Whole Wheat Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Whole Wheat Apple Cinnamon Muffins are bursting with tender apple chunks, coated with cinnamon sugar, and even include wholesome ingredients like whole wheat flour and coconut oil!

Well, October is in full swing and this past week began to feel decidedly autumn-ish around here. So after a few days of temps not quite reaching 90°F, I no longer have to feel like a poser as I bake with pumpkin and simmer soups…fall recipes are finally legit! And if you’ve been searching for the perfect muffin to celebrate fall (or enjoy all year long), look no further than these Whole Wheat Apple Cinnamon Muffins! Y’all. These things are good.

I adapted this recipe from my Whole Wheat Strawberry Muffins…and don’t tell my little strawberry muffin friends, but I think I may like this apple version even better! It’s hard to decide for sure…I suppose I’ll have to do a side-by-side comparison one day. But for now, suffice it to say that these Whole Wheat Apple Cinnamon Muffins are pretty darn irresistible.

First off, these muffins are extremely moist and soft, thanks to the plethora of diced apples folded into the batter. I used Honeycrisps, because that’s what I had on hand, and I finely diced them. The apples turned pretty soft, almost melting into my muffins. If you prefer more noticeable chunks of apples in your muffins, cut them into larger pieces and/or use a variety of apple known for retaining its shape when baked, such as Granny Smith or Golden Delicious.

The fact that these muffins contain coconut oil, sour cream, and brown sugar also inhibits them from drying out. I baked them up using whole wheat pastry flour, which lends baked goods a nice, light texture — more akin to that of using white flour — but with the wholesome nutritional benefits of 100% whole wheat. I typically substitute whole wheat pastry flour for white flour in my pancakes, waffles, and just about any quick bread you can think of with excellent results. Along those lines, you’ll find that these cinnamon-spiced muffins don’t taste wheat-y…but because of all that whole wheat, you don’t have to feel too guilty about eating a few, since I’m pretty sure you won’t be able to stop at just one.

Since they are rather on the wholesome side, with all of those apple chunks and coconut oil in addition to whole wheat, I decided to indulge in a teensy bit of decadence for the topping. Now you could certainly enjoy these muffins perfectly plain. Or you could sprinkle them with sparkling sugar for a bit of crunch. You might even decide to top them with a streusel topping or a praline crumble, which is honestly what I intended to do when I first devised this recipe. However, as often happens, I was running short on time, and dipping the tops in melted butter before pressing them into cinnamon and sugar ended up being a quicker way to finish off these babies.

And boy was I happy with that outcome! Because what could be a better complement to cinnamon-spiced muffins than a buttery, cinnamon-sugar coating on top?

These Whole Wheat Apple Cinnamon Muffins are sure to be a hit with your family and — if they should be so lucky — friends. As they bake, your house will smell like a fall, and the texture and flavor of the fresh-from-the-oven muffins are even better than the aroma. So go ahead and make a double batch! I’ll venture a guess that they’ll be gone in no time.

Whole Wheat Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Yield: 12 to 15 muffins

Whole Wheat Apple Cinnamon Muffins are bursting with tender apple chunks, coated with cinnamon sugar, and even include wholesome ingredients like whole wheat flour and coconut oil!

Ingredients

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted and cooled
1 cup sour cream, at room temperature
¼ cup milk
1 1/2 cups diced apples
For the topping:
1/3 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line muffin pans with paper liners.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat together the egg and sugar until thick and well-blended. Gradually mix in the coconut oil until incorporated, and then blend in the sour cream. Slowly mix half of the flour mixture into the wet ingredients, blend in milk, and then stir in remaining flour mixture until just combined. (Add a splash more milk if batter is too thick, but be careful not to add too much!) Gently fold the diced apples into the batter.
Evenly divide batter between 12 to 15 muffin cups. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until muffins are light golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow muffins to cool in pans for a couple of minutes before removing them to a cooling rack.
Once muffins are cool enough to handle (or you may wait until they're completely cool), pour melted butter into a bowl. Mix sugar and cinnamon together in another bowl. Dip the top of each muffin in butter and then press it into the cinnamon sugar mixture until generously coated.

Tips, Tricks, & Variations

If you can't find whole wheat pastry flour, you may substitute 1 cup all-purpose white flour plus 1 cup whole wheat flour. Or you may use all white flour, if you wish.

I leave the skin on my apples and dice them pretty finely. You may cut them in bigger chunks if you prefer. Any apples will work in these muffins, but some varieties will hold their shape better once baked.

If desired, you may substitute melted butter for the coconut oil.

2.6 http://www.fivehearthome.com/2014/10/05/whole-wheat-apple-cinnamon-muffins/ http://fivehearthome.com ~ All recipes and images on Five Heart Home are copyright protected. Please do not use without my permission. If you would like to feature this recipe, please rewrite the directions in your own words and give proper attribution by linking back to this blog.

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See our breakfast recipes <<< HERE!

And see ALL of our recipes <<< HERE!

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Original article: Whole Wheat Apple Cinnamon Muffins