For the longest time, I didn’t think I liked walnuts. Every time I would see a recipe with walnuts, I would substitute pecans or a different nut. Then I realized how crazy I was and that walnuts are actually delicious! Sometimes it takes me a while but I eventually get there ;).
I love muffins, that’s obvious from the 30+ muffins recipes here on the blog. I’m an equal opportunity muffin lover – sweet, savory, healthy, you-name-it! These are somewhere between dessert-like muffins and healthy muffins….like, sorta-healthy muffins, okay? They have some healthy ingredients like apple and walnuts, but also some not-so-healthy ingredients like white flour and sugar. Even so, each muffin is just over 200 calories – definitely not a diet buster.
The muffin batter will appear too dry/thick at first and you might be tempted to add more milk, but DON’T! As the muffins cook, the apples give off plenty of moisture. A thick, slightly lumpy batter is totally fine. It’s supposed to be like that! I love the combination of the granny smith apple, walnuts, and dried cranberries but you could easily substitute raisins for the cranberries (or leave them out if you’re not a fan of either one). And if walnuts aren’t your thing, I ask you to give them a chance! If you have given them a fair shake but still aren’t a fan, you can substitute your favorite nut instead. Enjoy!
Cinnamon Apple Walnut Muffins
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1-1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup skim milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup dried cranberries (or raisins)
1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly grease 12 muffin cups or line with paper baking cups. Set aside.
2. Mix first 7 ingredients in large bowl. Stir in apple, nuts and dried cranberries. Mix milk, oil, egg and vanilla in medium bowl.
3. Add to flour mixture; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened (batter will be thick and slightly lumpy).
4. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling each cup 2/3 full.
5. Bake 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center of muffins comes out clean.
*adapted from McCormick
Nutritional Info (per muffin): 213 calories; 9 g fat; 30 g carbohydrates; 1 g fiber; 3 g protein.
