Spiced Apple Breakfast Muffins

There’s nothing quite like the aroma of freshly baked fall-spiced muffins filling up my haus. Warm and comforting. A treat without being overly sweet. You can play around with which fruit and spices you add. You could also use hazelnuts or another kind of nut instead of walnuts. I used the gorgeous pink-fleshed Mountain Rose apples that I found locally here in Portland. If you can’t find those, I would recommend honey crisp or pink lady.

Spiced Apple Breakfast Muffins
[Makes about 12 muffins or 6 jumbo muffins]

1/3 cup + 2 Tablespoons coconut or olive oil
1 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk (or any other plant-based milk)
3/4 cup maple syrup
1.5 teaspoon vanilla extract
1.5 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

1 2/3 cups almond meal
1 2/3 gluten-free flour blend (I used Bob’s Red Mill 1-for-1)
1.5 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1.5 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 cups apples, cored and diced (I used Mountain Rose Apples)

To top muffins:
Thinly sliced apple (about 1 small apple)
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together wet ingredients until well combined. In a medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients until well combined.
3. Slowly add dry ingredients into wet ingredients, using a rubber spatula to mix under dough is formed. If dough is looking too dry, you can add a couple Tablespoons more nut milk. Fold in the diced apple.
4. Line a muffin tin with parchment paper or simply grease with coconut or olive oil. Fill each muffin about 3/4 of the way full. Top with apple slices and chopped walnuts.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick or skewer comes out clean. *You may need to increase cooking time if you are using jumbo muffin tins.*