Apple Almond Muffins

Welcome y’all – it’s Christmas Eve!

And, you know, since it’s Christmas Eve and I KNOW that we’re all running around, spending time with loved ones, maybe doing some shopping, and probably hungry for something a little healthier-ish than what we’ve been eating all week (no?  Just me?), I figure I’ll make this one short and sweet.

 

Kinda like these muffins 😉

 

These guys are so good that I could not keep my hands off of them after they came out of the oven.  The apples add just the right amount of sweetness and the almonds on top toast up perfectly so that you get a nice little crunch and a good toasted nutty flavor.  Honestly, even though the timing is perfect, they really are a perfect Christmas morning muffin.

 

A good source of paper-tearing/tape-ripping/box-shredding energy for the whole family!

APPLE ALMOND MUFFINS

Makes 24 muffins

• 3 large sweet apples (I used a combo of Honeycrisp & Gala), peeled and shredded
• 1 cup sugar
• 6 Tbsp butter, melted and cooled (I have also made them with vegetable oil and they work great!)
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup sour cream (or plain Greek yogurt)
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp almond extract
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp allspice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 375.  Line muffin pans with muffin cups and/or spray with nonstick spray; set aside.  In a large bowl whisk together the sugar, butter, eggs, sour cream, vanilla and almond extracts until smooth.  Sift in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, allspice and salt and mix until all of the dry ingredients are almost incorporated.  Finish mixing it all together by folding in the shredded apples.  Scoop into prepared muffin pans, filling each cup about 3/4 of the way full.  Sprinkle with sliced almonds and gently press them into the top of the muffin batter.  Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes, until the muffins are golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Serve warm, at room temperature, or cold – just make sure you eat ’em!

Merry Christmas Eve my loves!