thefoodlessprocessed

“Another of the beloved memories of the good things with which my mother coddled her family was tarts…Tarts were made in patty pans–little fluted pans into which the very short crust was pressed and baked. When cooled it was filled with currant jelly, or strawberry jam…My father did not care for them. He said there was nothing to get your teeth into. But I loved them. And my mother made them–just for me.” (Della T. Lutes from The Country Cookbook (1936).

Mats was introduced here on thefoodlessprocessed: Muffins for Mats.

Like generations of children before him, Mats has discovered the language of love that resides in the kitchen.

These Muffins for Mats are “fruit sweet” not “cake sweet”. They are equally good with savoury dishes, at breakfast with butter and jam, or for a picnic at the playground.

A note on flour: There is no single system for classifying flour varieties; classifications differ from country to country. For these muffins, choose a white flour recommended for bread making rather than one intended for cakes and pastries.

The less processed ingredient options for these muffins are: Apples, Raisins, Milk, Homemade Apple Juice Concentrate, Flour, Apple Cider Vinegar, Butter, Sea Salt, Cinnamon, Nutmeg and Homemade Vanilla Extract.

Equipment

• a standard US 12-cup muffin tin: The cups generally hold about ½ cup (120 ml) when filled to the rim.
• a Medium-Sized Pot and Lid for cooking the apples
• a Small Pot in which to melt the butter
• a Mesh Strainer and a Bowl in which to strain the juices of the cooked apples
• a Large Bowl in which to mix the muffin batter
• a Large Spoon to mix the batter
• a Digital Scale is optional
• an Optional Suggestion: A thin, narrow knife blade is effective for working around the edges of the muffins and loosening them from the bottoms of the cups.

Ingredients

• 3 cups of Organic White Unenriched All-Purpose Hard Wheat Flour (240 g). Hard wheat is the standard American variety. European Soft Wheat All-Purpose Flour may be substituted or, see the note on flour at the beginning of this section.
• 6 Tablespoons (56 g) of Organic European-Style Unsalted Butter, melted, and Salted Butter to grease the cups of the muffin tin. (Salted butter adds a nice flavour to the crust as the muffins bake.)
• 3 Tablespoons of the Juice reserved from the cooked apples, as explained in the recipe below
• 1/8 cup (30 ml) of Homemade Apple Juice Concentrate: The recipe is found on thefoodlessprocessed: Apple Juice Concentrate.
• 3 and 3/4 teaspoons of Baking Powder
• 1 teaspoon of Sea Salt
• 2 Eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 and 1/2 cups (360 ml) of Minimally Processed Whole Milk
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of Organic Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar
• roughly 2 cups of peeled or unpeeled Organic Apple, cut in smallish pieces (about 1 pound or 500g of whole apples)
• 1 cup (150 g) of Organic Raisins
• 1/2 teaspoon of Organic Ceylon Cinnamon, plus a little more to sprinkle on the muffins before baking them
• 1/4 teaspoon of Organic Ground Nutmeg or Freshly Grated Nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon of Homemade Vanilla Extract: Click on this link for the recipe on the blog: Vanilla Extract.
• an Optional Suggestion: about 1/2 cup (55 g) of chopped Walnuts

Preparing the Apples and Raisins

• Place the apple pieces in the pot with the 1/8 cup of Apple Juice Concentrate and cook them, covered, over low heat until they are tender.
• The apples will release juices as they cook. Once they are tender, place a sieve over a bowl and strain the juices into it. Return the apple pieces to the pot temporarily, add the raisins and mix them with the apple. Set the fruit aside while making the muffin batter.

Making and Baking the Muffins

Gas or Convection Oven:  thefoodlessprocessed uses a gas oven. The conversions from Fahrenheit to Celsius do not attempt to adjust for differences between baking in a gas or convection oven. I have no experience using a convection oven and leave adjustments to the better judgement of you who do have.

• Preheat the oven to 400 F/200 C and set the oven rack in the lower middle position.
• Butter the cups of the muffin tin well with salted butter: Unsalted butter is fine, too. The salted butter gives a pleasant, slightly salty taste to the muffin crust.
• Mix the milk and vinegar together and set the mixture aside.
• In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
• Add the milk and 3 Tablespoons of the reserved apple juices to the dry ingredients and stir everything together just to combine them. (Any additional juice may be refrigerated and used in another dish.)
• Add the beaten eggs, the melted butter and the vanilla extract. Stir again to combine everything into a batter.
• Add the apple pieces and raisins—and walnuts, too, if they are included.
• Divide the batter among the 12 cups of the muffin tin. The batter will fill the cups.
• Sprinkle the muffins with a little cinnamon.
• Bake them on the lower middle rack of the oven for around 25 – 28 minutes or until the tops are lightly browned and a small skewer inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
• Let the muffins sit for 5 or 10 minutes to settle before removing them from the muffin pan. A thin knife blade is effective for working around the edges of the muffins and loosening them from the bottoms of the cups.