Using a silicone spatula and working quickly, fold the flour into the wet ingredients until mixture is about 85 to 90 per cent incorporated. It’s OK that batter is lumpy.

6. Using a 1/4 cup ice cream scoop, add the batter to the lined muffin tin.

7. Place muffin tin into the oven immediate. Bake for 5 minutes at 425 F. Without opening the oven door, lower temperature to 350 F and continue baking for another 15 to 17 minutes.

Article content

8. To check for doneness, insert a probe thermometer into the middle of the muffin. Muffins are done when the thermometer registers 205 F.

9. Remove muffins from the oven. Allow muffins to cool in the tin for about 5 minutes.

10. Transfer muffins to a cooling rack to continue cooling.

11. To make the glaze, add powdered sugar, cinnamon, oat milk and vanilla extract to a bowl. Using a spoon, stir mixture until smooth. Drizzle over cooled muffins. Allow glaze to dry, approximately 10-15 minutes. Enjoy!

Vegan and gluten-free explainer

* For vegan diet: Substitute 1 egg for 1 tablespoon chia seeds and 2-1/2 tbs water. Mix and let sit for 5 minutes before using. Substitute milk for non-dairy milk. Substitute butter for vegan butter.

Article content

** For a gluten-free diet: Substitute all-purpose flour for gluten-free flour on a 1:1 basis.

Karen Gordon is a food blogger from North Vancouver who shares her recipe creations online at karentology.com and on Instagram at @karen.t.ology

Subscribe to West Coast Table and start planning for your weekend with expert recommendations from our team of writers on what to cook, where to dine, and the perfect wine pairing delivered straight to your inbox on Thursday at noon.

CLICK HERE to report a typo.

Is there more to this story? We’d like to hear from you about this or any other stories you think we should know about. Email vantips@postmedia.com.