Apple Muffins with Graham Cracker Streusel

I thought I would start this post with a confession. I like to pretend that all the things I bake are super awesome and that I’m a perfect baker and I never screw up. At least, that’s what I tell myself and I like to give that impression on my blog. That’s totally not true though.

See one of my problems as a baker is I like to come up with my own recipes from scratch. Either that or I like to modify the hell out of preexisting recipes. Sometimes this is a good thing. Other times, it is disastrous. I feel like I’m eight again and throwing random ingredients into the MixMaster and forcing my parents to taste whatever came out of the oven. Let’s just say that even though something has butter, eggs, flour, and the usual suspects in it doesn’t mean that it’s going to taste good. Then again when you’re eight, you feel proud of yourself even though the chocolate chip filled doughy mess you’ve created is just that: a chocolate chip filled doughy mess.

Last weekend, I was so totally set to bring you the most awesome, amazing muffins that could have been: s’mores muffins. Obviously that didn’t happen (although I did manage some kick-ass cinnamon graham cracker cookies). My muffins were sad. The marshmallows completely disappeared and the chocolate chips were kind of burnt. However, the worst part is, they didn’t taste like muffins. They tasted and had a similar texture to overcooked chocolate chip pancakes. I love pancakes, I really do, but pancakes are not muffins and puffins are not baked goods, they are birds. Point being, I failed. However, that made me even more determined to bake some muffins and bake them well. I decided to bake the fluffiest, moistest (points if you don’t cringe at that word), and most delicious muffins ever. So I did. I bring you: apple muffins (with streusel of course)!

Apple Muffins with Graham Cracker Streusel:

Preheat oven to 375°F

Muffins:

1 stick of butter softened

1/2 c sugar

1/4 c brown sugar

1 egg

1/2 c milk

3/4 c apple sauce

2 c flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla

1 tbsp cinnamon

2 large apples peeled and chopped

1. Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl except for the apples.

2. Peel and chop the apples into chunks

3. Stir in the apple chunks

Streusel:

1/4 c brown sugar

1/2 stick of butter (cold)

2 1/2 crushed graham crackers

1/2 tsp vanilla

1. Mix the ingredients together with your hands until it forms a nice crumbly streusel. You may need to add another graham cracker if you want a crumblier consistency.

2. Sprinkle liberally over the muffins.

3. Put muffins in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.