Friday, January 1, 2010

Welcoming in 2010 with Upside-Down Apple Buttermilk Muffins . . .

It's a charming little muffin--quiet, unimposing, and . . . well. . . upside-down. Why upside-down? Not because that's what the recipe indicated, no. Not because I dropped the pan (no, I didn't drop the pan). Maybe because it didn't seem like any fun to start off the nascent decade by following the rules?

Wish I could take credit for such an innovative approach to the new year, but the fact is I took my eyes off the road and my hands off the wheel, so to speak, as I was filling the muffin pans. Those muffin cups were too full, and you know what that means. Let's just say these muffins look a lot cuter with their bottoms in the air, rather than their tops, and leave it at that.

In any case, these tender apple buttermilk muffins do taste good and are well worth making. The recipe is one I adapted from the book Morning Food by Margaret S. Fox. These can be whipped together by hand, using just a couple of bowls, well in time for breakfast. Besides apples and buttermilk, these feature oatmeal, too. They're not at all heavy, nor too sweet. Just a perky little muffin to help ease you into a new work week, a new year, a new decade.

Apple Buttermilk Muffins

(For a printable version of this recipe, click here.)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 12-cup muffin pan liberally with baking spray, or use paper liners.

1 cup rolled oats (I used quick oats)
1 cup buttermilk (I used low-fat)
3/4 cup All-Purpose flour (I used unbleached)
1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 pinch of cinnamon (or more if you prefer)
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup granulated sugar
6 Tbsp. melted butter, unsalted
3/4 cup of small diced, peeled apple pieces (use any apple that's very firm and sweet-tart)

In a large bowl, stir together the oats and buttermilk. Set aside for 20 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.

Into the large bowl of oats and buttermilk, add the beaten eggs, melted butter, and sugar. Stir well.


Add in the flour mixture and stir just to combine. The batter will be lumpy. Fold in the apple pieces, taking care not to overmix.

Fill the muffin cups no more than two-thirds full (do as I say, not as I did; that is, unless you want to turn your muffins upside-down as well!).

Bake at 400 degrees for about 14 minutes, until golden, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean.

Let the muffins cool in the pan on a rack for a few minutes, then take them out and let them cool more fully on the rack. If you like, flip them over and sprinkle the bottoms with a little cinnamon sugar while they're still quite warm.

Recipe full disclosure! This recipe was adapted from the recipe for Oatmeal-Raisin Muffins appearing on pg. 19 of Morning Food, by Margaret S. Fox and John B. Bear (Ten Speed Press, 2006)

(If you'd like to comment on this post, or to read any existing comments, please click on the purple COMMENTS below!)

17 comments:

Marie Rayner said...

Those look very, very good! I am hungry for breakfast right now and would love to have one of those in my hands!!! Guess I better get the oven fired up . . .

My Casa Bella said...

Oh these sound so delicious and must of smelled so good while baking. MMMMM!

Allison said...

These muffins are very unassuming but look delicious.

Your photos are beautiful, by the way. Looks like you are putting your new camera to good use. I'm very jealous :)

Jane said...

Hi Marie,
Glad you think so! Thanks for commenting.
:) Jane

Hello Arlene (My Casa Bella),
They did smell pretty good, come to think of it. Hope you had a great holiday!

Jane

Hi there Allison,
Thanks so much--I am loving the new camera and I really appreciate your compliment!

Warmly,
Jane

Kate at Serendipity said...

Oh, man do those look good. Light, tender, not too sweet. Perfect! Now what would a little caramel sauce do to them? heh, heh...

Jane said...

Hi Kate--

Oooo, caramel sauce?? You're speakin' my language . . .

:) Jane

Kris Ngoei said...

This looks fabulous as one of the breakfast list of the year 2010. A must do and a must have!

Happy new year!

Sawadee from Bangkok,
Kris

Patricia Scarpin said...

What a great way to start the year - I love baking with apples and the muffins look cute (I bet they would look cute with the tops up, too). ;)

Anonymous said...

Ok, am I the only one who noticed a few things wrong with this recipe? I have these in the oven right now, set at 375. At the top of the recipe, it says to preheat the oven at 350, then it says to bake at 400. That's quite a difference. Also, it does not say in the recipe when to add the melted butter, so I did when I added the eggs.

Sarah said...

Yes, I am concerned about butter and temp as well! At least the butter, the cooking part I can work out... These look so tasty!

Jane said...

Dear Anonymous and Sarah,

My sincere and extreme apologies for leaving such glaring errors in the recipe! I have just fixed them in the post and in the printable version. The butter gets added in with the sugar and eggs, and the temperature should be 400 from the start. Again, I am terribly sorry for originally including such stupid mistakes!

Thank you very much for bringing them to my attention!

Jane

hj said...

Love your blog--how delightfully interesting and informative. Just as soon as I have all of the ingredients, I will try your Upside Down Apple Buttermilk Muffins!

Unknown said...

Hello, I just had a look at the ingredients' list and these really sound delicious. I love oats and apples and cinnamon my favorite spice of all the times.
Thank you for visiting my blog.
Hani

Unknown said...

I just made this! I just happened to have all the right ingredients at the right time - It turned out delicious! Light and sweet-but-not-too-sweet and perfect. Addicting, too! Thanks so much for posting the recipe. :)

Anonymous said...

I made these last night and they were awesome. I had left over buttermilk from making a buttermilk pie and my sister had given me apples from her garden and I was looking for something new to make. These were a HIT!!! Thanks!

Girl Cook Art said...

Superb looking cakes...wanna try this soon.5 thumbs up!

kitchencove said...

sound so delicious and must of smelled so good