In my household growing up, there was a baked good for every occasion. Donuts after church on Sundays. Bagels on Saturday mornings. Chocolate cake for my birthday. Apple cake or lemon meringue pie for my mom’s. My sisters and I can recite the Tollhouse chocolate chip cookie recipe from memory. It was a happy childhood.
When I transitioned to paleo eating, my baked goods consumption plummeted. I still indulge in the occasional “brownies and ice cream night” with Matt or eat cupcakes if they look too amazing to pass up — but I try to avoid most baked goods, including paleo versions. They wake my sugar demon and it’s an exhausting battle to get the guy asleep again. It’s better if I just step away from the waffles.
But, about three weeks ago, my friend L.B. came back from the farmers’ market raving about the fall apples. From that moment forward, I had apple muffins on my mind.
When my sister, Lauren, was out here last weekend, I begged her to partner with me to create a paleo apple muffin recipe. We totally worked on it together. She figured out the ingredients and proportions. She chopped, stirred and mixed. I sat on a stool, took notes and told her to add more water to the boiling apples. Oh, and I took pictures and named them. See, a partnership!
I hesitated to call these muffins at first. They are much denser and heavier than the muffins you might have made from The Joy of Cooking or bought at Starbucks. If you prefer light and airy muffins, these are not for you. They are super dense and very moist from the apples and carrots — but they look like muffins and the flavor packs a punch. So, I call them power muffin nuggets! I think they are delicious. And they kind of remind me of my childhood.
Morning Glory Power Muffin Nuggets
Gala apples, 2
Water, 3 cups
Dates, ½ cup
Vanilla, 1 teaspoon
Almond flour, 2 cups
Carrots, 3
Shredded coconut, ½ cup
Pecans, ¾ cup chopped
Raisins, ½ cup
Cinnamon, 1 teaspoon
Ginger, ½ teaspoon
Salt, ½ teaspoon
Coconut oil, ¼ cup
Eggs, 3
To make apple/ date sauce –
1) Peel and shred one apple. You can shred in food processor to speed this step up.
2) Place apple and water in small pot. Let simmer for about 30 minutes, until most – but not all – the water is gone.
3) Add dates and let cook for another 5 minutes. Stir regularly to avoid burning.
4) Let mixture cool a bit. Then, stir in vanilla.
5) Puree until smooth and set aside.
To make muffins –
6) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
7) Peel second apple and chop into small pieces.
8) Shred carrots. Again, a food processor really helps speed this along.
9) In large bowl, mix apple, almond flour, carrots, shredded coconut, pecans, raisins, cinnamon, ginger and salt.
10) Add coconut oil and apple/date sauce.
11) Whisk three eggs and add to bowl. Stir until smooth.
12) Add liners to muffin tin. Fill until almost full. (They don’t rise very much.)
13) Bake for 25-30 minutes.
