Delicious Healthy Apple Muffins
Sneaking Veggies and Fruit into your Muffins
My daughter brought a recipe home from Chef Lindsay, who visited her school and taught them how to make some very tasty apple muffins. Incredibly easy to make, I felt like with a few modifications they could be made into a truly healthy breakfast option.
First, I omitted the "vegetable" oil for corn oil. I never really know what I'm getting when I buy vegetable oil and I like to limit my daughter's soy intake.
Second, I added wheat germ and carrots to the recipe. The wheat germ helps them stick together a bit better and carrots give them a lovely toasty color, as well as being a healthful additions to the recipe.
One of the fantastic things about this recipe is that it doesn't call for butter and it's incredibly simple to make.
I add a few dashes of Cappuccino mix to just about any sweet recipe I make. I don't know if it adds anything to the flavor, but when I don't, be it cookies, cakes or muffins I feel like something is "missing," so it must be doing something!
Handy Kitchen Gadgets
An apple corer may seem like an unnecessary kitchen accessory, but I found that since I'm doing all my chopping and mixing by hand it really saves time and extends the use of an apple if you use an apple corer. They're inexpensive, small and easy to store with an added bonus of saving you money.
Ingredients
1/2 Cup Raisins
1/4 Cup Carrots
1 1/2 Cups Diced Apple (about 1 apple if you use an apple corer, 1 1/2 if you cut by hand.)
1/4 Cup Wheat Germ
1 Cup Sugar
3/4 Cup Corn Oil
2 eggs
1 Cup Flour
1 TSP vanilla
3/4 TSP Baking Soda
1/2 TSP Salt
3/4 TSP Cinnamon
(Optional) 3/4 TSP of Instant Cappuccino Mix
Mixing it Up
First, before you start mixing, preheat the oven to 400° and line your muffin tin with cupcake cups.
In a large bowl mix together one cup of sugar and 3/4 of a cup corn oil, beating for about two minutes or until the mixture looks smooth. Next, add two eggs and the teaspoon of vanilla, beating again, about two minutes until the mixture looks fluffy.
In a separate bowl combine all the dry ingredients, mixing until the ingredients look well incorporated. (It should look speckled, nearly brown.)
In a third bowl mix together the carrot shavings, raisins and apples.
Add dry ingredients to the sugar, egg and vanilla mixing until incorporated without over-mixing. Add the carrot, apple and raisin mix and you're ready to start filling your muffin cups!
Baking Time
In your preheated oven bake these for 20-25 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean. I like to use a chopstick as my cake tester, it works well and we seem to have an endless supply of them around the house!
When your cake tester comes out clean it's time to remove them, putting the entire muffin tin on a wire rack or cool, heat resistant surface.
Allow muffins to cool for 5-10 minutes before removing them from the muffin tin. This will help them to "set up" and make them less crumbly.
Do not try to eat muffins until they've cooled for at least fifteen minutes, longer if you're giving them to children. The cake may seem cool to the touch, however, the apples / raisins are extremely hot still!
I hope you enjoy these, the recipe makes twelve muffins and can easily be doubled for those of you with a 24-cup muffin tin!
- Tricking Toddlers into Healthy Eating
I have a secret when it comes to getting toddlers to eat healthy. It's not ground breaking, or earth shattering... no, I'm not promising a gooey desert at the end of the meal if they eat all their broccoli... - Healthy Muffins for Kids, Toddlers and Grown-Ups: Making a Moist Muffin from Scratch
Basic healthy muffin recipes for sweet or savory muffins. Plus tips on making moist, delicious muffins with whole grain flours and healthful ingredients. - Getting Kids to Eat Vegetables :: Healthy Eating For Kids :: Spinach and Sausage Lasagna Recipe
Now I don't want to get into the pros and cons of fooling your offspring into eating veggies. Some people think it is a good idea, some think it is not - I don't really care.
 | Easy to use apple corer and slicer. You'll still have to dice, but this will really cut down on the time it takes. Amazon Price: $8.75 List Price: $9.99 |
 | Non-stick is definitely the way to go here. Amazon Price: $17.00 |
 | Watch your kids gobble up your creations with this fun cupcake (or muffin) stand! Amazon Price: $9.72 |
Comments
50 Caliber: Really? How long have you had an apple corer and not known what it was? That's awesome, now you've something to do with it! If you do give them a try could you come back and tell me how you liked them?
Now I am rushing off to get the ingredients. When I get back I shall read the rest of the article. Thanks! :)
Mmmm another recipe to bookmark.
Thanks for sharing.
Take care
Eiddwen.
quicksand: If you pull everything together and give them a try, please come back and let us know what you thought? Thanks for taking the time out to read / comment, I really appreciate it!
Eiddwen: Yay! I, too, have folders upon folders of recipes bookmarked and organized into categories and sub-categories, thanks for taking the time out to read and comment, I really appreciate it. Let us know how it turned out if you give it a try.
Nicole, Really, I had no clue what it was, guess I never thought about it, once I saw it was pretty obvious. I'll let you know on the recipe, next trip to town I'll get the goods, 50
50 Caliber: That is *awesome* thank-you so much for taking the time out to come back, I really hope you like the muffins, one of the reasons I put the recipe up here is because before I made them at my daughter's request I honestly thought they would suck. That was... I dunno, eight batches of muffins ago? My family LOVES them and I am amazed that muffins made with corn oil taste so great.
Yummo, looks really delish!
Research Analyst: Thanks for taking the time out to read and comment, I really appreciate it! Let us know what you think if you give them a try, I'd love to hear.
Hi Nicole, coming up with the ides for healthy breakfast or snack for kids is sometimes really hard. I was just looking for a simple and healthy recipe for a snack that I can offer to my daughter.
This really looks delicious and healthy. I will try it! Thanks for sharing!
EmmaMedu: Thank-you so much for taking the time out to read and comment! They are *fantastic* which is why I shared 'em with you guys, so *please* if you get a chance after trying them out, come back and let us know what you & the little one thought?!? I really appreciate your guy's feedback!
I have to give you six thumbs up after making and eating two batches, my first run I over cooked and were dry but still good, my second run they were fantastic. I added the recipe to my book, thanks for sharing! Peace Dusty
Yay! Yay! Yay! Thanks so much for coming back and letting me know how they turned out! I've burnt them a couple of times, (not terribly so, but still,) and the family still ate them! I'm so happy you liked 'em, 50 Caliber and I really appreciate you coming back to let us know!
It sounds wonderful--where do I order--just kidding. It does sound delicious.
Hah! Kid no more, duffsmom, I will *happily* take your order, (minimum three batches,) for $10 a batch! That's less than a dollar a muffin, how can you beat that price? Oh... yeah... by making them yourself. Seriously, though, I hope you give 'em a try, they're super-simple to make.
Nicole - Not being a fan of apples, I am sure sneaking in other fruits are acceptable?
Good recipes always catch my attention as I do the majority of my own cooking.
Thanks for sharing. Up and definitely useful.
The Frog Prince
Absolutely, The Frog Prince! This might work nicely for you, instead of adding 1 1/2 cups chopped apples, add a cup and a half of fresh or frozen blueberries, they're LOVELY, in this recipe! Chocolate chips? Okay, that's not exactly healthy... but hell, you only live once, right? Finely diced strawberries might work very nicely, too. Pears? Peaches would be too wet, I think, though. Someone try making these with peaches! Personally, I wouldn't, since no one in my family is that *super-crazy* about peaches.
Wow Nicole what a gorgeous recipe and i think myself and my daughter will wolf these down. Oh can't wait to try these thank you so much for sharing with us.
top-bannana: Thank-you, for taking the time out to read and comment, I really appreciate it! Interesting link you left, looks like it is a great resource for parents, I'm looking forward to printing out some of the coloring pages for my daughter! If you give the muffins a try come back and tell us what you & your daughter thought! Mine loves them, I would like to see if they're a hit with other kids as well.
Sounds delicious! My girlfriend will test this recipe for me!
Ancillotti: Come back and let us know how they turned out! You're lucky to have a nice lady in your life who'll make you baked goods, thanks for taking the time out to read and comment, I really appreciate it!
I enjoyed those scrambled eggs so much, I simply must try these muffins.
up/useful
Fay Paxton: So happy to hear you liked the eggs! Hopefully these won't fail to please, either, thanks for taking the time out to read, comment and vote... I really appreciate it!
Sounds awesome and delicious. Bookmarked it and will be trying to make it come this sunday.
jayb23: If you get a chance come back and tell us what you thought! Thanks for taking the time out to bookmark and comment, I really appreciate it!
Thanks for the recipe. I've always loved apple recipes and this one sounds delicious!
Karen N: Thanks for taking the time out to read & comment, hope you enjoy it!
My mom actually has made these in the past. SO GOOD. Anything made with apple is awesome in my book. Great hub!
everythingdazzles: Thanks for taking the time out to read and comment, I really appreciate it! Hope you enjoy the recipe, I too love anything with apples in it!
Sounds delicious. I'll have to bookmark this so I can make these. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks, Savanahl, I hope you enjoy it and appreciate you taking the time out to read and comment.
It makes me feel hungry reading this hub. Looks tasty and delicious.
Thanks, CreateHubpages, hope you give it a try and enjoy!
50 Caliber 14 months ago
Nicole, a tasty sounding treat, that I may have to test drive! A great piece of information, as I have the coring ,slicing tool, I don't know how I got it, and just found out what it was from the picture in the first ad.
Thanks for a recipe and a lesson from the kitchen gadgets!
Peace, 50