Applesauce Muffins

Okay, so last Friday my husband shows up from work carrying bags of food. The receptionist was packing up leftover food from a client meeting and there was a ton left. A lot, she felt that would not survive the weekend...so she sent it home with him. My husband brought home 5 lbs of apples, oranges, a bunch of cheeses, chopped veggies and dip, it was a plethora of fabulous food. And since it was free, well, I think it tasted better! :D

Well, last Sunday, I pulled out my crockpot and tried to slow cook an apple sauce. A miscalculation of cinnamon made it a little overpowering. Not to mention that NO ONE, not one person, eats applesauce in my house! LOL!!!

Well, a friend visited this week and shared some recipes with me, and one was for Applesauce Muffins. Not wanting to waste the applesauce, I decided to use it in these muffins. Which are a hit with my kids.

2 1/4 Cups Flour (I mixed 1 cup Whole wheat with 1 1/4 cup all purpose - but you could use all AP)
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon (I ommited b/c the applesauce was overspiced - but don't omit if you use plain applesauce)
1 1/3 cup all natural applesauce
1/3 cup canola oil
2 eggs lightly beaten
1 medium apple, peeled & chopped (optional - I did not use b/c my kids don't like cooked apples)

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 12 well muffin pan with cooking spray OR line with cupcake liners. (I used the Reynolds Extra Large ones and it made 12, so I think this recipe actually makes 24 of the normal size ones.).

In a large bowl, sift all dry ingredients together. Add applesauce, oil, eggs and blend at a low speed until moistened. THEN, beat for 2 minutes on high.

Stir in chopped apple, put in tins and bake. 18-20 minutes. (now...since I used the extra large cups, the baking time took a lot longer).

I bet you could add walnuts or chopped nuts and they would be even more fabulous.

Yummy.