National Apple Day! Jumbo Apple Cinnamon Muffins | Apple Season Recipes

Happy National Apple Day! I got back from a two-week east coast trip this week and it’s been a whirlwind getting back into a regular routine. Organizing my planner last night, I realized that I have only two free weekends as of right now through the end of the year. Goodbye sleeping in, productive hours of writing, movie nights, delightful Sunday night dinners, and freedom. The last few months of the year are always the craziest as many of you can probably relate to as well. I can’t help but love them anyway. The 31 Nights of Halloween is on the TV every night like clockwork lately...I’m regretting that Sweeney Todd movie night. I just bought a bunch of pumpkins for the front porch too. We’ll carve the great big orange one right before Halloween for some tasty pumpkin seeds and a little extra spook the night of. Speaking of...did any of you watch It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown on TV the other night?

Another great thing about fall, apple season. While I’m a bit late to celebrate National Apple Day tonight, at least I made it! These Jumbo Apple Cinnamon Muffins are the perfect snack any day of the week and even better warmed in the microwave with a steaming cup of coffee. Muffins are the kind of baked good that I cannot resist. Cookies I can turn away most of the time. Cake, absolutely. Candy, it’s rare that I take a bite. Muffins are like a savory version of a baked good because they’re not too sweet.

I especially love the spiced varieties like these Jumbo Apple Cinnamon muffins. I love when warm fall spices make their way into anything to be quite honest. Even classic savory dishes like chili. They add an extra layer of flavor that is divine. But back to these muffins. I love Jumbo-sized because they are an easy and quick breakfast. I’ll pop them in the oven at 250 degrees for a few minutes while I brew my coffee and let the dogs out to warm them up. Eating them while sipping a steaming mug of coffee is one of the best ways to start them morning. Eat them as is or add some traditional butter or some chocolate hazelnut spread for a little extra pizazz. Pumpkin butter would also be a tasty addition.

These muffins are very easy to make and come together rather quick. I mix all the wet ingredients in the saucepan the butter melts in before pouring them into the larger mixing bowl with the dry ingredients. Using a jumbo muffin tin will yield 6 muffins. If you use a regular sized muffin tin, it’s important to check them around 12-15 minutes because they’ll bake in half the time. You should be able to get 12 regular sized muffins with this same recipe. Store them in an air-tight container or sealable bag for a few days. As long as they haven’t grown any mold, they’ll be good as new if you warm them up for a few minutes in the oven or a few seconds in the microwave.

Jumbo Apple Cinnamon Muffins
Ingredients:
1 ¼ cups Flour
¼ cup Sugar
1 tsp. Baking Powder
¼ tsp. Baking Soda
½ tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Cinnamon
¼ tsp. Nutmeg
½ cup Applesauce
¼ cup Milk
2 Eggs
½ cup Butter, melted
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 cup Apples, peeled and diced

Directions:
1 - Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease muffin cups for the pan or grease the muffin pan directly.

2 - Mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. In a second bowl, mix together the applesauce, milk, eggs, butter and vanilla.

3 - Mix the wet into the dry ingredients until just combined and there are no more dry spots. Fold in the apples. Fill the muffin cups about ⅔ of the way with batter. Bake 30-40 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove to a cooling rack after baking.