Caramel-apple muffins

Delicious muffins incorporate the great flavours of autumn!

Autumn, aka apple season, is one of my favourite times of year. I have fond memories of apple picking as a child and enjoyed sharing that traditional activity with my own kids when they were younger. These days, I head to my nearby farmers’ market to pick up baskets of freshly-picked apples throughout the fall. I love to make litres of pink-hued applesauce to tuck into the freezer, and I also love baking with apples. Pies and crisps are always devoured in my house but I got to thinking the other day that it was time to add a new apple dish to the repertoire. Now that Hallowe’en is almost here, I was reflecting on the decadent, delightful flavour of caramel apples and decided that recreating that taste in muffin form would be a delicious experiment. I was right. Enjoy!

Ingredients

For caramels:

• 1/2 cup (125 mL) white sugar
• 1 teaspoon (5 mL) water
• 3 tablespoons (45 mL) butter
• 1/4 cup (60 mL) heavy cream

Note: if you don’t wish to make the caramels yourself, you can use 12 – 15 purchased caramels, unwrapped and cut into thirds.

For muffins:

• 2 cups (500 mL) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) brown sugar
• 1/4 cup (60 mL) granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons (10 mL) baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons (7.5 mL) cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon (1.25 mL) salt
• 1/4 cup (60 mL) butter
• 1 egg
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 teaspoons (10 mL) vanilla
• 3/4 cup (185 mL) peeled, cored and coarsely chopped apples (about 2 medium apples)

For streusel topping:

• 1/2 cup (125 mL) packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup (60 mL) quick cooking oats
• 3 tablespoons (45 mL) butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon (5 mL) cinnamon

Method

For caramels:

• Place sugar and water in a small, heavy-bottomed pot.
• Over medium heat, warm sugar until it melts.
• Swirl pot occasionally to ensure even heat distribution. The sugar will turn golden brown as it melts and caramelizes.
• When sugar is completely melted and golden, add butter. The mixture may foam up as the butter melts. Stir well.
• When butter is melted, add cream and stir well. Pour into a shallow baking dish (a loaf pan lined with parchment paper is good) and cool in the refrigerator until the sauce is solid enough to cut into one centimetre (1/3-inch) squares.

For muffins:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Line muffin tins with paper baking cups. Use the parchment ones if you can find them – they are fantastic and much easier to peel off the muffins than the plain paper ones.
• In a large bowl, combine flour, sugars, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
• Combine topping ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
• In a medium microwave-safe bowl or glass measure, melt butter over low heat. Cool slightly in fridge for 2 minutes then add egg, buttermilk and vanilla to butter in bowl. Stir to combine.
• Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
• Fold in chopped apple and caramels.
• Fill baking cups 3/4 full with batter.
• Sprinkle topping evenly over batter in cups.
• Bake 18 – 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
• Remove tins from oven and let muffins cool in pan 5 minutes before removing.
• Let cool at least 5 more minutes before serving – if you can’t wait that long, just be careful of the hot, melted caramel inside the muffins.

Makes 12 muffins that freeze well.