Are we ready for autumn meals ?? I have been waiting for this moment all year! Autumn flavors are my favorite ever. I love such warm, cozy flavors as cinnamon, roasted apples, pumpkin, strong spices like nutmeg, cloves and everything that falls under the category of autumn flavors. Really, my soul is warming when I make them and I bake them, and the whole apartment smells nice and cozy!

We start with these apple cinnamon (breakfast) muffins, why is there nothing more reminiscent of autumn than this combination, right ?!

These muffins are the best thing I’ve ever done. Today I made the third tour and I eat them for breakfast, dessert and dinner. I am not exaggerating. Otherwise there are two options for how to do them, so be sure to read below in notes and tips.

This is a great breakfast idea because these muffins do not contain added sugar and the ingredients are really ideal for a balanced, healthy and nutritious breakfast. They are sweetened only with natural banana sugar or apple puree (depending on which you choose). I added a little Greek yogurt for extra protein and a little hazelnut butter for extra fat. Ugh. TASTY!

Apple Cinnamon Breakfast Muffins

Ingredients:

• 180 gr. (2 cups) oats, rolled
• 2 bananas (mashed) or 250 gr. (1 cup) apple puree * see notes
• 1 egg
• 120 gr. (1/2 cup) almond milk (or cashew milk if desired)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• a little salt
• 1 red apple, chopped into small cubes

Method of preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 400º F and prepare a muffin pan with a little coconut oil to make the muffins easier to remove, or simply use muffin paper cups.
2. In a large deep bowl, add the oatmeal, baking powder, cinnamon and a pinch of salt. Stir until combined.
3. To this mixture add the mashed bananas (or apple puree), egg and milk. Stir well until all ingredients are combined.
4. Finally add the chopped apple and stir to distribute evenly throughout the mixture.
5. Add the mixture to the muffin pan and distribute evenly to make 12 equal muffins.
6. Bake for 17-20 minutes. Check from time to time especially in the last 5 minutes as the baking time can vary from oven to oven. The muffins are ready when they get slightly golden and roasted ends.
7. Allow to cool for about 20 minutes before removing from the pan.
8. Can be stored at room temperature for 2-3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5-6 days.

NOTES AND TIPS:

Be careful when buying apple puree and read the composition. They often know how to add unnecessary sugar. If you can not find apple puree you can use baby apple puree 😊

Personally, I liked bananas instead of apple puree.

If you use bananas, make sure they are as ripe as possible and with black dots. The older they are – the softer they are and the more beautiful the texture of the muffins.

No sugar (not even healthy) was added to these muffins, and they were perfectly sweet for me. If you want them a little softer then add honey or some sweetener as a topping before serving.

Of course you can add other extra things like nuts, pieces of chocolate etc., to the mixture before baking. Especially, if you prepare them as a dessert, you can experiment as much as you want 😊