For years I have called my husband an “apple snob”. Seriously, he is the pickiest person when it comes to apples. They must be absolutely perfect. No blemishes whatsoever. I do all of the grocery shopping in our family and I can’t tell you how many times I have threatened to “forget” to pick up apples because the ones I brought home weren’t up to par. I even get self conscious in the apple aisle at the store because I spend so much time at the Honeycrisp bin inspecting apples. I swear everyone in the aisle must be wondering why I put back 99% of the apples I pick up. So if you live in the Dallas area and see me inspecting apples at the grocery store, you know why.
My husband is on a strict, kidney friendly diet (read why HERE) and it has been a challenge to find recipes that aren’t bland and are approved for him to eat. Have you ever looked up recipes that are low in sodium, potassium, and phosphorous? Talk about limited options. Luckily for Chris, his beloved apples made the cut and are allowed on his diet. I tried a few different recipes for apple muffins but I didn’t love them, so I decided to come up with my own recipe. They are pretty tasty, if I do say so myself! Approved for anyone on a renal diet but also delicious in general. My apple snob husband approves so that must say something!
Spiced Apple Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 apple (I use Honeycrisp because that’s my husband’s favorite but you can use any kind)
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ½ cup canola oil
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 1 ½ cups all purpose white flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
To Prepare
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Place muffin liners in muffin tray. Or skip this step and spray a muffin tray with nonstick spray.
- Whisk eggs in a large bowl. Add granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, canola oil, and water. Mix together.
- Add flour, baking soda, ground ginger, ground cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Stir to combine.
- Cut apple into small pieces. Fold into batter.
- Fill muffin cups with batter. I use a ¼ cup measuring cup for this. ¼ cup of batter for each muffin.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
globalhousesitterX2
Yummy, love apple/cinnamon muffins. I like how you refer yourself to being a dog Mum 🙂
Amanda Morgan
If you try them, let me know what you think! Our dogs are definitely our children for the time being, so that makes me a dog mom, right? 🙂
globalhousesitterX2
Yes, it does 🙂 We had animals on our small farm now we care for other peoples.
actualconversationswithmyhusband
I’m actually with him on the blemish free apples. But! I can explain why!
Look, you’ve got to figure that the checker and bagger at your grocery are out to damage as much of your produce as possible. I’ve actually gotten into a shouting match with one young man because he was putting them on the bottom, and they would have been bruised by the time I got them home. I kept grabbing them, he yelled, “I do know how to do my job!” and I shouted back, “Clearly you don’t” and it got ugly. And that’s just how they are with bananas. Apples? I’ve seen them literally throw apples. Toss them, roll them, swing them around and drop them… you name it. And when I point out that apples bruise they stare at me blankly. (Clearly an act—they know what they’re doing.)
Now, given that you’re about to hand your apples over to a pair of produce sadists, why would you start with something that’s already damaged? It’ll be impossible to defend, because even the most careful handling is going to result in those blemishes spreading. Add in the fact that damaged apples let off gasses that encourage decomposition in surrounding apples (and other fruits) and you’re going to end up with a whole bag of “please tell me you didn’t pay actual money for these” by the time someone wants a snack.
Perfect apples, lots of air in the bag, and be willing to bite anyone who handles them roughly.
Amanda Morgan
Haha you have a great point! I never thought of it that way! And it does explain why the “perfect” apples I picked out somehow aren’t so perfect anymore by the time I get them home.