Saturday, March 21, 2009

Saturday Morning Muffins!








First a quick reminder: don't forget my vintage recipe contest and vintage-style apron giveaway: Everything Old is New Again! Click on the link to see the entry guidelines. The deadline is April 1. I will also be giving away a copy of Gloria Chadwick's new cookbook, Foods and Flavors of San Antonio, so you definitely do not want to miss this! Get out those old recipe cards and start cooking! :) It's gonna be a blast!

DS has band rehearsal today. Teenage boys are always ravenous, and I had been wanting to try my hand at some kind of apple-y muffin. Here's what I came up with: Carolina Cheese Straw Apple Pie Muffins. This muffin combines the flavors of a good old fashioned cheese straw with a nice cheddary and cayenne bite with the taste of Mom's apple pie. In case you are wondering what a cheese straw is, check it out here and here.To top it all off, I made a brown sugar-cinnamon streusel topping. This muffin is really for DC, who loves apple pie and especially apple pie with cheese. The streusel adds a very nice crunch to the top! I adapted this from a recipe at Bunny's Warm Oven.

Carolina Cheese Straw Apple Pie Muffins
by Karen, the DomesticMuse
Ingredients:

Brown sugar streusel:
1/2 c. packed dark brown sugar
1/3 c. flour
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. freshly grated nutmeg
3 T unsalted butter, melted

Batter:
2 1/4 c. unbleached all-purpose flo1ur
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 t. mace
1/4-1/2 t. cayenne (depending on how spicy you like it)
4 oz. extra-sharp cheddar, shredded
1 egg
1 c. buttermilk
1/2 c. melted butter
1 t. vanilla
1 1/2 c. packed light brown sugar
2 c. apples, peeled and finely diced

First, preheat the oven to 425F. Combine your streusel ingredients in a small bowl, letting small clumps form.


Next, mix the dry ingredient in the good old Kitchen Aid bowl: flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, cayenne, and cheese. Use a whisk to get all the cheese coated with flour and blend everything.


Next, mix up your wet ingredients in a 4-cup glass measure: the egg, buttermilk, vanilla, butter, and light brown sugar.


Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix on low speed with the paddle attachment. Then, add the apples to the batter.


Next, fill your prepared muffin tins. This recipe makes about 18 muffins.

For nice peaks, fill the cups to the top with batter. Then sprinkle on your streusel topping, squeezing it between your fingers to make little clumps.

Pop the tins in the oven and bake at 425 for 7 minutes. Then reduce the heat to 350F, and bake for 17 minutes. Check with a toothpick at 17 minutes. The muffins are done when the toothpick comes out clean.


Let the muffins cool in the pan on a rack for 1o minutes or so, then carefully remove them from the pan.


Y'all enjoy! :)

Carolina Cheese Straw Apple Pie Muffins

Topped with a cinnamon and brown sugar streusel, this recipe ...

See Carolina Cheese Straw Apple Pie Muffins on Key Ingredient.



13 comments:

  1. These were delicious. I had one for breakfast and took the other to work. Tasty! (I have to say, I liked it even more after it cooled off.)

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  2. Oh yum! The cayenne...yes! I definitely want to try these.

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  3. You are becoming a recipe queen!! All your own stuf, wish I had that creativity. Good for you. I have to try one of your creations oon. But which, they all look so very good!

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  4. I love muffins. I will have to try this one out! Stopping by from SITS--Trish

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  5. What a creative flavor combination!! They look wonderful, love that crumb topping.

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  6. Mmm, what a fabulous combination of flavors you have going on!! These look totally wonderful, and I'm sure the band appreciated the snacks. Let's hope that putting Carolina in the title helps UNC in their game today. (EEK, I love March Madness!!)

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  7. Visiting from SITS, looks yummy. Have a GREAT weekend!

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  8. I would love these muffins with the delicious cheddar! Yum!

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  9. Your muffins look really good and the recipe sounds delicious! I love muffins with coffee for a weekend breakfast, or a snack, or a lunch, or whenever I'm hungry. :)

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  10. Wes-- so glad you liked the muffins! I still think they need more cheese. :D

    Girlichef: I adore all things hot and sweet-- hope you like the muffins!

    Donna, thanks so much for your kind words! Try the porkchops-- either Glorias, or the stuffed ones. :) LMKWYT!!

    Hey, Trish! Welcome to DomesticMuse! You gotta try these muffins, they really are tasty.

    Reeni, thanks!! I practically live for crumb topping. Been looking forward to trying Donna's Top Heavy Crumb Cake http://mytastytreasures.blogspot.com/2009/02/top-heavy-crumb-cakeand-chocolate.html

    Elyse-- Don't hate me, but I worked at NCSU for 6 years.... but I still tolerate the 'Heels, LOL! My sister lived in Chapel Hill until last spring so it's practically my 2nd home. So glad to connect with someone from the Triangle! I hoped you would enjoy my little joke that I plated the muffin on my Carolina Blue dessert plate. Thanks for your kind words!
    Have a great week, don't work too hard at school! :) K

    Tonya, thanks again for visiting!

    Natasha, oh, but you are too kind! You are only one state away, bring Hannah and come on over for some muffins! Everybody's always welcome at my house!!

    Gloria, thank you so much for always visiting-- your comments mean so much to me!

    Actually, that goes for all you guys! Chi miigwetch (BIG thank you in Anishinaabemowin).

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  11. Mmmm, I've been sitting here enjoying my hottie (a drink, not my hubby) while perusing your blog. These look DELICOUS and I could certainly use more of this stuff. Can never have too much food. :)

    I'm also a librarian and adjunct faculty at our local college (if I understand, correctly, you're a librarian and faculty as well???). So neat to find stuff in common with my SITStahs. Going to go follow you.

    ~Shaye

    http://millermemoir.blogspot.com
    teachertools at gmail dot com

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  12. Momma Miller: Welcome to DomesticMuse, and you are awesome for following! Thanks so much for reading. Nobody knows food like us librarians! I've always said, don't get between a librarian and food, LOL!

    I am a librarian, but I work for SOLINET, a library consortium that serves libraries throughout the SouthEast. I WAS faculty at NCSU; am an adjunct at North Carolina Central University's SLIS

    Great to meet a SITSta libn!

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  13. I will cook for you if you come make me these muffins? My tea-butler hubby will make us a nice cup of orange zest blend, or blueberry while we sit in our mo-mo's and slippers chatting together...

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