Baked Apple Muffins

I try to make at least one or two baked treats a week for my kids to enjoy when they get home from school. On other days they have fruit or veggies or some cheese.

Today was their lucky day. I wanted to make muffins and found a delicious recipe in Family Feasts for $75 a Week - a great book for families! I tweaked the recipe ever so slightly. My favorite tweak was substituting half the milk with kefir milk - next time I will substitute all.

Mind you this isn't a 100% REAL treat, but it is 100% healthier than any muffin you are going to buy at the store. My kids all thought they were amazing and wanted me to make them at least once a week - we will see!

Baked Apple "Donuts" Muffins.
(makes about 24)

3 cups all-purpose flour (I used King Arthurs' Organic)
1 cup sugar - I used rapidura
1 TBS baking powder
1 tsp salt - I used sea salt
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup vegetable shortening - I used coconut oil
2 large eggs - beaten - I used the free range eggs from my very own chickens
1 cup milk - I used half raw and half kefir
2 cups cored and finely diced apples
Topping:
1/2 cup (1 stick of butter) this was way too much I will cut this in half next time
1 cup sugar  (I used about a half cup)
2 tsp ground cinnamon --I used about 3 parts sugar to 1 part cinnamon - we love cinnamon!

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 12 cup muffin tin. (I just used my finger and the coconut oil that was still in the measuring cup)
2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and nutmeg using a fork. Add the coconut oil and work into the mixture using a fork or pastry blender until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs. (I just used my hand to mix it up.)
3. Combine eggs, milk, kefir, and apples. Add to the flour mixture, stir just until blended.
4. Spoon batter into the muffin cups - REMEMBER this makes 24 and don't try and fit it all in, it just won't work I tell ya - I used what didn't fit to make mini muffins (even better - yum!)
5.  While the donuts are baking, melt the butter and put in a small bowl (I used my toaster oven). Put the cinnamon/sugar combo into another bowl.
6. After the muffin/donuts cool some - but are still warm dunk them first in the melted butter and then in the cinnamon/sugar yumminess.

Evidentally you can freeze these for later - I wouldn't know, we didn't have any leftovers.

Thoughts:
1. these are amazing - I bet it would be a great bread also.
2. Josh wants me to put cinnamon in the batter as well.
3. This is definitely on the list of great food to take to a Football party!
4. They were even better made in mini muffin cups. 

I am linking this to My Sweet and Savory's My Meatless Mondays and
fudgeripples Tuesday Night Supper Club
plus Slightly Indulgent Tuesday @ Simply Sugar and Gluten Free
Tasty Tuesday @ Dr. Laura's
and finally WOOHOO - Mrs. Jenny Matlock's Alphabe-thursdays - A is for Apples!

Please go check out all the wonderful links at these carnivals - lots of great stuff!