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Apple Walnut Muffins

Apple Walnut Muffins

You can chop up apples and add them to a muffin batter if you want some apple muffins. I’ve done this on occasion, usually when I want the apples to really stand apart from the rest of the muffin. But this is also the problem with this method, because the chunks of apple don’t necessarily mesh well with the rest of the muffin and you don’t get that nice apple flavor in every bite. One trick I use to eliminate this problem is to shred the apples before incorporating them. You get just as much apple into the muffin that way, and it is spread evenly throughout the batter.

These Apple Walnut Muffins use the shredded apple trick to get lots of apple flavor from just one apple. I added in some cinnamon and nutmeg, and plenty of chopped walnuts, too. The buttery walnuts provide a nice crunch, but also go very well with the apple and spices. I left my walnuts in fairly large chunks, but you can chop them more finely if you prefer to get your crunch in smaller bits.

The finished muffins are very easy to throw together and smell delicious when the come out of the oven. The spices seem to flatter the apples and walnuts without overpowering them and turning this into a spice muffin.They are moist, tender and just hearty enough to be satisfying without being too heavy. I used bread flour in these to help promote that slightly hearty, muffin-y texture, but you can substitute all purpose flour in this recipe for a slightly more tender result (the results will be good both ways).


Apple Walnut Muffins
2 cups bread flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
2 large eggs
1 cup brown sugar
6 tbsp butter, melted and cooled
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 large apple, shredded (approx. 1 cup)
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 375F. Line a 12 cup muffin pan with paper liners.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
In a large mixing bowl, beat together eggs and brown sugar until smooth. Mix in melted butter, buttermilk, vanilla extract and shredded apple. Add in flour mixture and fold the ingredients together until only a few streaks of dry ingredients remain. Fold in walnuts until equally distributed.
Divide batter evenly into prepared pan, filling each cup until just about full.
Bake for 16-19 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean and the top springs back when lightly pressed.
Turn muffins out onto a wire rack to cool.

Makes 12.

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14 Comments
  • the blissful baker
    October 18, 2010

    yum, these would make a great breakfast!

  • Mary @ Bites and Bliss
    October 18, 2010

    Oh, those look wonderful! I love fruity muffins- I bet the apple gives it a great tartness.

  • Linda
    October 18, 2010

    These sound wonderful. I recently discovered an apple (at least new to me) called Ginger Gold. Makes wonderful cooked apples for an apple trifle I made today. I’ll bet it would make an awesome muffin. And I love apples and walnuts together. Thanks for the recipe!

  • Andrea
    October 19, 2010

    OMG I made and blogged about a very similar muffin last weekend. Feel free to check out my version if you wish. Crazy that this showed up here right after I also had a craving for these muffins. I froze all mine and have been eating them as a snack at work – soooo the perfect treat.

  • LinC
    October 19, 2010

    These look yummy! However, you’ve lost a digit in the oven temperature. Should it be 375 degrees?

  • Patricia Scarpin
    October 19, 2010

    They look delicious, Nic – love the idea of adding shredded apple to the batter, I bet it was very moist!

  • Amalia
    October 19, 2010

    Im in love with apple desserts! Thanks for the muffins!

    -Amalia

    http://buttersweetmelody.wordpress.com

  • indrani
    October 21, 2010

    Hello, Just made these muffins today. They have come out great… Thank you for this wonderful recipe. Will surely make them again..

  • Wei
    October 21, 2010

    Can I use apple sauce to substitute shredded apple?

  • melissa
    October 25, 2010

    I made these this weekend and they were absolutely delicious (I actually ate one just now with my afternoon cuppa at work, which is what reminded me to comment). For other bakers, I just shredded the apple, skin and all, and it worked out fine, so feel free to save yourself some peeling time, too!

  • newdawnnewday
    December 29, 2010

    i made this tonight in my new baker’s edge pan! it was so moist and yummy. i’m making it again tomorrow night to take to my daughter’s countdown to noon party on friday!

  • Bubblesm
    November 16, 2011

    I am new on the web-site. Is there a way to print recipes. Have looked high and low and, if there is a way to print, it isn’t obvious.

  • Nicole
    November 16, 2011

    Bubbles – There is a print icon at the top of each post, on the same line as the date.

  • Sheila
    July 8, 2012

    How do you shred your apple? Do you just use a regular grater? Mine kinda turned into “juice” with a few shreds.

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