Whole Wheat Apple Muffins

IT'S FALL!!! That mean sweaters, BOOTS, cooler weather, brilliantly colored leaves, and lots of spice. Like most people, fall is my absolute favorite season. I just love everything about it! Before my huge obsession with all things pumpkin ensues, let's talk apples. There is something so magical about baked apples. I seriously think apple pie with vanilla ice cream is my absolute favorite dessert, and that's saying a lot coming from someone who will make herself ill eating chocolate (speaking of which, I've recently become obsessed with chocolate almond milk...num! Yay for chocolate milk that doesn't hurt my stomach!).   

These muffins completely hit the spot this morning. They are dark, moist, and soft with a nice little crunch on top from the dark brown sugar. Perfect for a lazy Saturday morning with me and my honey. 

Update: I just submitted this to BYOB (Bake Your Own Bread)!

Whole Wheat Apple Muffins

Ingredients

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed, divided

1 large egg lightly beaten

1 cup sour cream (or buttermilk, or yogurt)

2 large apples, peeled, cored, and coarsely chopped (I prefer granny smith)

Directions

Preheat oven to 450F. Line or grease a muffin pan, and set aside.

Mix together flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon and set aside. In a separate bowl, cream the butter, then add the granulate sugar and a 1/4 cup of the brown sugar. Beat until fluffy. Add the egg and mix well, stopping once to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl. Gently mix in the sour cream, do not over-mix. Stir in the dry ingredients, then gently fold in the apple chunks.

Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, sprinkling the remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar on top (the muffin cups should be pretty full). Bake at 450F for 10 minutes, turn the heat down to 400F, and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool the muffins for 5 minutes in the pan, then turn them out on a wire rack to cool completely.

The recipe says it yields 12 muffins, though I got 19. My muffin cups are also on the small side.

Recipe Source: Smitten Kitchen, who adapted it from King Aurthur Flour