Cuisinart Stand Mixer Blog |
November 1, 2007 | Cuisinart Original Feature
An Apple a Day
Posted by: Jennifer Perillo
What better way to spend a
sunny autumn Saturday afternoon than apple picking with your kids and friends. With no apple orchard to call our own in New
York City, we packed the kids in the car and drove to Pomona, NY to The
Orchards at Conklin. Bringing the girls
to the orchards was a science and nature lesson all in one. They observed how some apples were ripe and
ready for the picking, while others still needed a bit more time in the
sun. The chance to look at the landscape,
sprinkled with trees whose leaves were turning shades of red, yellow and
orange, was also a beautiful departure from the concrete jungle they call home.
Eighteen pounds of apples
later, when we were in the car driving home, I started thinking about what I
would do with the bounty we'd collected.
After all, how many apple pies could one make, let alone eat? Besides, apple pie also means mom does the
hard labor of peeling the apples and making the piecrust, so I needed a recipe
that the whole family could help make.
Then I remembered a recipe I had for light, airy muffins. Would apples weigh them down or "kick them up
a notch?"
After adjusting the
proportions of butter and sugar (I wanted the apples' natural sweetness to
stand out), the reward was a light, airy muffin, dotted with chunks of fresh
cooked apple.
Yogurt is the secret
ingredient that keeps these muffins moist and light. I love the rich texture of Greek yogurt but
traditional plain yogurt can be substituted for equally delicious results. I also added cinnamon since it makes a great
flavor combination with apples. Raw turbinado sugar stood in for a nice crunch
topping and was quicker than making a streusel to sprinkle on top. The best part is these keep for up to two
days and taste great when warmed up in a 350º oven for five minutes. They also make a healthy and filling snack on
the go.
APPLE
CINNAMON MUFFINS
Makes twelve
muffins
Don't
worry about how full the cups look after dividing the batter; the baking powder
ensures they'll rise high and not spread out into a mess. The muffins will also
easily pop out of the pan without liners if you prefer.
TOOLS
fruit & vegetable peeler
knife to dice apples
rubber spatula
INGREDIENTS
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
8 Tbsp butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1 1/2 cups peeled, diced apples
12 muffin liners (optional)
2 tsp turbinado sugar (optional)
1.
Preheat oven to 375º. Line a twelve-cup
muffin tin with liners, if using.
Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a
medium-size bowl and set aside.
2.
Cream butter and sugar on medium-high speed in your Cuisinart Stand Mixer until
light and fluffy, about three minutes.
Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each one.
3.
Beat in one third of the dry ingredients, then add one-third of the Greek
yogurt. Alternating between dry ingredients and yogurt, repeat until all
ingredients have been incorporated. Add
diced apples. Scrape mixing bowl with
rubber spatula and beat 30 more seconds.
4.
Evenly divide batter into the muffin-tin cups.
Sprinkle tops with turbinado sugar if using. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden
brown and toothpick inserted comes out clean.
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