A Very Fashionable Muffin

One of my most stylish friends once told me a funny story about her days as an assistant at a very chic, very intimidating fashion magazine. She was a young ingenue, eating a simple breakfast of coffee and a blueberry muffin at her desk, when her boss, the magazine’s fabulous fashion director, swooped past. She stopped, did a double-take by my friend’s desk, and then leaned in close, “Muffins are for secretaries. Get rid of it.”
Now, nothing against secretaries or baked breakfast goods, but I get her point.
Most muffins are so not worth the trouble: pedestrian, crumbly, dry, blah. I’ll take a grilled egg and cheddar cheese sandwich over any muffin, any day.
With one exception…
I recently rediscovered an old recipe from the esteemed cookbook writer Marion Cunningham, for raw apple muffins, and I couldn’t wait to make them again now that apple season is upon us.
I’ve played with this recipe over the years, but what remains the same (and the reason why it’s my favorite muffin) is the fact that there’s more apple than muffin. It’s like you’re eating a cluster of sweet, tart, juicy, apple pieces barely being held together by some cinnamon, flour, and eggs.

There’s also raisins and nuts for crunch and texture, but the apple is the star.

When I made them on Sunday morning I used Granny Smith (per Marion) from our local orchard, but I’ve also tried Matsu and I think any combination of sweet-tart, crisp apple would do.

The original recipe also calls for walnuts, but I love it with pecans (you can toast them for a bit in a skillet before chopping, for even better flavor, but it’s not necessary).

And I reduce the original amount of sugar (1 cup) and use a combination of white and light brown.

Feel free to make your own additions and tweaks, just don’t lessen the amount of tasty apple chunks.
As a to-go breakfast or after school snack it can’t be beat–even if you’re not a secretary.

Recipe for Apple-Raison-Pecan Muffins (adapted from Marion Cunningham)
4 cups Granny Smith apples
1/2 cup white granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup golden raisins
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 325.
In a large bowl toss together the apples with sugar.
In a small bowl whisk together the eggs, oil, and vanilla.
In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
Stir the egg mixture into the apple mixture, add the flour mixture and stir until just combined.
Stir in raisins and nuts.
Divide batter among 12 well-buttered muffin cups.
Bake muffins 25 minutes until toothpick place in the middle of a muffin comes our clean.
Turn muffins out onto rack and let cool.
Enjoy.