Apple-Walnut Muffins - Easier than pie!
Adapted from a grandmother's recipe
The holidays bring memories of treats we had when we were younger. One that I remember has to be my grandmother’s apple-walnut cake.
I typed that recipe out on my old Royal Noiseless Portable and kept the recipe in a tin box. Every year, when it’s apple season in the Midwest, I pull it out and make another cake.
The problem is: it’s a cake. It’s not very easy to share.
This summer we found some silicon muffin cups made by Oxo. They work great for this kind of batter, so now I make a dozen muffins and a smaller cake.
This recipe is super-easy, and can be made by guys or gals of all ages, from 8 to 80.
Here’s how I make it. Add to a medium bowl:
2 cups flour (I like unbleached, just because)
1 3/4 cup sugar (original recipe called for 2 cups, but I like it a little less sweet)
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice (original called for nutmeg, not my wife’s favorite)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
Using a whisk, I stir all those dry ingredients together and set aside.
Then I use the whisk to beat 3 eggs and mix up the moist ingredients:
3 beaten eggs
3/4 cup of oil (plus 2-3 more tablespoons if the batter is too dry)
1 cup chopped walnuts
3 cups chopped apples (I like Michigan apples, either Empire or Pink Lady - but any apple that’s crisp and somewhat tart should work fine)
Three good-sized apples should be enough. Since you have the apples out, make yourself a snack. Peanut butter goes great with a tart apple.
The beauty part of this recipe is: no peeling. Chop the apples small enough and the skin of the apple shouldn’t bother anybody.
Get your oven to 350 degrees, scoop out enough batter to reach the top of each muffin cup. This cake-muffin recipe doesn’t rise much, so you can go most of the way to the top.
A couple of scoops with my small cookie scoop usually fills up a muffin cup. Spoons work too, right? This batter looks ugly but tastes great.
Bake them for 55 minutes, and check to see if a toothpick comes out clean. If not, bake for another five or so. Let them cool slightly before serving - but they’re great warm.
If you have any extra batter, put it in a 9” x 9” cake pan for a thinner cake than you’d get if you put all the batter in the cake pan.
Stackable cooling racks are essential in our fairly small kitchen.
But if you don’t have muffin cups (yet) make it as a full cake. It’s very moist and will keep for days.
After 20 minutes of work or so and an hour of baking, you’ll have many servings of this old-fashioned treat. Be sure to make sure everyone knows these goodies contain walnuts, because some folks are allergic.
Enjoy! From my grandmother to your household…