Everyone will be loving these muffins packed full of apple pieces and caramel chunks.
I made a batch of these beauties after I popped my apple picking cherry on the way back from our weekend in the Blue Mountains and again when we went apple picking in Canberra. Apple picking experiences are like waiting for buses, you wait ages for one and then two come along at once!
Still, there’s no such thing as too many apples and certainly no one round here was complaining because everyone was a-loving these muffins. I baked batch after batch because truly, apple and caramel really is a winning combination. My neighbour Luce loves to eat these warm, if not fresh from of the oven, she pops them into the microwave for a few seconds while David prefers them cold and I’ll eat them any which way because I’m not fussy about my muffins!
Praise be, I’ve never had to do an open house but if I did, I would definitely bake a batch of these because these muffins make the place smell amazing. Of course they taste as good as they smell, especially with the moist apple chunks, hit of cinnamon and the marvellously molten caramel. I’m feeling a bit hungry just thinking about it…
Have you ever been fruit picking? Have you ever had to do an open house?
Makes 12
Ingredients
2 large apples, peeled and chopped (about 180g)
2 cups (300g) plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup (60g) brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 cup (125g) butter, melted
1/2 cup (125ml) milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
12 Jersey caramels
How to – Traditional
- Preheat oven to 220C. Line 12 holes of a 12-cup muffin tray with paper cases.
- Chop 6 of the Jersey Caramels in half. Chop the other 6 in half and then half again so that you have 24 small chunks. Set aside.
- Place the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl and mix to combine. Set aside.
- Mix the milk, vanilla and eggs in a jug and stir into the flour mixture taking care not to over mix. Remember a lumpy mixture makes the best muffins!
- Fold in the apple.
- Spoon 1 tablespoon of mixture into each of the prepared muffin cases. Top with half a Jersey Caramel then another tablespoon of muffin mixture.
- Gently press 4 caramel chunks into the top of each muffin.
- Bake at 220 C for about 5 minutes. Keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce the temperature to 200C and bake for another 10-13 minutes until the batter has set.
- Remove the muffins from the trays immediately and place on a cooling rack to cool. Devour warm or cold.
How to – Thermomix
- Preheat oven to 220C. Line 9 holes of a 12-cup muffin tray with paper cases.
- Chop 6 of the Jersey Caramels in half. Chop the other 6 in half and then half again so that you have 24 small chunks. Set aside.
- Place the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and cinnamon in TM bowl and mix for 5 seconds on speed 5. Set aside.
- Place the apples in the TM bowl and chop for 3 seconds on speed 4. Set aside in a small bowl.
- Add the butter to the TM bowl. Melt for 3 minutes at 60C on speed 2.
- Add the milk, vanilla and eggs and mix for 10 seconds on speed 5.
- Add the flour mix to the TM bowl and mix for for 5 seconds on speed 4. Don’t over mix! Remember a lumpy mixture makes the best muffins!
- Add the apple and mix for 5 seconds on reverse speed 3.
- Spoon 1 tablespoon of mixture into each of the prepared muffin cases. Top with half a Jersey Caramel then another tablespoon of muffin mixture.
- Gently press 4 caramel chunks into the top of each muffin.
- Bake at 220 C for about 5 minutes. Keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce the temperature to 200C fan-forced and bake for another 10-13 minutes until the batter has set.
- Remove the muffins from the trays immediately and place on a cooling rack to cool. Devour warm or cold.
