You know those foods that are good at any time of the day? Like pizza… pasta… chocolate? These muffins are like that.
So by that reasoning, these muffins are very high on my list of deliciousness… they are perfect for breakfast, lunch or snack, since they’re not too sweet for a meal, but not too healthy for a snack.
Another fabulous feature of these muffins? How easy it is to make them gluten free! Simply substitute the regular flour with an equal amount of Bob Mill’s All Purpose Gluten Free Flour, and add 1 1/2 tsp of Xantham gum, which you can find at any health food store and now also in most bigger grocery stores.
On our recent baking blitz day, and shown here in the photographs, we did both regular and gluten free versions… and I bet you will never be able to guess from the pictures which are which! Mmmm, delicious and sneaky.
Ok, the gluten free ones are the more golden ones – for some reason they darkened up more, but the flavour/texture is in no way affected – we sampled both in quick succession.
While these muffins are a bit more work than regular “mix-everything-in-one-bowl-and-put-in-oven” muffins, they are definitely worth the extra few minutes, with their sweet and tasty sticky top, and their prettiness.
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup buttermilk (or soured milk)
- ½ cup butter or margarine, melted
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla
- TOPPING:
- 2 apples (pears are also delicious)
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tsp butter or margarine
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease or spray 12-cup muffin tin. Line bottoms with circle of parchment paper or waxed paper. Set aside. (In case, like Anna, you are contemplating painstakingly cutting out 12 individual circles, fold up a piece of parchment paper into a small, thick square with 12 layers so you can measure once and cut once ;))
- FOR TOPPING: Peel, core and cut apples into ½" dice. Place in small bowl and stir in sugar, cranberries and cinnamon. In skillet, melt 2 tsp. butter over medium heat. Add apple mixture and cook, stirring until apples are tender, about 5 minutes. Divide among prepared muffin cups. Set aside.
- FOR MUFFINS: In bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- In separate bowl, whisk together buttermilk, butter, egg and vanilla. Add to dry ingredients and stir just until moistened. Divide over topping in muffin cups.
- Bake at 375 for about 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool on rack for 10 minutes before loosening edges with a knife and inverting onto cooling rack. Add any topping that has gotten left behind back onto the muffins. Serve topping side up.
Adapted from Canadian Living
These muffins sound delicious. I like the combination.