Kids in the Kitchen Wednesday: Apple Pie Muffins

After months of looking, Rebecca in the Wisconsin Test Kitchen finally landed a new job! Cue the champagne bottles popping and the applause. But, it's been an interesting adjustment after having her off work for a few months. The whole family needs to start pitching in to get laundry done, the house cleaned and food prepped. 

On her last day of "sabbatical", Rebecca made four dozen muffins to keep in the freezer for easy breakfasts during the week. Both Sawyer and her cousin Penny are obsessed with Rebecca's Banana Muffins, but we thought we'd mix it up and try Apple Pie Muffins as well! The Greek yogurt adds a nice pack of protein (without the fat), and the sweet, crumbly topping on these muffins actually tastes like pie crust! All members of the Wisconsin Test Kitchen gave these muffins two big thumbs up. 

Apple Pie Muffins
Recipe courtesy of: Chelsea's Messy Apron

Ingredients

Muffins
1 cup flour
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 large egg
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1/4 cup oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
1 cup peeled and chopped apple (we used Granny Smith)
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

Crisp cinnamon sugar topping
3 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons quick oats
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons brown sugar, not packed
2 and 1/4 tablespoons oil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 9 cavities of a muffin tin and lightly flour. Do not use muffin liners as these muffins will stick to them. Set aside.

In a large bowl, pour in the flour. Remove 1 tablespoon of the flour and return it to the flour container. Add in the cornstarch, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Mix until combined.

In another bowl, mix together a large egg, Greek yogurt, olive oil, vanilla extract, and brown sugar. Mix until well combined.

Peel and finely chop the apple. Toss with the lemon juice and discard any extra lemon juice that doesn't coat the apples. Toss with the flour mixture. (this is important to keep the apples dispersed evenly throughout the muffins).

Mix the wet and dry ingredients until JUST combined. Over-mixing yields denser muffins.

Fill up 9 muffin cavities evenly with the mixture -- each cavity will be a little over 3/4ths the way full.

In another bowl, toss together the flour, quick oats, cinnamon, and brown sugar. Pour in the olive oil and mix to combine. Add a bit more oil if too dry or a bit more flour if too wet.

Top each muffin evenly with this crisp topping.

Fill the empty cavities of the muffin tin with water to ensure even baking.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a fork when inserted in the center comes out clean.

Remove and allow to cool for a few minutes before removing the muffins from the tin. Use a spoon to coax the muffins out after about 5-10 minutes.

Store muffins in an airtight container in the fridge. Warm in the microwave for 10-15 seconds before enjoying if desired. Muffins best enjoyed within 3 days.

YUM! These muffins might be our new favorite go-to breakfast. Whether or not they're better than the Banana Muffins is still to be determined...

Stay Cool,

The Cool Dads Crew