I have to say that these are absolutely amazing! Wholemeal apple and cinnamon muffins without any added sugar, all of the sweetness comes from the apples and the nutty topping. All of the ingredients are clean and if you want to treat your family to some muffins, than these are perfect and definitely better than store-bought.
I have loooads of home-grown walnuts which I brought with me last time I travelled back from home. They are from my grandparents’ walnut tree from their garden in the country. I am one of those weird people that travel with a lot of food in their suitcase (and shoes).
To make the crunchy, sweet, nutty topping I finely chop a few cups of walnuts and simply mix them with some date syrup. I absolutely love date syrup, its only ingredients are dates and nothing else. I normally buy it from an international food shop nearby but you can also order it online and it’s quite cheap as well. Use it in moderation though as it is very sweet.
The walnuts are not just on top, they are in the muffins as well. With these wholemeal muffins, every bite is a nutty bite!
Now let’s talk a bit about the apple sauce inside. These wholemeal muffins are full of apple chunks from the sauce which makes them very moist and not dry at all. Of course if you have apples in a recipe, you have to add cinnamon as well – one of the greatest combos ever! I absolutely love the amazing flavour these two create.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup wholemeal flour
- 2 eggs (use an egg substitute to make them vegan)
- 1/2 cup melted coconut oil (leave it to cool if you are melting it before using)
- 1/2 cup rice/almond milk
- 270 g unsweetened apple sauce (one small jar)
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup walnuts for the batter + 2 1/2 for the topping
- 4 - 5 tsp of date syrup for the topping (honey or maple syrup works too)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C ( 355 °F).
- Mix all of the dry ingredients in a bowl and whisk.
- Put the apple sauce in a separate bowl and fold in 1/2 cup of the chopped walnuts. Mix them well and then add the rest of the wet ingredients.
- Once the wet mixture is well combined add it to the dry ingredients and stir until you get a smooth batter.
- Distribute the batter evenly in 12 muffin cups. If you are using paper muffin cases, I suggest greasing them to avoid sticking. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean from the muffin.
- To make the topping, mix about 2 1/2 cups of finely chopped walnuts with the date syrup. Distribute evenly on top of the muffins. The mixture will stick to the muffin top in a couple of minutes.
Beautiful muffins! Date syrup is an ingredient I’ve only just begun to use, but I’ve long been baking with date puree as a sweetener. I love that these use wholemeal flour and are naturally sweetened. Pretty much the perfect muffins in my books, not cake masquerading as breakfast! Thanks for the recipe. Have pinned and will be baking soon!
Thank you Katie, wholemeal and naturally sweetened is the best way! Let me know how they turn out :)
These muffins look and sound SO incredibly delicious. You can never go wrong with classic apple and cinnamon. Great recipe!
Thanks! You are right, apple & cinnamon is one of the greatest combos in baking, it’s always delicious!