Apple and cinnamon muffins

There was a one-day cake sale today in my office held in aid of Children in Need. I contributed some apple and cinnamon muffins (and bought some lemon drizzle cake, yum). Another chance to use more of the garden apples and tweak the recipe that I used previously. This one turned out much better than the last, I think I'm going to stick to this recipe from now on.

Ingredients (makes 12):

300g plain flour
150g caster sugar
¼ tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
100g melted butter (cooled)
240ml buttermilk (milk + 1 tbsp lemon juice) or normal milk
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
225g cooking apples, peeled and chopped (roughly 2 small apples)
1 tsp cinnamon
Topping: 2 tbsp Demerara sugar mixed with 1 tsp cinnamon

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 200 C/gas mark 6. Put flour, caster sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda into a mixing bowl. Stir to mix ingredients.
2. In another bowl or large measuring jug, mix egg, milk, butter and vanilla extract.
3. Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture and pour in the wet ingredients. Stir a few times. Add apple and cinnamon and mix gently to form a lumpy batter. DO NOT OVERMIX as muffins will become dry and tough. Batter should be lumpy with bits of flour.



4. Grease a muffin tin or line with paper cups. Fill each hole about ¾ full and sprinkle the Demerara topping on top. Bake in middle of the oven for 20-25 minutes until the tops are golden and well-risen. Muffins are done when a wooden skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.



Andy stepped in when they were baking in the oven and said it smelled like christmas. I think it's the cinnamon. I'll probably make them again next month for a christmas party since we didn't get to have any with it all going to the cake sale!