Gluten-Free Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Does anyone remember the episode of Friends when Ross was trying to rent the available apartment across the street from Monica & Rachel and he sent mini muffins to increase his odds of being chosen for the lease? Turns out, dozens of other applicants also sent muffin baskets with those same intentions. We won't get into how he eventually earned the coveted dwelling, but I think the episode's lesson is clear: Everybody loves a good muffin, and giving them away is always a good idea even in odd situations like lease negotiations. That's where these Gluten-Free Apple Cinnamon Muffins come in. They're super easy to make, and they're delicious regardless of whether your diet is strictly gluten-free or not.

Make Batter the Night Before

One of the frustrating parts of baking with gluten-free flours is how granular the final product can taste if you're not used to it. Gluten-free flours/starches are very very fine and powder-like, so they absorb a lot of liquid. I found that by making this muffin batter and refrigerating it for at least 6 hours made all the difference in the world at eliminating any grainy texture and making them a light, fluffy, delicious muffin that nobody would even know was gluten-free. Perfect for gifting to friends, bringing to the office, or just enjoying for yourself on a cozy morning at home.

About Those Store-bought Flour Blends...

This recipe calls for my go-to Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour Blend, and I highly recommend that you use it instead of buying a pre-mixed store-bought GF flour blend. Why? Because in my testing, I found that the results vary widely between brands, and none provided the desired lightness and height one would hope for in a beautifully baked muffin fresh from the oven. If you absolutely must use a store-bought blend such as King Arthur's Measure-For-Measure, please add an additional 1 teaspoon of Xanthan Gum to the recipe to help your muffins to rise higher. This tip applies anytime you're using those flour blends. I find they almost always yield a flat result without the addition of extra Xanthan Gum. If you would prefer to use Psyllium husk, feel free to but you'll usually need twice as much Psyllium husk as Xanthan Gum. I'll be sharing a post soon with a compilation of all of my little tips and tricks I've been learning throughout my Gluten-Free Baking project.

Gluten-Free Apple Cinnamon Muffins

This Gluten-Free Apple Cinnamon Muffin recipe is easy to make and is sure to please a crowd regardless of their gluten restrictions. Plus, they’re make-ahead, so you can make the batter the night before and just pop them in the oven in the morning!

• Author: Mandy
• Prep Time: 15
• Cook Time: 22
• Total Time: 37 minutes
• Yield: 12 muffins 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

For the Batter:

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

½ cup whole milk

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup (200g) Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour Blend, packed like brown sugar (See notes*)

½ cup granulated sugar

¼ cup light brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon salt

1 large apple, peeled, cored, and cubed

For the topping:

⅓ cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

Instructions

In a medium bowl, whisk together the melted butter, milk, eggs, and vanilla until combined.

In a large bowl, whisk/sift together the gluten-free flour blend, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Add butter mixture and stir until thoroughly combined. Add apples and stir to distribute evenly.

Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate 6-24 hours. This step is crucial in avoiding a grainy texture in the muffins.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with parchment liners.

Mix together the sugar and cinnamon for the topping. Sprinkle mixture generously over the batter.

Bake at 350°F for 22-24 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Let cool in pan a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

*Due to the ultrafine and powder-like texture of gluten-free flours, it is very difficult to measure accurately with volume measuring cups. For this reason I recommend using a scale to measure by weight. However, if using measuring cups, pack the flour tightly like you would brown sugar. This provides the most consistent volume measurement and works very well in this recipe.

*If using a store-bough Gluten-free flour blend, I recommend you add 1 teaspoon xanthan gum to this recipe to give your muffins the rise that can be lacking when using store-bought blends.

Keywords: gluten free muffin recipe, make ahead muffins, gluten free apple cinnamon muffins

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