Apple – Cheddar Muffins

The kids are in school, it’s still August – but I am ready for fall. And nothing says fall better than baked apple goodness. I have to start with my newest apple crush, Apple-Cheddar Muffins. They are savory, but with a subtle, sweet, apple flavor. Even my child who hates having chunks of fruit in pancakes, muffins etc. still loved these. They were a win win at our house.

I doubled the recipe and used half white, half wheat. It also called for a half cup of oats so it is off to a great start in fiber. According to Eat This Much that’s a total of 6 grams of fiber and with only 2 Tbls sugar I don’t have to worry about my kids having seconds. 😊

For the apples I used tart Granny Smith and this awesome apple peeler which cores and peels them. My kids also love to peel apples with this peeler so it’s a win win. I was able to find mine at a yard sale, hopefully you can be as lucky or get one here. This peeler, cores and peels the apples into nice little accordion style balls. If you love baking with apples this is definitely worth the storage space. I think I baked Apple Dumplings for like 5 years before I bought it (I’m a slow adopter) and I wish I had bought one sooner. I held off not being sure it was worth storing all year to pull out in the fall — but it’s worth it.

Cheddar Apple Muffins taste the best (in my opinion) with fresh butter and a warm soup.  The ingredients are flour, oats, sugar, baking soda, salt, cheddar, apples, oil, milk and eggs. I have found they are best when cooked for 16 minutes in my oven.  Though the Better Homes cookbook suggested 20. You have to play it by ear with how your oven cooks. I have found muffins are definitely better when they are cooked just to the point of no gooey center, if you go over it won’t be black, but it will be dry. I also keep my baked goods in our glass cake dome. Something about the heavy glass keeps fresh baked items soft and tasty longer.

Apple Cheddar Muffins 400° Bake 15-18 minutes

(this is the doubled recipe, you can easily cut it in half)

1 1/2 cups whole ground wheat flour
1 1/2 cups all -purpose flour
1 cup shredded cheese (plus more for sprinkling on top)
2/3 cup rolled oats
2 Tbs sugar
5 tsp  baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 beaten eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
2/3 cup cooking oil
1 1/2 cups finely chopped, peeled cooking apples ( I used Granny Smith)

1. Grease 12 cup muffin tin set aside. In a medium mixing bowl combine flour, cheese, oats, sugar and baking powder and salt. Mix well then add apples and coat well with dry ingredients. Create a well in the center and set aside.
2. In another medium bowl combine eggs, milk and oil. Mix well then add all at once to the dry ingredients. stir just till moistened, batter should be lumpy.
3. Spoon into the prepared muffin tins, I use an ice cream scoop because it is the perfect  size for my tins. Sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese. Bake in a 400° oven for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown. Makes 24 small muffins or 18 medium muffins.

Nutrition facts per muffin: 162 cal. 9 g total far (2 g sat. fat), 24 mg chol., 162 sodium, 17 g carb, 6 g fiber 4 g pro. Daily Values: 3% vit. A, 0% vit C, 10% calcium, 6% iron.