Caramel Apple Muffins

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays, so I'm all for celebrating it throughout October. There's the house decorating, the pumpkin carving, the movie watching, the costume creating, and the caramel apple making. I made these Caramel Apples last year because I think they're a classic Halloween treat, but this year I decided to mix things up a little.

What if we took everything that makes a caramel apple, a juicy Granny Smith apple covered in delicious, chewy caramel, but made it into something you can sort of get away with eating for breakfast? Yes, these Caramel Apple Muffins now give you the excuse to eat globs of caramel first thing in the morning. You're welcome.

A FEW NOTES BEFORE WE GET STARTED

• Room Temperature Ingredients:
  • Butter: It’s important that the butter is softened. In a pinch, you can put your butter in the microwave for about 5 seconds on each side, but watch closely to make sure it is just softening and not melting.
  • Eggs: You also want to make sure that the eggs are at room temperature to ensure that they are properly incorporated into your batter. If you forget to leave them out before you start baking, place them in a bowl of warm water for about 15 minutes until they become room temperature.
• Measuring Your Ingredients: I strongly encourage that you use a kitchen scale to measure your ingredients and ensure that you have the most accurate measurements possible.
  • However, if you don’t have a scale on hand and will be using cup measurements, make sure to use the “spoon and sweep” method when measuring to avoid packing in too much of any dry ingredient.
• Oven Temperature: Make sure to preheat your oven for at least 15 minutes before you start baking.
  • I recommend purchasing an oven thermometer to get to know your oven so you can adjust your baking temperatures accordingly. Some ovens run slightly warmer or colder so its important to know yours to make sure your baked goods come out right.

Let's bake! Get started by preheating your oven to 350° F and line a cupcake pan with liners. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and spices and set aside.

Place your grated apple onto a cheesecloth or several paper towels and squeeze out some of the liquid until the apple measures to about ¾ cup. Set aside. In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and both sugars on medium speed for 2-3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

With the mixer on low medium speed, add in the two eggs and egg yolk. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add in the sour cream and apple and mix on low just until combined.

Add in the flour mixture and mix just until combined. Divide batter evenly into 12 liners and bake for 20-21 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the muffins cool for a few minutes before placing a cooling rack on top of the pan and carefully flipping them out. Turn the muffins right side up and continue to let cool.

While the muffins bake, combine the sugar, salt, and water in a nonstick sauce pan and heat over medium high heat for about 6-8 minutes, swirling the pan occasionally, until it turns a light amber brown color.

Turn the heat down to medium low and carefully pour the heavy cream into the mixture. Stir continuously for about 3 minutes or so until it has thickened slightly.

Pour into a heatproof bowl and let cool at room temperature for a few minutes before putting in the fridge to cool. Once the muffins are cool, drizzle caramel over muffins. Store any leftover caramel in the fridge and reheat to use.

Caramel can be a little intimidating, but as long as you have your ingredients measured and you keep a close eye on it while it cooks, you'll have one delicious caramel drizzle.

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