Apples & Honey Muffins

Ingredients:
2 cups diced fresh apples*
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup honey**
1/2 cup buttermilk OR milk
1/2 cup canola oil
1/4 cup flaxseed meal
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
pinch salt
freshly ground nutmeg
1 egg

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Line or grease and flour 1 12-well muffin tin. In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, flax seed meal, egg, salt, nutmeg, oil, milk and the baking powder until a fairly smooth batter forms. Fold in the apples. Divide evenly among 12 wells in a muffin tin. Bake 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the center muffin comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

*About 2-3 apples in a fairly large dice. Don’t pack them in the cup or you might end up with too much apple and the muffins won’t stick together.

**I used mesquite honey because we have a lot of it, but really, any honey would work.

My thoughts:
Party like it’s 5768! Today’s Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. It is traditional to usher in a sweet new year by eating apples dipped in honey. We did that last night (over the phone with Matt’s mom!) but I thought I’d make some yummy apples and honey muffins this evening. They are really tasty and pretty healthy too. The flaxseed meal gives them a buttery taste without using butter and since canola oil is roughly as “healthy” as olive oil but is flavorless so it doesn’t compete with the apple and honey flavors.

19 Comments

  1. I really do like your blog, so don’t think i’m being mean. But just because something has flax seed in it doesn’t mean its “healthy”.

    Honey=sugar, buttermilk=fat and flour=just not good for you(unless you are using whole wheat flour).

    Eat a whole apple and dip it in a tiny bit of honey for the holiday, that is healthy! Save the flax seed for a smoothie or sprinkle it on your cereal.

  2. You know what, I really don’t need your critique on the health of a muffin. Check out other muffin recipes and see how much oil or butter (or both!) and sugar they call for. I also didn’t make the claim that flax seed made it healthy-I said it gave a buttery taste to muffin so you didn’t have use butter or a lot of oil.

    I work really hard creating new recipes and don’t need a lecture from anoymous reader. Please don’t tell me how to eat my food or celebrate my holidays. It’s rude and unnecessary. Oh, and by the way: BUTTERMILK IS FAT FREE

  3. I really don’t get the idea that EVERYTHING that crosses your lips must be “healthy” (which people usually seem to read as sugar/fat free.) A little consumption of what we currently consider pointless materials (because what is counted as “healthy” changes over time, anyway) will not kill you.

  4. Well said, you two. I think this recipe looks spectacular.

  5. Susan from Food Blogga

    It really is apple season, isn’t it? Since moving to California, I really miss the New England falls, esp. apple picking. You’ve inspired me to find some though. Apples and honey are a perfect pair. Enjoy your holiday.

  6. The recipe sounds great and L’Shana Tova to you!

  7. the recipe looks delicious 🙂 can i just check – when you say apples, does it have to be green apples or can it be any type of apples? thanks!

  8. I’m not sure what you mean by “green apples” but any variety would do. I used honeycrisp.

  9. wow, i’m sorry, i wasn’t critiquing, just merely pointing out that its not “healthy”. I don’t have a blog so thats why i’m anonymous, but if you must know my name is Jen and I live in Bethesda. I work very hard at eating right and working out. People are very naive when it comes to what foods are healthy. Yes, its fine to splurge and this would be a great recipe to splurge on because lets be honest, there are some scary things to eat out there, but eating a whole apple is alot healthier. And i’m not putting down your holiday, because i’m jewish too, i’m not quite sure where you got that from.

  10. Gosh, Jen, I just think you are not a careful reader. I never said you were “putting down my holiday” but that you really don’t have the right to tell me how to celebrate it. Or how to tell me how to eat flax seed. I’m really happy that you are so healthy, but I really don’t think my blog is the place to push your agenda.

    I also never said that the muffins were the most healthy choice for a food. In fact, I even just said they were “pretty healthy”. Sure, one could eat a plain apple, but if you are going to eat a honey-apple muffin this recipe is much better than the majority of other recipes out there.

    And frankly, if for some strange reason you felt the need to critique my diet, recipes, or lecture me on healthy eating, it really is most approprate to email me directly, esp. if you are going to pass on incorrect information (like about the buttermilk). People don’t come here to learn what your personal opinions on health are, but to see my original recipes.

  11. Shana Tova to you!

  12. These muffins sound great and I love the link to your heritage. And I have to say that I have been adding ground flax to anumber of things we eat as it is an easy(and delicious) way to boost fiber and improve the good/bad cholesterol ratio.

  13. Flax seed or not, “Party like it’s 5768!” made me laugh out loud. I need to try these!

  14. wow, i clicked on “leave a comment” to say how great this recipe looked. over and over again i am so pleased with the recipes you cook up!

    and just to weigh in a bit (no pun intended), “healthy” is a lifestyle – a lifestyle that for many people can include daily exercise, lots of whole fresh foods, and an occasional muffin on a special morning!

  15. I love muffins. So much.

  16. Just wanted to chime in about the healthy thing..
    Honey may equal sugar but it is a healthier alternative to white sugar. Honey is full of antioxidants. I did a search specifically looking for an Apple-honey Muffin.. this is the best recipe I found. The rest called for weird ingredients. I will definitely give this a try.

    If I wanted an apple, I would go eat one. I want a muffin..so telling someone to eat an apple dipped in honey really makes no sense. It is like comparing apples to oranges..not the same thing at all.

    I am anonymous because I don’t have a blog..but my name is Lisa.

  17. These look delicious. I am baking them for the Jewish New Year with my Sunday School Class!

  18. L'Shanah Tova! We are using this delicious looking recipe for a Jewish Sunday School. Thanks for posting.

  19. Delish. Came out moist with a lovely slight dome top. Thanks for sharing.