Apple & Raisin Whole Wheat Muffins

A muffin and a cup of coffee is a great way to start my morning.  A healthy whole wheat muffin is even better (well, better for me at least)!  I took my favorite whole wheat muffin box mix and added a whole lot of apple flavor to it.  Autumn is officially here today.  Since apples are THE fruit of the season, what better way to kick off the season?     🙂

08Apple Raisin Whole Wheat Muffins

Apple & Raisin Whole Wheat Muffins Recipe
(Makes 6 standard size muffins)

Ingredients:

For the muffins:

  • 1 box (7 ounce) Hodgson Mill Whole Wheat Muffin Mix
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup raisins
  • 1 small apple, peeled and shredded

For the topping:

  • 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons old fashioned oats

Directions:

For the topping:

  1. In a small bowl mix the light brown sugar and old fashioned oats together and set it aside.

For the muffins:

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. Grease 6 muffin cups and set the pan aside.
  3. Peel 1 small apple and then shred it with a box grater style device.  Press it down with paper towels to remove excess moisture.
  4. Mix the muffin mix, cinnamon, butter, milk, apple sauce, egg, raisins and shredded apple just until blended.
  5. Scoop the batter evenly into the 6 greased muffin cups.
  6. Sprinkle the topping over the muffins.
  7. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.
  8. Let the muffins rest for about 10 minutes in the muffin pan and then place them on a cooling rack to cool completely.

 

Store in an air tight container at room temperature or in a freezer friendly bag in the freezer.

 

I don’t usually use box mixes, but sometimes the occasion calls for it.  The Hodgson Mill Whole Wheat Muffin Mix is a great way to have all of your whole wheat ingredients in one convenient little box.  I find this and other Hodgson Mill products in the “healthy” aisle of my grocery store (or as my husband calls it the “earthy crunchy aisle”).

I have fun taking the base muffin mix and adding ingredients to make them my own.  It’s Fall so of course I reach for my apples.  I shredded the apples because I don’t like chunky fruit in my baked goodies.  Baking tip:  Remove some of the moisture from the apples in order to avoid soggy muffins.  I gently pressed the apples shreds in between a couple paper towels.  Obviously this tip is not to be used 100% of the time, for example, please don’t follow this for apple pie.  This tip works works for other baked goodies, like carrots in a carrot cake or cranberries in a loaf.

01Apple Raisin Whole Wheat Muffins

I love to add a topping to my muffins.  In the spirit of keeping these muffins on the healthy side I added oats and a little bit of light brown sugar.  Oats are full of protein.  Plus, it reminded me of oatmeal, another Fall time favorite of mine.  What can I say, a bowl of almost anything warm and hearty just goes great with hoodie weather.

02Apple Raisin Whole Wheat Muffins

As a heads up, the batter will be thick and lumpy and that’s exactly what you want because you’re muffins will come out light and fluffy, even with these earthy crunchy whole wheat muffins (as compared to other whole wheat muffins because let’s face it, no matter which recipe you use a whole wheat muffin will be more dense and hearty than a regular muffin).

Oh my goodness, my kitchen smelled like oatmeal cookies when I baked these muffins!

03Apple Raisin Whole Wheat Muffins

I want the apple flavors to pop so apple pieces alone was not enough.  I added unsweetened apple sauce too!  That is the key to making these muffins so moist.

05Apple Raisin Whole Wheat Muffins

Let’s not forget about those raisins!  I think they taste awesome with the oat topping and ground cinnamon, reminiscent of the combination of flavors in my Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies.  No wonder why the kitchen had the aroma of oatmeal cookies.     😉

I also love raisins and apples together so it was a no brainer to include them in these muffins.  I will admit that I’m picky with the texture of raisins in baked goodies, so I only added a few.  If you don’t have “texture issues” like me, then feel free to load them up.  If you’re not a fan of them, skip them entirely.

09Apple Raisin Whole Wheat Muffins

I’m loving those oats on top.  They look so pretty.     🙂

04Apple Raisin Whole Wheat Muffins

These muffins are seriously delicious.  Apples, raisins, oats, cinnamon…doesn’t that say it all?     😉

Plus, I love that I can eat these muffins and not feel guilty about it.  I’m on a kick to eat more healthy (who isn’t) and these will do the trick.

07Apple Raisin Whole Wheat Muffins

What are you making to welcome the Autumn season?

Rating:

 

Adapted from: Hodgson Mill

Note: Not a paid advertisement for Hodgson Mill. I’m just sharing my opinion.

 

Here are some other healthier muffin ideas.

Whole Wheat Muffins

06Whole Wheat Muffins_1024x768

 

Whole Wheat Banana Peanut Butter Muffins

03Whole Wheat Banana Peanut Butter Muffins - Copy_1024x768

 

Chocolate Banana Muffins

Chocolate Banana Muffins

Comments

  1. The whole wheat with fall flavors in a muffin – oh my goodness yes!!! I adore muffins, they’re so cozy, especially with coffee and they DO make your kitchen smell amazing. Looks delicious!

    1. Tina says:

      A good muffin and cup of coffee makes everything better. 🙂

  2. Great recipe to kick off the Fall season! Whole wheat muffins with apples would make such a treat on cold mornings, with a cup of hot coffee or tea. Love apples, and I just posted an apple recipe myself, to kick- start the Fall season!

    1. Tina says:

      Baking with apples is so much fun because you can do so much with them. Great minds think alike. 😉 Your recipe for crepes with carmelized apples looks amazing!

  3. I love apple and cinnamon together. These look yummy Tina! 🙂

    1. Tina says:

      Thanks so much Anne!

  4. Ashley says:

    I love apples and raisins together too! And I really like how much apple is in these! They sound exactly like my kind of muffin!

    1. Tina says:

      I definitely didn’t want to whimp out on the apples with these. Plus it’s a great way to get my daily dose of fruit. 😉

  5. I love that you used a box mix for the base of these muffins…and doctored them up with apples!

    1. Tina says:

      It’s fun to use my imagination and create something semi-homemade. 🙂

  6. These muffins would make a perfect healthy snack. I’m loving the raisins addition, I’m sure they make these muffins even better! x

    1. Tina says:

      Absolutely! I agree. 🙂

  7. I made apple muffins this weekend too! Your muffins look so good- and total bonus that they are healthy! What a perfect fall breakfast!

    1. Tina says:

      Thanks Meghan. 🙂

  8. Joanne says:

    These are such a healthy delicious way to start the day!!

    1. Tina says:

      I totally agree! Thanks Joanne. 🙂

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