Apple Almond Crunch Muffins

These apple almond crunch muffins were anonymously submitted as a Sweet entry in the BIG Snackable Recipe Contest (entries are now closed, but the winners have been announced on that post!). I loved the concept, but found that the recipe needed a few tweaks and specifications, which I have made in this revised recipe.

The contest is a celebration of our new FREE Snackable eBook with delicious, original Sweet, Savory and Sippable Dairy-Free Recipes. Download and enjoy it now via PDF, iTunes, Kindle, Kobo or Google Play: www.godairyfree.org/snackable-ebook

To qualify for the contest, this recipe for Apple Almond Crunch Muffins uses Almond Plus Milk Beverage from So Delicious Dairy Free.

Alisa’s Notes

Since I have tested and approved this recipe for apple almond crunch muffins as one I would repeat, I’ve added it to the “Alisa’s Recipes” section. Here are my personal notes on the recipe:

Xanthan Gum? I personally do not like gums in muffins. However, if you are baking these apple almond crunch muffins with both the gluten-free and egg-free options, you may want to use the xanthan gum if your flour blend doesn’t have any binder or if you want to avoid any muffin crumble. When made that way, they were fairly cohesive once cooled, but a bit delicate to remove from the muffin cups. If using an egg and/or wheat flour, I think it’s fine to skip the gums.

Sugar: The original recipe used 1 cup of sugar in the batter. Tony liked them, but I found them WAY too sweet. In the future, I will probably test them with just 1/2 cup of brown sugar or 2/3 cup coconut sugar.

Almond Packing? The original recipe didn’t specify weight our how to measure the ground almonds / almond flour. I was conservative and measured them more like regular flour, but just lightly packing. I think if you packed it a bit, they would still turn out nicely.

Special Diet Notes: Apple Almond Crunch Muffins

By ingredients this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, optionally egg-free, optionally gluten-free, peanut-free, soy-free, optionally vegan / plant-based, and vegetarian. The apple almond crunch muffins pictured are egg-free, gluten-free, and vegan.

5.0 from 3 reviews

Apple Almond Crunch Muffins

 

Print

Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

25 mins

Total time

45 mins

 

This recipe is adapted from an "anonymous" entrant in our contest, which is why I don't have him/her listed as the author. I have also made quite a few modifications based on our tests.

Author: Alisa Fleming

Serves: 12 muffins

Ingredients

Crunch Topping

• ½ cup sliced almonds
• 2 tablespoons sugar, brown sugar or coconut sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground almonds or almond flour
• ½ tablespoon melted dairy-free buttery spread, coconut oil, or your favorite baking oil
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Apple Almond Muffins

• 1⅓ cups ground almonds or almond flour (lightly packed)
• 1½ cups gluten-free all purpose flour or white-wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons gluten-free baking powder (reduce to 1 teaspoon above 4000 ft elevation)
• 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum (optional, see notes in post above)
• ½ to 1 cup sugar, brown sugar or coconut sugar (see notes in post above)
• ¾ cup So Delicious Dairy Free Unsweetened Almond Plus Milk Beverage, warmed
• ¼ cup sweet potato puree, pumpkin puree, applesauce or 1 egg
• 3 tablespoons grapeseed, rice bran or melted coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon orange zest, almond extract or vanilla extract
• 1 granny smith apple, cored, optionally peeled, and grated

Instructions

1. For the crunch topping, stir together all ingredients with a fork until the almonds are coated.
2. For the muffins, preheat your oven to 350ºF and optionally grease 12 muffins cups (not required with silicone).
3. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the ground almonds, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, ginger, nutmeg, and xanthan gum (if using).
4. In a medium bowl, blend the sugar, milk beverage, puree or egg, oil, and zest or extract until relatively smooth. Add the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Fold in the grated apples.
5. Divide the muffin batter between your prepared muffin cups, they should be about ¾ full.
6. Scoop muffin batter into lined cupcake pans until they are about ¾ full. Top the batter with the crunch topping and gently press in.
7. Bake the muffins for 22 to 26 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Will keep for 2 to 3 days in an airtight container at room temperature, can be refrigerated or frozen for longer storage.

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