Apple Cider Muffins

Produce never tastes as good as when it's freshly picked.  I live in Upstate New York where apple orchards are plentiful, so I tend to cook & bake with a lot of apples at this time of year.  I don't just bake with the typical Granny Smith of apple pie fame.  Whatever is in my kitchen at any given time is fair game.  These Cortland apples are what's in my kitchen today.

So today, I was feeling muffinish.  I know that nutritionally a muffin might as well be a cupcake or a doughnut, but I like the halo of health that they pretend to have.  And with real fruit and apple cider to boost, these must be good for me.  Cough, cough, wink, wink.

Most days I bake from scratch, making up my own gluten-free flour mix, but some days I cheat a bit.  Today was a cheating day.  Say Hello to my best girl, Pamela.

Pamela's baking mix mix makes the best gluten-free pancakes bar none.  I had almost given up on the idea of ever having fluffy pancakes again before finding her.  She also makes a great muffin, cookie, etc.  This recipe is based on the muffin recipe on the back of the package with a few additions and a substitution of apple cider for the water. 

Start with 2 1/2 cups of baking mix in a large bowl.  Add 2tsps cinnamon, 1/2 tsp allspice, 1/4 tsp nutmeg.  Whisk all together.

In a separate bowl beat 2 eggs, 1/2 cup cider, 1/3 cup honey, and 1 tbsp vanilla.  I use local honey because the boys all have wicked bad seasonal allergies and using local honey is supposed to innoculate them against some of those allergies.  The science behind it is that local bees sip on local nectar and therefore your body becomes used to those substances that previously would cause a reaction.

Add 1 chopped up apple to the wet ingredients. 

Am I the only one who uses a paring knife to peel my apples?  A few years back, we made apple crisps in school with Whirling Dervish's class and all of the other moms used a potato peeler.  I've never had luck with a peeler on the slippery peel of an apple.  Using a knife has always been easier for me.  Except of course for this vice like tabletop thing, but there's no point in pulling that out for just one apple.

Then mix wet into dry until combined.  Drop batter into a greased muffin tin and place into a 350 oven.  You can sprinkle a little granulated sugar on top for a little crunch or not.  I did on this batch.

Pull them out after 20 minutes.  Let the muffins cool before turning them out of the pan.

One of my absolute favorite things about my renovated kitchen is my soapstone countertops.  I love being able to just drop piping hot things on my counters without having to search around for a trivet.  Hugely handy come party time when I have trays and trays of stuff coming out of my oven in a short period of time.  I'll try to remember to snap a pic of my counters in action next week at party time.

Thanks for popping in.  I'm linking up to Gluten Free Homemaker's Gluten Free Wednesdays, Someday Crafts' Whatever Goes Wednesday, Lisa's Gluten Free Health Food Carnival, Get Healthy Cheap's Family Food Fridays, and Talking Dollars & Sense's Muffin Mondays.