It’s still warm here, but my kitchen smells a lot like fall. All because of these moist and delicious Apple Spice Muffins. Heartwarmingly fragrant, barely sweetened only with fruit and studded with juicy pieces of apple… they are the kind of snack you can sink your teeth into without a twinge of guilt. I was super pleased with how they turned out. It’s always a challenge to bake without refined sugar and flour, so please don’t go by appearances alone. These muffins taste so much better than they look, honest!

Recipe

Apple Spice Muffins

(Makes 6-7 muffins)

Ingredients

250 gms/2 medium-sized apples (any variety will do)
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 cup oat flour (made by pulsing quick/rolled oats in a blender)
1/2 cup almond flour (store-bought or homemade)
1/4 cup protein powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 3/4 tsp mixed spices (I used 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp cardamom, 1/4 tsp ground ginger, 1/8 tsp cloves, 1/8 tsp nutmeg)
Pinch of salt
1/4 cup (about 5 large) soft, pitted Medjool dates*
1/4 cup milk, heated
2 eggs, at room temperature
3 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp pure almond extract (optional)
2 tbsp olive oil/melted unsalted butter

Method

Preheat your oven to 180°C.

Peel and core the apples. Finely chop them and toss with the juice of a lime. Cover and set aside.

In a bowl, whisk together the oat flour, almond flour, protein powder, baking soda, baking powder, spices and salt. Set aside.

Soak the dates in 1/4 cup of hot milk. Once cool, add in one of the chopped apples and blend until completely smooth.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, extracts and olive oil. Add the date and apple purée and stir until well combined.

Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Fold in the remaining chopped apple.

Ladle the batter into a lined muffin pan until three-fourths full and bake for 15 minutes. Rotate the pan and bake for another 10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the muffins comes out clean.

Remove the pan from the oven and after a minute or two, transfer the muffins to a wire rack. Allow them to cool completely before eating.

Store any remaining muffins in an airtight container.

* These muffins are just mildly sweet. To make them sweeter, add a tablespoon or two of any sweetener of your choice.