Puffy Apple Muffins

I learned something new about muffins while baking these lovelies, and that was how to make tall, puffy muffins. Not something I'd ever aspired to do before, but nevertheless, all techniques must be mastered at some point. It's actually quite easy to come up with a puffy muffin. It all comes down to a combination of baking powder and an initial heat spike when you put them in the oven. I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I pulled these muffins at the end, but I was pleasantly surprised to see these muffins rose a ton.

A couple of weeks ago, I came across a post on these puffy muffins, or as Sally from Sally's Baking Addiction refers to them, "Sky-High" muffins. The technique to mastering these tall muffins is to start with a really hot oven. I usually bake muffins around 350º, but for the first 3 minutes baking these I baked them at 425º. The higher temperature allows the muffins to rise quickly. After 3 minutes, I lowered the temperature back to 350º and finished baking the muffins for another 15-20 minutes. Perfection! The end result was a soft, moist interior with a tall, crunchy exterior. Another tip- make sure and fill the muffin cups all the way full. 3/4 or 2/3 full will not yield a tall, puffy muffin. The batter ends up very thick and spoonable, so it's easy to fill the muffin cups as much as you like.

The hubby wanted me to add that these muffins have a large stamp of approval from him. I liked mine best after heating in the microwave for 20 seconds, but the hubby prefers his the way nature intended- room temperature :)

I hope everyone is having a great weekend! The hubby and I both have colds, and there's about an inch of snow on the ground here. Needless to say, we are holing up and camping out in Casa de Jarrell today!

Ingredients (makes 12 muffins):

Streusel topping-
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp flour
2 tbsp old-fashioned oats
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp cold unsalted butter

Muffins-
3 cups flour
3 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 cup almond milk (you can sub regular milk)
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp apple yogurt (I used Chobani Apple Cinnamon)
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 large eggs
2 apples, chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425º. Coat a muffin tin with cooking spray, set aside.
2. In a small mixing bowl, combine brown sugar through cold butter to make streusel topping. Cut into the mixture with a sharp knife until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.
3. To prepare the muffins, combine flour through nutmeg in a large mixing bowl. Whisk to combine. In a separate mixing bowl, combine almond milk through eggs. Whisk to combine. Add dry ingredients to the wet. Fold mixture until mixture is just barely mixed. Over-mixing will result in a dry, tough muffin. Fold in the chopped apples.
4.  Fill the muffin tin with the batter. Batter will be very thick. Fill muffin cups all the way full. Bake in preheated oven for 3 minutes, then lower temperature of oven to 350º. Bake for another 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool muffins in tin for 10 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack. Serve immediately, or cool completely before storage.

Recipe courtesy of Sally's Baking Addiction.