Cinnamon Apple Oatmeal Raisin Muffins

For the first time in…FOREVER…I was absolutely stumped as to what to fix for dinner tonight.

This NEVER happens to me…but today, absolutely NOTHING sounded good. Until one word popped into my head. BREAKFAST.

And many of you already know how much we love finding little old Mom & Pop diners in our travels across America. So I decided to create my own version tonight…right in my own kitchen.

So tonight…it’s Breakfast for Dinner.

I’ve got thick cut bacon in the refrigerator. I’ve got crusty Italian bread for yummy toast. I’ve got lots of eggs. And I’ll make a batch of crispy hash browns in the oven.

And for a real treat, I’ll create an apple muffin recipe to make the house smell like Autumn!

(This is gonna be GOOD.)

So I started by looking for a muffin recipe online. I found one that sounded promising on a cool website called Pinch Of Yum, but it called for whole wheat flour. I didn’t have any whole wheat flour. And I was NOT about to go to the store to get some. So I decided to use mostly white flour but to add some oatmeal for texture and density. And at the last minute I decided to throw in some raisins,,,only because I noticed the container in the cupboard! (That’s actually the way I dream up some of my recipe concoctions…Whatever I have on hand…)

Finally, I played around with the spices and ingredients I had in the cupboard, and this is the recipe I finally dreamed up…

Cinnamon Apple Raisin Oatmeal Muffins (Everything But The Kitchen Sink!)

1 1/2 C. finely chopped diced apples-Don’t peel them!
1/3 C. coconut oil, warmed to melt
1 C. milk, warmed
2 tsp. white vinegar
1/3 C. brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 C. flour
1/2 C. oatmeal
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 C. raisins

TOPPING
4 T. butter
6 T. white sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon

Warm the coconut oil to melt it and set aside. Warm the cup of milk and add vinegar and set aside to allow the milk to curdle. (If you add cold milk to the coconut oil it will clump back up so milk must be warmed to at least room temperature.) Combine milk/vinegar and coconut oil. Add the egg and vanilla and mix well.

Combine all the dry ingredients in a separate bowl: flour, oatmeal, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice and raisins. Mix well.

Mix wet and dry ingredients together and fold in diced, unpeeled apples. Drop mixture into well greased muffin cups.

For the topping, combine all three topping ingredients and microwave until butter melts. Top the muffin mixture with the topping mixture

and bake in a 350 degree oven for approximately 15 minutes or until done. (Baking time will depend completely on the size of the muffins you are making. Just stick a toothpick in the center of a muffin, and if it comes out clean, they’re done!)

And how those “made-up muffins” turn out?