Caramel Apple Muffins

       Hello!

       Happy first day of autumn! :)  

       Truthfully, it's not been terribly "autumn-y' around here! We've had hotter days than we had all summer, and we've had them more continuously than we had all summer! But, the earth temperature aside, our apple and pear trees are still making fruit (although not as happily as usual), and making muffins from some of that fruit needed to happen! 

​       I saw this recipe for Caramel-Apple Streusel Muffins from Tracey's Culinary Adventures! They looked so good, and I had apples to spare, so I gave them a shot! Of course, because I had a ton of apples, I made this recipe x 3 and stored most of them away in the freezer to use in school lunches, breakfasts, or after school snacks. They are delicious & full of fall flavour! 

​      Enjoy!!! 
 

Caramel Apple Muffins

Ingredients: 

Muffins

• 2 Cups flour
• 1/2 Cup white sugar
• 1/4 Cup brown sugar
• 2 Tsp baking powder
• 1 Tbsp cinnamon
• 1/2 Tsp salt
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup butter/sour milk (pour 2 tbsp lemon juice into a measuring cup, then fill to 1 cup measure with milk. Stir and let sit to curdle)
• 1/4 cup butter, melted and slightly cooled. 
• 2 Tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup (heaping) peeled and diced apples 
• 1/2 cup caramel bits, or 12 caramels, chopped

Streusel Topping

• 1/2 Cup packed brown sugar
• 5 Tbsp flour (1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp)
• 1/4 Cup quick-cooking oats
• 1 Tsp ground cinnamon
• Pinch o' salt
• 3 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Line muffin pan with paper liners
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt
3. In a separate small bowl, whisk the egg, sour milk, melted butter, and vanilla
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir just until moistened
5. Fold in the apples and caramel pieces until evenly distributed
6. To make the streusel: in a medium bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, flour, oats, cinnamon, and salt. Add the melted butter and stir until the mixture is crumbly
7. Divide the batter evenly among the liners, filling each about 3/4-full. Sprinkle the streusel topping evenly over the muffin batter.
8. Bake the muffins for 10 minutes, then turn the oven down to 350 and bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean
9. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and allow the muffins to cool for a few minutes, then remove from the pan to the rack. 

​     Let's shift gears a little here....and look at my kids from the last 4 years of the first day of school! I mean, they go from babies to beautiful, grown-up kids! *tear*
 

      Let's shift gears again....to a little company that is starting up that I'd love to briefly share about! It's called Little Red Canoe Book Co., and they are a Canadian book subscription business!

    I was asked to review a book box with Abby and Keziah, but that only involved getting the boxes, and doing an online survey for the woman who got in touch with me from the company - me talking about it here is all me!!!

   The girls (and I) loved the boxes! They were beautiful, filled with wonderful things, awesome books, and so much fun (which then makes reading even more fun!). So, check them out! 
 

     That's all for now!
  
      happy Friday!

xo
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