Apple and Cinnamon Muffins
by Nigella. Featured in KITCHENIntroduction
There are few things I find more satisfying in the kitchen than using up produce: the very notion of waste sends shivers down my spine. So, when I noticed a couple of apples wilting in the fruit bowl, I seized the opportunity to use them up. The result: these fruity, cinnamon-spiced, almond-topped muffins. I like to use spelt flour, with its rough-hewn nuttiness, here but you can use regular plain flour instead; the muffins won’t have the same wholesome heft, but there’s nothing wrong with a lighter-crumb either...
For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.
There are few things I find more satisfying in the kitchen than using up produce: the very notion of waste sends shivers down my spine. So, when I noticed a couple of apples wilting in the fruit bowl, I seized the opportunity to use them up. The result: these fruity, cinnamon-spiced, almond-topped muffins. I like to use spelt flour, with its rough-hewn nuttiness, here but you can use regular plain flour instead; the muffins won’t have the same wholesome heft, but there’s nothing wrong with a lighter-crumb either...
For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.
Ingredients
Makes: 12 muffins
- 2 eating apples
- 250 grams spelt flour (or use plain/all-purpose flour if you prefer)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 125 grams light brown sugar plus 4 teaspoons for sprinkling
- 125 millilitres honey
- 60 millilitres runny natural yogurt
- 125 millilitres flavourless vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 75 grams natural almonds (unblanched)
- 2 eating apples
- 1¾ cups spelt flour (or use plain/all-purpose flour if you prefer)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ⅔ cup light brown sugar plus 4 teaspoons for sprinkling
- ½ cup honey
- ¼ cup runny natural yogurt
- ½ cup flavourless vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup raw almonds (unblanched)
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C Fan/gas mark 6/400°F and line a 12-bun muffin tin with papers.
- Peel and core the apples, then chop into small dice (about 1cm / ¼ in, but please don't measure) and put them to one side.
- Measure the flour, baking powder, and 1 teaspoon of the ground cinnamon into a bowl.
- Whisk together the 125g / ⅔ cup brown sugar, the honey, yogurt, vegetable oil and eggs in another bowl or jug.
- Chop the almonds roughly and add half of them to the flour mixture, and put the other half into a small bowl with the second teaspoon of ground cinnamon and the 4 extra teaspoons brown sugar. This will make the topping for the muffins.
- Now fold the wet ingredients into the dry. Add the chopped apple, and stir to combine but don't over mix. To remind you: a lumpy batter makes for a lighter muffin.
- Spoon this bumpy batter into the muffin papers, then sprinkle the rubbly topping mixture over them.
- Pop the tin into the preheated oven, and bake for about 20 minutes, by which time they will have risen and become golden.
- Take the tin out of the oven and let it stand for about 5 minutes before gingerly taking out the muffins and placing them on a wire cooling rack.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C Fan/gas mark 6/400°F and line a 12-bun muffin tin with papers.
- Peel and core the apples, then chop into small dice (about 1cm / ¼ in, but please don't measure) and put them to one side.
- Measure the flour, baking powder, and 1 teaspoon of the ground cinnamon into a bowl.
- Whisk together the 125g / ⅔ cup brown sugar, the honey, yogurt, vegetable oil and eggs in another bowl or jug.
- Chop the almonds roughly and add half of them to the flour mixture, and put the other half into a small bowl with the second teaspoon of ground cinnamon and the 4 extra teaspoons brown sugar. This will make the topping for the muffins.
- Now fold the wet ingredients into the dry. Add the chopped apple, and stir to combine but don't over mix. To remind you: a lumpy batter makes for a lighter muffin.
- Spoon this bumpy batter into the muffin papers, then sprinkle the rubbly topping mixture over them.
- Pop the tin into the preheated oven, and bake for about 20 minutes, by which time they will have risen and become golden.
- Take the tin out of the oven and let it stand for about 5 minutes before gingerly taking out the muffins and placing them on a wire cooling rack.
Additional Information
MAKE AHEAD:
The night before, you can measure out dry ingredients into a bowl, and mix liquid ingredients and leave them covered in fridge overnight. In the morning, prepare and dice apples, chop almonds and proceed with fifth step and recipe as above. Best eaten on day of making but muffins can be baked up to 1 day ahead and stored in airtight container, layered with baking parchment. Reheat in warm oven for 5-8 minutes before serving. Will keep for 2-3 days.
FREEZE:
The muffins can be frozen in airtight container, layered with baking parchment, for up to 2 months. Defrost 3-4 hours on wire rack at room temperature and reheat as above.
MAKE AHEAD:
The night before, you can measure out dry ingredients into a bowl, and mix liquid ingredients and leave them covered in fridge overnight. In the morning, prepare and dice apples, chop almonds and proceed with fifth step and recipe as above. Best eaten on day of making but muffins can be baked up to 1 day ahead and stored in airtight container, layered with baking parchment. Reheat in warm oven for 5-8 minutes before serving. Will keep for 2-3 days.
FREEZE:
The muffins can be frozen in airtight container, layered with baking parchment, for up to 2 months. Defrost 3-4 hours on wire rack at room temperature and reheat as above.
Tell us what you think
Thank you {% member.data['first-name'] %}.
Explore more recipesYour comment has been submitted.
What 8 Others have said
-
Posted by joboe on 26th December 2023
-
Posted by contramon on 8th April 2022
-
Posted by Alquana on 3rd December 2021
-
Posted by JamJarNutJob on 1st March 2021
-
Posted by Wild Cat 2015 on 8th September 2020
-
Posted by Tredaran on 23rd August 2020
-
Posted by Shehreen-J on 11th April 2020
-
Posted by Nickki on 10th October 2017
Show more commentsI’ve been making these muffins for years, a great way to use up apples that are just a bit past their prime for eating as is. I’m fairly lazy and use the shredder attachment on my food processor instead of chopping/dicing the apples.
Fantastic recipe!! Did not change a thing. Will definitely make these again!!
I made this recipe with a few substitutions: used half pear and half apple pieces, walnuts instead of almonds and reduced the amount of honey to 4 tablespoons. It was delicious and will definitely become a staple in my kitchen!
Oh yum. Writing this with a mouthful of muffin in my mouth! Replaced the almonds (not a big fan) with chopped hazelnuts (Queen of the Nut IMO) - added to half the batch for me and omitted the nuts altogether on the other half for the fussy teen. They all turned out really lovely, will make again and again and again I expect!
I made these Muffins for a baking competition at work a few years ago and won! They tasted amazing!
We have a glut of apples right now so I’m always on the look out for apple recipes. I did not have almonds so used pecans instead and the muffins were delicious. I don’t think I’ll switch to almonds as the muffins were perfect and the texture and flavour of the pecans worked brilliantly
I have made this recipe, but used a cake mould instead of making it into muffins. My cake mould is round, and has a hollow center. I baked it at 375-400 F for 40 minutes. I would say that bake time may vary depending on the type of oven you are using. Also, I used walnuts instead of almonds. I feel like walnut texture is better for cake/muffin batter than almonds. The walnut taste blended well with the apples and cinnamon; I liked the taste combination. I did not have honey, and used pancake syrup instead. Overall, the cake turned out really good! It is not a dense cake, and it worked out really well.
Will definitely make this one again!
I make these muffins whenever I have apples lingering in the fruit bowl that have seen better days. I often use walnuts or pecans in place of the almonds.