The Joys of Autumn: Apple Streusel Muffins

Fall provides beauty outside, as well as inside our homes, especially in our kitchens.


The food of this season is the best around, soups, stews, casseroles, all of it warm and delicious, oozing comfort, and home.


I had some apples that needed to be used up, and I peeled and cored them and chopped them up and decided to try a new recipe I'd seen.


So, they turned out well, and I'll now recommend the recipe to you!

When I had finished peeling and dicing the apples, I had much more than I needed for this recipe, so I froze the apples in a Ziploc once they'd been tossed with the sugar and cinnamon, so I can quickly make another batch sometime without having to peel the apples.  (I could also use the extra for any other recipe that calls for diced apple, like my "Morning Glory Muffins".)

This is a nice fall treat, and I hope you enjoy!  It makes the house smell wonderful.


Apple Streusel Muffins


Bake 20 minutes with oven set @400 degrees


INGREDIENTS
2 c. all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
3 t. baking powder
1-1/4 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
2 eggs
1 c. sour cream
1/4 c. butter or margarine, melted
1-1/2 c. chopped, peeled, tart apples


TOPPING:
1/4 c. sugar
3 T. all purpose flour
1/4 t, ground cinnamon
2 T. butter or margarine.


1.  In a large bowl combine dry ingredients.  In another bowl, beat the eggs, sour cream, and butter.  Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.


2.  (This is something I did, but the recipe didn't require it, I tossed my apples to coat with a few tablespoons of sugar, a dash or two of cinnamon, and a Tablespoon or so of brown sugar.  It gave the apples some of their own caramel inside the muffins.)


3.  Fold in apples to the batter and then fill muffin tins 2/3 full.


4.  For topping, combine sugar, flour and cinnamon.  Cut in the butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle a rounded teaspoonful over each muffin.  


5.  Bake at 400 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool for five minutes before moving from pans to wire rack.  16 muffins will be ready to serve warm.  YUM!!

I can't believe it's already OCTOBER!

Our new baby granddaughter will be here soon!