Nut Free Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Everyone is freaking out about apples these days. Well, that is of course if they aren't freaking out about pumpkin spice. Maybe they're freaking out about both. Hey, go big or go home I guess right?

I'll admit, I too have some seasonal affinity for apples. Once those Honeycrisp show up at Whole Foods I'm all over them. I eat an apple every single day, around 4pm, with Justin's Almond Butter. When I'm being naughty, it's Justin's Honey Almond Butter... that stuff is incredible. I mean, so incredible that I may or may not be known to eat it straight from the jar... with a knife... after I've finished my apple... It's bad. But oh so good. There is some sugar in it though so when I'm being strict (which is when exactly?), I switch to regular.

Anyway, I've been trying to figure out a more consistent breakfast routine for the work week. I am weird about breakfast. Alright fine, I'm weird about a lot of things but let's just tackle breakfast right now, okay? I can't eat when I first wake up - it makes me feel nauseous. And I can't eat eggs unless I've been awake for at least two hours. I've tried to figure it out and I just can't. I just don't have an appetite in the morning. So when I find something that works, I stick with it.

I am currently obsessed with Applegate Farms Chicken and Maple Breakfast Sausages. I fire up 3 of those in the morning. But I need a carb. And since I'm already eating an apple later in the day, I need to be a little creative here so I don't get bored. Boredom is dangerous. The last two Sunday prep days, I have made some kind of muffin,  I made carrot and pumpkin muffins two weeks ago, banana chocolate chip muffins last Sunday, and Apple Cinnamon muffins this past Sunday, to keep the trend going. These little muffins seem to be exactly the right amount of food I need in the morning to keep me full until lunch.

For these muffins, I adapted a PaleOMG recipe that I've made before, with a few modifications for my preferences. I'll pop one of these into the toaster this morning and eat alongside my sausages. Knowing an apple cinnamon muffin is waiting for you makes going into work a little bit better.... right? RIGHT?

Apple Cinnamon Muffins
Original recipe by Juli Bauer, PaleOMG

What you'll need

• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1/2 cup tapioca flour
• 1/4 cup coconut sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
• pinch of salt
• 2 apples, cored and chopped
• 3/4 cup applesauce (Make sure no added sugar hear. apple sauce can be sneaky!)
• 3 eggs, whisked
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons Kerrygold butter, melted

What you'll do

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, mix together coconut flour, tapioca flour, baking soda, cinnamon.
3. In another bowl, combine the eggs, applesauce, vanilla, lemon juice and butter
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix to combine.
5. Add the apples and mix.
6. Spoon mixture into muffin tin. I prefer to use parchment muffin tin liners but I ran out, so I greased the pan with coconut oil.
7. Bake for 30 minutes.
8. Let cool for 2 minutes before removing from muffin tin.
9. Cut open and smother in Kerrygold and enjoy!

I add an additional apple to the original recipe because why not? If you're going to have an apple muffin, you want the apple to be prominent right? The additional apple makes the muffins a little less traditional, with a bit of a "fluffier" texture. I also cut down on the original amount of coconut sugar. I might even try to make these again without it. It just seems like there is enough sweetness from the apple, applesauce, vanilla and cinnamon.