Madhouse recipe : Brown Butter Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Every day, when the Pioneer Woman's daily blog round-up lands in my inbox, I click through, licking my lips in anticipation, to see what new delights she will be sharing with her followers. As soon as I saw her recipe for Brown Butter Apple Cinnamon Muffins, I knew it would get a warm reception at The Madhouse.

 Brown Butter Apple Cinnamon Muffins

ingredients :

6 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter

2-1/2 cups White Whole Wheat Or All-purpose Flour (I used plain flour)

3/4 cups Packed Brown Sugar (I finished off my coconut sugar and topped up with dark muscovado)

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

1/2 teaspoon Salt

1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon Ground Allspice (I used mixed spice)

1 cup Buttermilk (I finished off my coconut water)

1 Large Egg

1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

2 cups Diced Peeled Apples

FOR THE CINNAMON-SUGAR TOPPING:

2 Tablespoons Granulated Sugar (I used crunchy Demerera which was fab)

1/2 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

First of all, preheat the oven to 180°. In a large bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, cinnamon, allspice).

Create the brown butter by heating the butter in a saucepan over a moderate heat and until it goes foamy, then turns an amber colour, with dark brown bits at the bottom of the pan. Turn off the heat and allow to cool. (You can peel and chop the apples while you're waiting.) Whisk the milk (or coconut water), egg and vanilla essence into the butter then pour into the dry ingredients and fold in. Do not overmix.

Toss in the diced apples and fold them in.

Pour into greased muffin tins.

Mix the demerera sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle over the tops of the muffins.

Bake for 18-20 minutes.

They're beautifully moist and soft,with gooey sweet apple coming through and a crunchy burst of cinnamon on top - utterly divine and also a great way of using up three slightly wrinkly apples that were feeling unloved in the bowl !

This was a fab way of using up the last of my coconut water, coconut sugar and apples so it's going on this month's #KitchenClearout linky.