1 ⅔cup(237g)all-purpose or white whole wheat flour (see note)
1teaspoonbaking powder
1teaspooncinnamon
¼teaspoonbaking soda
¼teaspoontable salt
1 ½cup(160-170g)small-diced apples (see note)
Coarse, turbinado or brown sugar, for sprinkling (optional)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup standard muffin tin with paper liners. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, buttermilk, egg and vanilla until well-combined.
Add the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Whisk until just combined (it's ok if there are a few dry streaks).
Add the apples and stir until evenly combined - don't over mix.
Divide the batter evenly among the muffin tin, filling the cups 2/3 full.
Sprinkle the top of each muffin with a bit of coarse, turbinado or brown sugar, if using.
Bake for 17 to 18 minutes until the tops of the muffins spring back lightly to the touch.
Remove the muffins from a tin to a cooling rack to cool completely. These muffins are tasty warm, but even more delicious as they cool and the flavors have time to deepen.
Notes
Oil: if using oil in place of butter, use a neutral-flavored oil, like grapeseed, canola or vegetable and increase the salt by a pinch or two.Buttermilk: regular dairy milk (or possibly a dairy-free milk) can be substituted for the buttermilk - the muffins may not be quite as light and fluffy (the buttermilk helps with that!). If you don't have storebought buttermilk, an easy substitution is using 1/2 milk + 1/2 sour cream or plain yogurt (for this recipe, that would be about 3 tablespoons of each). Flour: if using whole wheat flour, stick to a white wheat variety (for a lighter texture). I prefer using half all-purpose flour and half whole wheat flour. The muffins will be more dense and slightly heavier if using 100% whole wheat (still yummy). Apples: use apples that are firm and crisp, sweet and tart. I prefer using Granny Smith or Honeycrisp apples for this recipe (half of each!), but they are very adaptable to any number of apple varieties.