As I Cling to Fall . . .

We pastry chefs get up early . . . very early. So it's no surprise that I don't have much of an appetite before work. I tend to grab something that I can quickly eat at work after I get the first batch of breakfast pastries out for the day. My favorite go-to for this is the muffin.

Here in Salt Lake, the mountains are already covered in snow and the leaves in the valley are quickly falling away. We only have a few more days of being able to step out the door without a winter coat. So, as I cling to fall, I went with a seasonal (for the time being) flavor for this muffin: apple cinnamon.

Apple Cinnamon Muffins (gluten-free)
Makes 12 regular or 6 extra-large muffins

2 cups tart apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2 inch chunks
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Toss apples in cinnamon, brown sugar, and lemon juice and bake in the oven for 10 minutes

1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon bakig powder
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup all-purpose gluten-free flour
1/2 cup white rice flour
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
2 tablespoons vanilla
1/2 cup canola oil
2/3 cup almond milk
1 cup sugar
1 egg*
brown sugar, for sprinkling

Mix together dry ingredients. Combine sugar, oil, milk, and oil. Add to the dry ingredients and stir until smooth. Stir in cooled apples.

Fill greased muffin tins 2/3 full. Sprinkle tops with brown sugar. Bake at 325 for 20 minutes. Rotate pan 180 degrees in the oven. Bake 15 minutes more for regular muffin tins or 20 minutes more for large muffin tins. Muffins are done when a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

I hope you enjoy these muffins as you hang onto the last days of fall!


*These muffins can easily be made vegan. Just omit the egg and add an extra 2 tablespoons of oil and an extra teaspoon of baking powder.