IMBB13: Twice as Nice

"Dude, women are like muffins.  And once you've had one muffin, you'll do just about anything to get another muffin."

- Hyde, That Seventies Show

Two kinds of baked goods are always better than just one -- don't you think?  Or is that just my particular brand of greed talking?  But before I get into the ridiculous state of muffin-cupcake overindulgence we've been suffering in our household, I have to say something. 

G is an extraordinary man.

It's not just that he puts up with me, although that's quite a lot.  It's not even that I get to live with a kind, loving, caring man who reserves his misanthropy for everyone else on the planet, while  I'm consistently treated with tenderness and indulgence, treats and surprises. 

It's this:  He does the dishes.  Pretty much all of them. 

So, one day not long ago,  Maki of I was just really very hungry announced the theme of cupcakes and muffins for IMBB13.  Upon my musing out loud about what I might make, my paragon (who happens to be the arbiter and connoisseur of all things apple) expressed his feeling that apple muffins wouldn't come amiss if I were going to start a-bakin'.  It seemed only right to comply.  Truthfully, I don't really care for apple muffins overly much.  If the two of us walk into a bakery, I'll always choose a pain chocolat or a mousse cake or even a strawberry tart -- sometimes fruit or cheese or almond danish.  G will always find something apple -- a little rustic tart, a turnover, a muffin.  I would NEVER go into a bakery and ask for an apple muffin.

When I make muffins, I usually make apple for him and blueberry or pumpkin or orange chocolate chip for myself.  But I decided that I was going to improve upon the apple muffins, and make one that even I could appreciate.  So, I took a basic muffin recipe, made enough crumble topping for a battalion of muffins, and addded both raw tart chopped apple AND sauteed chopped apple with brown sugar and spices to the batter.  The muffins came out spicy and moist, with a super-crunchy crumbly top, fresh tart apple chunks and jammy pockets of sauteed apples.  I did make these primarily  for G, but he's gonna have to fight me for the last ones.  These might be my new favorite muffin. 

Of course, I didn't realize I was going to like these so much, so I made something else as well.  This is where true confession time begins.  I hereby admit to an erstwhile  low craving for a form of junk food.  I honestly don't eat this anymore -- it was sort of an overweight adolescent fetish of mine.  I used to love this nasty Entenmann's cake called Filled Chocolate Chip Crumb.  Based on how I used to feel about this chemical-filled cake, I decided to create a muffin with the same flavors, only made with wholesome, all-natural ingredients (as the ads like to say).  I came up with Chocolate-Filled Chocolate-Chip Chocolate-Crumb-Cake Muffin-Cupcakes.

I almost added grated orange rind and orange juice, but that would have been the third time I've posted a chocolate-orange combination in the short two-month life of this blog, so I created a moist, vanilla-cake muffin with chocolate chips and a chocolate crumble topping.  That was good, but I went for overkill and made chocolate filling on the second day.  They weren't bad with the filling -- actually quite delicious -- and my grad students loved the samples I brought to class tonight.  But I really wasn't all that enamored of the filled version.  I think I've finally outgrown my taste for supersweet overly chocolatey desserts.  I might just be learning that less can be more, even when it comes to dessert.   Next time I make them I'd probably a) skip the chocolate filling, b) go ahead with my impulse to use grated orange rind and orange juice and c) use mini-chips instead of regular size chips.

Living with someone, especially someone you love, really does cause tastes, preferences, and opinions to evolve.  G now eats and enjoys chocolate much more than he did before we lived together (I have that effect on people).  And I've discovered a taste for the homey delights of apple desserts.  We may not need to be a two-muffin household forever -- although admittedly, it never gets boring this way.

Apple Crumble Muffins

Yield:  12 muffins

Crumble:
1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 turbinado or demerara sugar (white granulated is fine too)
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter

Place the walnuts and other dry ingredients in the food processor.  Pulse together a few times.  Add butter, and pulse until you have a sticky, crumbly mass.  Reserve.

Muffin batter:
2 diced, peeled tart apples (I used Granny Smith)
(butter, brown sugar, spices)

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground allspice
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 375F.  Grease 12-muffin pan or line with foil baking cups. 

Sauté one of the diced apples in butter for a few minutes.  Sprinkle with brown sugar and spices, and continue sauteeing until brown and tender.  Mix the raw diced apple in with the cooked apple, and set aside. 

Whisk together all dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Break eggs into another bowl, and whisk in the sour cream and butter till blended.  Pour over the dry ingredients and fold in until just moistened.  Fold apples into the batter, mixing as lightly as possible.   Scoop batter into prepared pan.  Top each muffin generously with crumble mixture, patting lightly so it adheres to the batter.  Bake for 20 – 25 minutes, until a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean.  Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then remove carefully from pan to cool on a rack.  Delicious warm, room temp or cool.    

Chocolate-filled Chocolate Chip Chocolate Crumb Muffins

Yield:  12 large muffins

Crumble: 
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup butter

Place all dry ingredients in the bowl of a food processor.  Pulse a few times till blended.  Cut butter into several chunks, and place in food processor bowl.  Pulse several times until a sticky, crumbly mass is formed.  Set aside. 

Batter: 
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup sour cream, crème fraiche, yogurt or buttermilk (or a mixture, depending on what’s in the house)
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup miniature or regular chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375F.  Line a 12-cup muffin tin with foil liners, and butter the flat top surface well.  Beat butter and sugar together until light.  Beat in eggs and vanilla until you have a creamy mass.  In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Add flour and sour cream or yogurt in alternating thirds, mixing lightly.  When ingredients are just incorporated, mix in chocolate chips.  Scoop batter into prepared muffin tins, and top with chocolate crumble, patting lightly so that dough is covered and crumble adheres to the dough.  Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean.  Cool for 10 minutes in pan, then remove carefully to a rack to continue cooling.  When completely cooled, fill with optional chocolate cream if desired. 

Optional chocolate cream filling:

1/2 cup unsalted butter
6 oz. mascarpone cheese
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/3 cup sifted confectioners’ sugar
2 1/2 oz. melted bittersweet chocolate (I used 85% cocoa solids chocolate)
pinch of salt

Beat everything together until you have a thick creamy chocolate mass.  Taste, and add extra of any of the element to taste. 

Cut tops off muffins, fill with a layer of filling, and reassemble.  Very rich and sweet – keep refrigerated, but let come to room temperature before eating. 

Comments

[Deb]

I have this romantic image of you and G. in my mind, I imagine a lot of laughing and good times between the two of you. Just the fact that G. washes all the dishes has forever endeared him to me.
I'm not an apple dessert kind of person either, I too would pick many other things over an apple dessert but your muffins looked and sounded so good especially the crumble part.

[Zarah Maria]

Julie, Julie, they both sound magnificent! I'm as much of a chocolate person as the next guy - um, girl?!, but you're apple version sounds wicked! I like that you combine sauteed with raw apples, mmmm.. And brown sugar, even more yum! And while the crumble sounds delish too, I'm thinking cream cheese frosting... Thank God it's Easter, otherwise I'd have no time to try all of these recipes!

[Kelli]

Oh, Julie -- how beautiful! I am a total muffin junkie, mostly of the fruit variety, but I can't see any possible way a chocolate-filled, chocolate-topped, chocolate-chip muffin could be bad! As soon as we find an apartment and get settled, I'll be trying both of these recipes. =)

[Moira]

Wow, both of these sound fantastic! I'll make the apple muffins first, but I imagine that I'll also give the chocolate ones a whirl fairly soon- they sound WAY too good to pass up.

Great entries, Julie!

[tanvi]

Lovely, both of them! Admittedly Ive never had an apple muffin but I love the idea of an apple stresel muffin. Streusal anything really! And I am a chocolate fiend, so that will get made first! (Too bad I dont live near Moira, otherwise we could sample them both at once!)

[Joe]

I don't know if it was the Johnny Appleseed cartoon of my youth, a the cored baked apples filled with cinnamon, sugar & butter that my mother had waiting for us after snowball fights, or the macs that grew in my Grandmother's back yard for me to steal at the first sign of red, but I've always been an apple person. Your muffins sound wonderful--lucky G.

Joe

[rowena]

Oh yes, two for the price of one visit! Julie I had a hard time getting to the rest of your post after I read that italicized quote up top! I am translating it in my head into italian and OMG, I am going to share this little doozie with my husband and tell him to share it with the boys at work as a wise american proverb. I'm such a rascal!

[Ernie]

Julie,
Glad I've found the choc. chip muffin recipe as well as the apple muffin. I am like G, I will almost always order the apple dessert off any menu. Especially if there is caramel involved. I too love chocolate with orange, so I'll follow your idea with zest and juice.
Thanks for recipes.

[Julie]

Deb, it's true, G and I do have the most fun ever on a daily basis! And I agree -- doing the dishes makes his wish my command...which often involves crumbles, crumbs or crunchiness.

Zarah, Kelli, Moira -- give them a try and let me know what you think. I'm going to have to do ANOTHER batch of apple muffins this weekend since we're almost out and it's making us sad...

Tanvi, isn't streusel the best? That's why I had to put crunchy crumbly goodness on BOTH these muffins. Someday we have to figure out how to have a transatlantic/transpacific/crosscountry tea party, so we can share all these goodies...

Johnny Appleseed notwithstanding, you could bake these muffins, Joe. Or wheedle Christine into it...

Rowena, the guys will go for that quote, I'm sure -- especially if my experience of Italian men is anything to go by. I found them to be the world's greatest charmers who truly love and adore women, in the best possible way...but how do you say "Dude" in Italian, especially with the right attitude? Gotta know this.

Hey Ernie girl, glad to see you. I was planning to cut and paste the muffins over at NK...

[Heather]

Julie,
I am reading this at work and you are making me ache to go home and bake!!!! Oh well, I'll go catch some babies instead....

[Jessica "Su Good Eats"]

Oh wow. The apple crumble muffins look delicious. What a great idea of having the double-textured apples. I think I'll sub the sour cream with yogurt to make it healthier. You're a great writer BTW!

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Try using real Cinnamon in your recipes. The Cinnamon that we buy in the US is actually Cassia.

Cassia has a chemical called coumarin which could be toxic. Please click the below link to read more.

http://www.bfr.bund.de/cd/8487

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I've never had an apple muffin but I love the idea of an apple stresel muffin.

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