fresh apple recipes – Brownie Mischief

Apple Cinnamon Mini Muffins

Soft, tender apple mini muffins rolled in cinnamon sugar

Course Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 24 muffins

Ingredients

Muffins

1 ½ cups (191g) all purpose flour, sifted
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
⅜ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
⅜ teaspoon ground nutmeg, preferably freshly ground
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
⅓ cup (66g) granulated sugar
¼ cup (50g) packed brown sugar
⅓ cup (80ml) vegetable oil or neutral oil of your choice
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ cup (113g) puréed peeled apples or unsweetened applesauce**
Caramel sauce for dipping purchased or homemade

Cinnamon Sugar

⅔ cup (132g) granulated sugar
1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
6 tablespoons (85g) melted butter

Instructions

Muffins

Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Grease and flour a 24-serving mini muffin pan.* Do not use muffin liners. (The muffins need to form an outer crust. This prevents them from absorbing too much melted butter in the last step.)
In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg.
In a large bowl, whisk the granulated sugar, brown sugar, oil, egg and vanilla extract together until smooth and well combined. Stir in the puréed apples. Stir in the flour mixture just until combined. The batter will be thick.
Transfer the batter to prepared pan, filling the muffin cups about 2/3 full. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean, about 9-11 minutes. Do not over bake! Be diligent, since over baking can happen very quickly with mini muffins. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Turn the muffins out and place on a cooling rack.

Cinnamon Sugar

Whisk the cinnamon and granulated sugar together in a shallow bowl until well combined. Briefly dunk the warm muffins in the melted butter, then roll them in the cinnamon sugar.

Notes

*To find the mini muffin pan I used, click here.

**If your applesauce is very watery, drain the excess liquid before measuring.

Keyword apple, cinnamon, muffins

If you love apple fritters, you’ll adore this moist, tender cake that’s loaded with fresh apples and topped with rich brown butter icing. This is the best Apple Fritter Cake recipe I’ve ever tasted! A couple of simple steps give it the most flavor and the best texture. The apples are cooked briefly on the stovetop before being added to the batter. This gives the apples a better flavor and texture and prevents soggy spots in your cake. The juices that the apples release during this step are saved to add to the icing. The browned butter in the icing adds a rich, nutty flavor that takes this cake over the top.

Apple Fritter Cake with Brown Butter Icing

A moist, tender, subtly spiced cake loaded with fresh apples and topped with rich brown butter icing

Print Recipe

Course Brunch, Dessert

Servings 9 servings

Ingredients

Apples

2 tablespoons (28g) butter
3 cups (340g) peeled, chopped apples (1/2-inch pieces )
2 tablespoons (25g) granulated sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon

Cake

1 cup (128g) all purpose flour, sifted
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
⅛ teaspoon nutmeg, preferably freshly ground
¼ cup (57g) unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
2 tablespoons (25g) packed brown sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanila extract
2 tablespoon (28g) sour cream, room temperature

Icing

3 tablespoons (43g) unsalted butter, cubed
1 cup (120g) powdered sugar, sifted
1 ½ tablespoons (22ml) reserved juices from the apples
1-3 tablespoons (15 ml-45ml) whole milk, room temperature
1 pinch fine sea salt

Instructions

Apples

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. When the butter starts to bubble, add the apples. Sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon over the apples and cook, stirring occasionally until the apples release their juices and start to become tender, about 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool to room temperature.
Drain the cooled apples, reserving the juice for the icing.

Cake

Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Grease an 8-inch square baking dish. (I used a ceramic baking dish.*)
In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and nutmeg until well combined.
In large bowl, beat the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg until incorporated, then beat in the vanilla extract.
Stir in the flour mixture in 2 additions, followed by half of the sour cream after each addition. Mix just until combined. Do not over mix. Fold in the cooled, drained apples.
Transfer the batter to the baking dish. Smooth the top with a spatula. Bake until the cake is golden brown and springs back when lightly touched. A toothpick inserted into the center of the cake will be clean or have a few moist crumbs attached, about 23-28 minutes. Do not over bake.

Icing

In a small light-colored saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and cook until it's deep golden and fragrant. When brown specks start to appear, remove it from the heat and immediately transfer it to a small bowl. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
In a medium bowl, mix the cooled brown butter with the powdered sugar, reserved apple juice, 1 tablespoon (15ml) of milk and the salt until well combined. Add additional milk as needed to achieve the desired consistency. Whisk until smooth. Spread the icing over the cooled cake.

Notes

*To find an 8-inch ceramic baking dish, click here.

Keyword apple, cake