Apple Pecan Muffins

I pretty much gave up eating muffins a while ago because for the most part, they really are just cake. And big pieces of cake at that! Cake that does damage to the waistline (the term "muffin top" was not a coincidence).



No this is not me!

 Not pretty!

Ok, now try to get that picture out of your mind while I tell you that today's recipe is actually healthy! Likely one of the healthiest (and yet tastiest) muffin recipes you will come across. And really, an occasional muffin isn't going to kill anyone (or even sabotage a weight loss plan) but people! The key is moderation. So here's what I'm going to suggest. When you make these (and you will), eat one fresh (no butter required!) and freeze the rest (or better yet, send them to school for the bake sale). These are a favorite with the boy with braces! And Mr bus driver man. He got a six-pack of these for his desert adventure.

So, let's start with some spelt flour. You can buy this at the store

 or you can grind your own.

Spelt grain can be purchased at most health food stores. If you don't have a grain grinder (and let's face it, how many of us do?) use a high speed blender to grind. I like to use my Magic Bullet if I'm in the mood to grind my own spelt. Make sure to grind it really really fine. You won't lose any of the nutrients but if the grain is course, you will have very heavy muffins. Which translates to almost inedible, and if you are treating yourself to something yummy and nutritious like this, you don't want to be eating something classified as "almost inedible." Really. Trust me on this one.

Once you've sorted out your spelt flour (to grind or not to grind...), throw it in a bowl and add in some brown sugar (yes, I said sugar), some ground flaxseed (have you invested in a magic bullet yet? Can you see a theme here?), some cinnamon, the usual culprits baking powder and his sidekick soda and a bit of sea salt.

Don't forget some fresh ground nutmeg. 

Have you met my little nutmeg man yet? I use him exclusively for grating fresh nutmeg. There's nothing like fresh nutmeg, especially if you grew up eating stale nutmeg (sorry Mom, you were an awesome cook and baker but your spice cupboard was um, how shall I say this? Hmmm, why did I start down this path...nothing good can come from it I am sure). Anyway, back to nutmeg. I used to wonder what the point was. It was quite revolting. But fresh nutmeg?? It's a completely different animal! Or nut! Ok, ok. back to work here.



Look where he stores his nuts.



Alright, enough oggling the nutmeg man.

Get out your knife and chop some apples into little bits like this.



Add in some vanilla, milk, yogurt, an egg and some broken pecans.

Mix it all up with a wooden spoon.  Then add it to the dry bowl.

I love these action shots!

Mix until the wet and dry have converged into a sodden mess and then spoon into a greased muffin tin. Now comes the extra special bit. Mix up a wee bit of brown sugar and cinnamon and a few more chopped pecans in a little bowl and spoon a little bit of this on top of your muffins. Mmmmm, yummy goodness is in store for you very very soon!

Oooh, blurry action shots! This is true photographic skill!

 
Bake in a slow oven. While they are baking (they take about 30 mins) make yourself a really good cup of coffee. Or tea. Your choice, But let the quality of the brew match what you are about to savour from the oven.
 
Let the muffins cool for a bit in the pan and then help them out by running a spatula around each muffin before gently lifting them onto the cooling rack. You do not want to tip these over and try to shake them out. Not unless you want sugar and cinnamon and tiny little pieces of nuts spread all over your counters, floor, etc. Get the picture?? No I didn't take one, I figured that out on my own, thank you very much!
 
The recipe - Apple Pecan Muffins

 (makes 12 muffins)

Ingredients

Dry:
2 cups spelt flour
¾ cup brown sugar
1/3 cup ground flaxseed
1 Tbsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp sea salt


Wet:
1 ½ cups chopped apples (1 large apple usually is enough)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup skim or 1% milk
½ cup plain yogurt
1 egg, beaten
½ cup broken pecans

Topping:
½ tsp brown sugar
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ cup chopped pecans

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 300°F. Spray your muffin pan. In two large bowls, separately mix dry and wet ingredients. Add wet ingredients to dry, stirring until just mixed. Spoon into muffin pan. Top each muffin with a sprinkling of topping mixture. Bake for 30 mins. Do the toothpick test to see if they are done.