A Fair Saturday

Hello All! 
How are your weekends going so far? We went to the Deerfield Fair today in New Hampshire. Talk about a food overload! Though, I justified it by walking for a while, and the fact that I haven't had good fair food in about three years.  Split three ways between my parents and me, not too bad I suppose. 

So,coming back today, I decided to make something pumpkin! I found a recipe in passing a few days ago that looked promising and surprisingly healthy. I changed a few things during my version but I will give you the origional recipe from http://www.fitsugar.com/

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (or half wheat flour and half all purpose)
1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 large egg
1 large egg white
1/4 cup lowfat milk
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (optional)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

I also added in 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds and 1/2 cup dried cranberries.
For my version I used only 1/2 cup brown sugar and it was plenty sweet with the add-ins. I didn't use the walnuts but that's just my taste. I used the pumpkin seeds instead. Raisins and diced apples might be good as well!

Preheat oven to 375.  Line muffin tin with liners.
Mix dry ingredients together in a large bowl.  In a medium bowl mix wet ingredients.  Combine the two and stir until will mixed.  Fold in the add-ins you want. 
Fill the liners with the batter evenly.  I would fill them to the top if you want larger muffins.  Because of the add-ins and so many oats, the batter seems to not fluff up as much as other recipes. 
Bake for 18-25 minutes.

These are really quite good!  The did not puff up as much as  I would have liked for a muffin, but the flavor is really good and filling.  I can see grabbing one of these with an apple in the morning and being quite satisfied.  

Enjoy! :)

Awesome Apple Pie Muffins

Fall is, by far, my favorite season all year.  Everything about it makes me happy.  Being a sophomore in college in an exceptionally pretty area of New Hampshire is one of the best ways to enjoy the changing weather.  Leaves are beinging to change and though it's raining, it cannot dampen my spirits about the beauty of fall.  One of my favorite activities in all of life is apple picking.  There is simply nothing I can complain about when it comes to the sweet smell of apples in the orchard or the juicy crunch of the first bite! And apple cider; liquid happiness. No contest! It has always been a family tradition and am I happy with just one apple picking weekend? Of course not! At least two or three weekends every fall have to be somehow related to apple activities; preferably more :)

A local apple orchard in full swing as you can see! Just the perfect image of fall!

So the first thing I made with some of these delicious apples were muffins to take back to school with me!  Delicious and warm way to start off a day!

Apple Pie Muffins

Topping

1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup quick-cooking oats
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Muffin Batter

3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup applesauce
1 egg
1/3 cup oats (optional)
1/3 cup golden raisins (optional)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (or half whole wheat and half regular)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups diced firm tart apples

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin tin with muffin liners or spray with Pam, either way works (but liners are more colorful). 

Mix topping ingredients together and set aside.

In a large bowl mix together the brown sugar, vegetable oil, applesauce, egg, and vanilla. In another bowl, mix oats, flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.

Alternate mixing in buttermilk and the dry ingredients to the wet.

After combined, fold in diced apples and raisins.

Scoop batter and fill to the top of the muffin liners.

Sprinkle the yummy topping over all muffins evenly.  Be generous :)

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until you can insert a toothpick and it comes out clean.

Let cool for 5-10 minutes and enjoy!

Just a note:  The origional recipe did not call for oats or raisins so they are completely optional but delicious! You could also add any nuts you may like as well!

Recipe was based off a recipe by another blogger, a personal favorite of mine and I highly recommend her!
The Hazel Bloom