Cinnamon and apples are such a timeless combination, don’t you think? Warm, welcoming and so wonderfully aromatic, you can’t help but get swept away to another time and place.
For me, that time and place is when I was little. It was fall, the weather was cool and damp, pumpkins were everywhere, the school year was still new, and Halloween was just around the corner. Mom had some hot apple cider (with lots of cinnamon) simmering on the stove, and I was busy carving pumpkins.
Yep, I loved that time of year. And I still do! Maybe it was all that candy, or maybe it was the annual trip to Collinsville with my Mom to pick out a pumpkin at the pumpkin patch. But whatever it was, it left a lasting impression with me. And now, every time I make these muffins, I can revisit that time in my memory, and enjoy it almost as much as I did when I was actually carving that pumpkin!
YOU MIGHT ALSO ENJOY:
Clean Eating Cinnamon Apple Muffins
(Makes about 16 muffins)
Ingredients:
- 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 egg whites
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/4 cup safflower oil
- 3/4 cup milk of choice (almond, soy, rice, or cow)
- 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
- 1 medium apple, peeled and well chopped
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a medium mixing bowl, blend together the flour, cinnamon, chopped apples and baking soda.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the egg whites, honey, oil, milk, and apple sauce.
- Pour the flour into the liquid and blend well.
- Spoon into lined muffin tins and place in the oven.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the muffins are cooked through (test with a cake tester).
- Cool on a cooling rack (the apples retain the heat for a while, so allow enough time for cooling).
Anonymous says
Jodi – Haha! Thanks! Your memories sound heavenly!
Jessica says
Can you substitute a different oil for the safflower oil? These sound amazing!
Anonymous says
Jessica – Yes, any light flavored oil will do nicely. Enjoy!
Jenn@slim-shoppin.com says
You look so cute as a kid carving pumpkins! I am totally going to make these muffins this weekend.
I too love fall smells, leaves, the crisp air, pumpkin seeds roasting!
Anonymous says
Jenn – Thanks! And yes, roasting pumpkin seeds smell sooooo good!
Anonymous says
Linda – Any heart-healthy oil will work here. Olive oil, grape seed, avocado, or even walnut oil will work. About the only oil you really want to avoid in that category is canola oil due to GMO issues. Glad you enjoyed the muffins!
Anonymous says
Brittany – I’ve had that happen too. If you have non-stick muffin tins, you can just spray with a light coat of olive oil and they will pop right now. If you don’t, try spraying the papers very lightly. Also, be sure your muffins are completely cooled. Warm muffins stick more. You can also try using the foil-looking papers. They seem to stick less.
Brittany says
Thank you! I will definitely use your tips. I did notice the following day my muffins weren’t sticking as much. I think I am going to have to make you pumpkin spice muffins : )
Anonymous says
Brittany – Hope you enjoy them!
Anonymous says
Maria – Thanks! Hope you enjoy the muffins!
Anonymous says
Connie – Hope you enjoy them!
Anonymous says
Jessice – Enjoy!
Anonymous says
SS – I hope you’ll enjoy them!
Anonymous says
Connie – My pleasure! I’m happy you enjoyed them!
Anonymous says
MissBeckley – You could, but you’d have to switch out some flour for that otherwise your batter will get too dry. But it’s certainly doable. That, or just have a hard boiled egg before you have your muffin. Enjoy!
Anonymous says
Linda – That’s wonderful! I’m so happy you enjoyed them!
Anonymous says
Liz – Wow! That does sound yummy!
Angie says
Can I replace with sesame seed oil?
Anonymous says
If you mean Safflower oil, yes. Any oil you like.
Anonymous says
Marciey – No, it’s not a good substitute. Can you order it from Amazon.com? That, or look for white whole wheat flour. It’s the next best thing and it’s a bit more common.
graciouspantry says
Naomi – No, because there is no gluten in the oat flour. You would have to look for an “all purpose” whole grain mix of flours. I wish I could help, but I know nothing about gluten free cooking/baking.
Dora Siverio-Macholl says
Tried the recipe with some variations and it turned out to be awesome. I used flax seed oil, Stevia and a little protein powder. The muffins are moist and delicious. Thanks for your recipes, I really enjoy trying them. 🙂
graciouspantry says
Dora – Fantastic! I’m glad you enjoyed them!
graciouspantry says
Alice – Glad you’re enjoying them!
Yvette0417 says
Can I add flax seed to this recipe?
graciouspantry says
Yes you can. 🙂
graciouspantry says
Yes you can. 🙂
Yvette0417 says
Can I add flax seed to this recipe?
Gaylene says
YUMMY!! just made these and they are gorgeous. The big test was my 13 year old son, and yes he said “yeah they’re pretty good” so thumbs up. I will be making these again and again.
graciouspantry says
Awesome!
Rebecca Hannaford says
I made these as well! I even took out the honey and used 1 cup unsweetened apple sauce. I added flax seed as well. I do to most muffins! I love you blog and your recipes! They keep me sane cause I can’t give up my baked goods.
graciouspantry says
Haha!!! Happy to help you keep your sanity!
Kelli Lake-Billingsley says
Can you use almond flour instead?
graciouspantry says
You can try, but there’s no gluten in almond flour, so I’m not sure it would work.
graciouspantry says
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed them!
Sara says
These are delicious! Thank you.
ashlee says
Hi what is a good substitute for whole wheat pastry flour ..? I can only find whole wheat flour
The Gracious Pantry says
White whole wheat flour would be the next best choice.
Leah says
What substitute to wheat flour would you recommend for your muffins to compensate for gluten intolerance?
The Gracious Pantry says
Leah – I’ve never figured that out, I’m sorry. It’s something I’m working on though…
Angelica says
Hello. These look absolutely amazing and I have some apples I need to use NOW! But I was wondering though, is it possible to use coconot flour instead?
Thank you!
The Gracious Pantry says
Angelica – Not for this recipe, no. Sorry…
Natalie says
Can I use oat flour instead?
The Gracious Pantry says
Natalie – I don’t recommend it. I have a few gluten free dessert recipes on my blog, but this isn’t one of them. This is formulated to need the gluten.
Julie says
This recipe is absolutely delicious! It’s not too sweet like many other recipes, it is perfect. Thank you for sharing this!
The Gracious Pantry says
Julie – My pleasure! 🙂
Katherine says
Made this exquisite recipe, substuting extra applesauce for the oil and adding chopped pecans. It was a hit! I’ll be using this recipe as a base for other delicious breakfast muffins like banana ration, and berry chia. Thanks so much for sharing!
The Gracious Pantry says
Katherine – Glad you enjoyed it!
Katherine says
Raisin * 🙂
Katherine says
This time I substituted pumpkin purée for the applesauce and added nutmeg and pecans. So delicious, thank you again!
The Gracious Pantry says
Katherine – My pleasure! Sounds yummy! 🙂
Teresa Tian says
Instead of making muffins, is it okay to bake it together in a baking pan/cake pan?
The Gracious Pantry says
Teresa – It’s possible, but you’ll have to watch the baking time and I would try to use smaller sized loaf or cake pans. Otherwise, the center may not bake very well.
Teresa Tian says
Thank you! I just place the batter into 2 loaf pans and baked it normal temperature and it turned out delicious!
The Gracious Pantry says
Teresa – Fantastic!
Jessica says
Is it ok to use wheat flour instead of pastry? Can I sub oatmeal for half the flour? Thank you
The Gracious Pantry says
Jessica – Muffins are reliant on the gluten. You can try to sub half the flour, but I can’t guarantee the outcome. As long as the flour is 100% whole grain, it’s clean. But the regular WW flour is a different type of wheat. So you will get a breadier, more dense result.
Monica says
Made these today as well, love them! Froze half to save for later!
The Gracious Pantry says
Monica – You’re on a roll! (pun intended) 😉
Celeste says
Made these this morning they were surprisingly good, will make these again.
The Gracious Pantry says
Celeste – Wonderful! My favs are the coconut muffins and the banana muffins. Give them a try if you get a chance!
Rusty says
I tried making your Banana Muffins and they were awesome! Was thinking to add some apples inside. Or rather, add some bananas inside THIS recipe. Will it be okay? Thanks! 😀
P.S. YOU ARE AWESOME! <3
The Gracious Pantry says
Rusty – Thanks so much! It should be okay, yes. Just don’t overdo it or they won’t bake properly.
Elita says
I made these this morning! I’m currently living in the UK though and it turns out their idea of applesauce is different than ours so it’s sweet and used for cooking. I used only half the honey and it turned out great only they didn’t rise much. Is that normal?
The Gracious Pantry says
Elita – Depends. Are they flat as pancakes or did they raise at least a little bit? There could be a lot of different reasons…
Elita says
They rose maybe half an inch but that’s about it. They look like cute hockey pucks , but taste amazing.
The Gracious Pantry says
Elita – Oh no!! Hmm… Did you forget the baking soda? Or was the baking soda old? Did you use the WW pastry flour?
Elita says
I did all of the above and bought everything fresh. Maybe I didn’t add enough soda. Anyways they were a big hit regaurdless at our picnic! Thank you!
The Gracious Pantry says
Elita – Odd. But I’m glad everyone enjoyed them!
Colleen says
Omg! These are fabulous! My seven year old said they are the best muffins he’s ever tasted. That’s really saying something since his only experience with them is store bought or made from a box.
Your recipes and advice have been so helpful to me in my quest to go clean. I really appreciate what you do. Thank you!!
The Gracious Pantry says
Colleen – That’s wonderful! You made my day! 😀