Morning Gingerbread and Apple Muffins

In case you aren't privy to my brother's blog you have recently missed out on two really tasty recipes.


Apple Gingerbread

1 cup buttermilk (I substituted 1 c. milk with 1 t. vinegar)
6 tablespoons butter
3 eggs
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 heaping teaspoons ground ginger
2 heaping teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 heaping teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 heaping teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1 Apple (diced or shredded)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a bread pans (2), then set aside. In a saucepan, over medium heat, add the buttermilk and butter. When the butter has melted, remove from the heat and cool. Whisk in the eggs, sugar & apples. Whisk until smooth. Sift the flour, baking soda and spices together. Stir the flour. Mix well. Pour into the prepared pan (batter was surprisingly runny.) Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the center of the bread is done. Remove the bread from the pan and cool on a wire rack.

Whole Wheat Apple Muffins

These dark, crazy moist muffins will keep well for several days, and the brown sugar on top, should you not skimp on it as it adds a crunchy touch, perfect for those of you who know that the lid is the best part.

Yield: 18 muffins

1 cup (4 ounces) whole wheat flour
1 cup (4 1/4 ounces) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 cup (1 stick, 4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 cup (8 ounces) buttermilk or yogurt
2 large apples, peeled, cored, and coarsely chopped

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Grease and flour an 18 cup muffin tin and set aside.

Mix together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon, and set aside. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and add the granulated sugar and 1/4 cup of the brown sugar. Beat until fluffy. Add the egg and mix well; stop once to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.Mix in the buttermilk gently. (If you over-mix, the buttermilk will cause the mixture to curdle.) Stir in the dry ingredients and fold in the apple chunks.

Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, sprinkling the remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar on top. Bake for 10 minutes, turn the heat down to 400°F, and bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool the muffins for 5 minutes in the tin, then turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely.