Miniature Fall Goodness

Autumn has fallen upon us.

Which, for those of us along the mid-West coast and Northwest coast, means days of glorious sunshine and hints of warmth, mixed erratically with rainfall. Today was entirely the latter here in San Francisco. So cranking up the oven for a batch of mini-muffins (some hungry preK students will be wanting a snack tomorrow morning, after all!) seemed like a nice blend between cozy and productive for my evening.

We had been to wine country recently and those too young to legally taste had done a bit (well, actually an embarrassingly greedy amount) of apple picking from the trees and grounds adjacent to the tasting area. Weeks later, we're still working our way through some beautiful little Golden Delicious and either Fuji or Gala apples. I'm not an apple varietal expert, but feel free to enlighten me if you are!

This recipe is homespun - my own mix between multigrain muffins from Moosewood and 101 cookbook's unfussy apple cake... and a few ideas (or is it ideals?) of my own.

These little bites of fall are satisfyingly hearty through and through- coarse cornmeal gives a nice crunch. Almond milk and whole wheat flour bring some nuttiness to the mix. Generous bits of apple make the texture interesting, like surprising polkadots of applesauce. I think what sparks the flavor into life, the taste equivalent of technicolor of fall leaves, is fresh-ground cinnamon. Pull out a spice grinder or mortar and pestle... or even your blender. The extra step and noise of pulverizing cinnamon stick will be worth it! I cut the sugar content of the batter and sprinkled a bit of coarse demerara sugar on top to make them all the more tantalizing.

One word of warning- these stick maddeningly well to paper muffin tin liners, so just grease your tins and do without!

Hearty Cinnamon Apple Mini-Muffins

makes 3 1/2 dozen mini muffins

(or 2 dozen regular-sized ones)

1 1/2 c small-diced fall apples

1/4 c brown sugar

1/4 c coarse-grind cornmeal

1 c white flour

3/4 c whole wheat pastry flour

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp of freshly ground cinnamon

1 large egg (or 2 bantam-sized eggs, in our case!)

1/4 melted butter

1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 scant cup almond (or other) milk

Preheat oven to 400degF.

Mix together the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Toss the apple bits with the dry ingredients. (This prevents them from sinking to the bottom of each muffin.)

Lightly beat the egg. Mix egg with liquid ingredients in a small bowl, including melted butter.

Fold liquid mixture into dry ingredients until just blended. Scoop into muffin tins (nearly full). Sprinkle each with coarse sugar. Bake for 12-15 min until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into a center comes out clean.

Enjoy with a cup of coffee, mug of cider, spot of tea, or even a little dixie cup of apple juice. Depending on just how young or cozy you need to feel on this fall day!