Fall Apple Muffins

We spent the weekend in Michigan last weekend and on the way back home stopped by an orchard to go apple picking!  We ended up taking home 20 lbs of apples... hence the apple muffins.  The smell of cinnamon and baked apples really starts to ring in the fall.  I got this recipe from a friend's cooking blog - she always has the best recipes.

Whole Wheat Apple Muffins

• 1 cup (4 ounces) whole wheat flour
• 1 cup (4¼ ounces) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• ½ cup (1 stick, 4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ½ cup (3½ ounces) granulated sugar
• ½ cup dark brown sugar, packed
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream, buttermilk or yogurt
• 2 large apples, peeled, cored, and coarsely chopped
• 3 tablespoons of demerera sugar for crunchy top or brown sugar

• Preheat the oven to 450°F. Grease and flour 18 muffin cups 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 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 demerera 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.
• Makes 18 muffins
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