We focus a lot on Chicago and the Midwest here at Agate, especially via our Midway imprint but we thought that on this perfect autumn day we should look east and feature a delicious seasonal recipe from another part of the country. The Official New York State Apple Muffin recipe was created to honor the apple, the official state fruit of New York, and make for either a great breakfast or a dessert. Here is a spin on it taken from The Fly Creek Cider Mill Cookbook, out now from Agate Surrey.
Makes 24 muffins
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 cups coarsely chopped apples
- ½ cup golden raisins
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
- 3 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten
- 4 ounces cream cheese, cut into small pieces
- 1 stick unsalted butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the Topping:
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Line 2 12-cup, large muffin tins with paper liners. Set aside
3. Combine the flour with the brown and granulated sugars, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, salt, and nutmeg in a medium mixing bowl. Stir to blend completely. Set aside
4. Combine the apples with the raisins and walnuts in another medium mixing bowl. Stir in the eggs, cream cheese, melted butter, and vanilla. When blending, begin adding the dry ingredients, a little at a time, stirring until just combined. Do not overmix.
5. Prepare the topping. Combine the brown sugar with the flour and cinnamon in a small mixing bowl, stirring to blend. Stir in the walnuts and orange zest and, when blended, stir in the melted butter.
6. Spoon and equal portion of the batter into the prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle an equal portion of the topping over each filled cup. Place in the over and bake for 25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of a couple of the muffins comes out clean.
7. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool.
8. When cool, store, tightly covered, at room temperature for up to 2 days.
