How about an apple muffin?

If you can stand another apple recipe, try this one for apple muffins. It's the best I've found -- especially now that I've tweaked it to my own liking.

3 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and diced
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil (or use 1/2 applesauce instead of the oil)
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp grated nutmet
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup milk (I use half-and-half)
1 large egg, lightly beaten, at room temperature
1/2 c chopped walnuts

Macerate the apples for 45 minutes. (Translation: toss the apples, sugar and oil or applesauce together and let it sit.)

Preheat the oven to 350. Test your oven temperature; some ovens can be as hot as 400 and still bake these perfectly. Mine works best at 350.

Whisk the dry ingredients together.

Using a wooden spoon, stir the milk and egg into the apple mixture until smooth. Then stir in the dry ingredients just until moistened. Add the nuts.

Fill regular or oversized muffin tins three-quarters full. I sprinkle a few chopped walnuts on top before baking. If using regular sized tins, bake for 20-25 minutes. If using oversized tins, bake for 30-35 minutes. These muffins don't get very brown, so test them with your finger or with a toothpick. Be careful not to burn them on the bottom.

Cool on wire racks. And enjoy!

Apples and cranberries make this recipe great

Today's recipe is for apple cranberry bread. You can use dried cranberries or fresh/frozen. Either work well. The fresh cranberries pack more punch.

Apple Cranberry Bread
2 cups peeled chopped apple (I prefer Granny Smith or Honey Crisp)
3/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp oil
1 egg
1-1/2 cups flour
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon (I use at least twice this much; I love cinnamon)
1 cup cranberries
1/2 cup walnuts

Preheat over to 350. Grease a standard loaf pan.

Combine apples, sugar and oil. (If you let this sit for about 30 minutes, the apples will be more tender in the batter and more flavorful in the bread.)

Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Add to apple mixture, mixing just until dry ingredients are moist. Stir in cranberries and walnuts. Spread batter in pan.

Bake for one hour. Makes one loaf.

If it's fall, it must be apple season

Around these parts, we wait all year for locally grown apples. From Nebraska City to Mondamin (Iowa), from Omaha to Hamburg, you can find the best apples on the planet right here. Right now.

So to kick off apple season, how about a few apple recipes. Here's one for today.

Apple Doodles
2/3 cup butter-flavored shortening
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2-1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup finely diced peeled tart apple
3/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

In a large bowl, cream shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine the dry ingredients. Sir half into the creamed mixture. Stir in the apples and walnuts. Stir in remaining flour mixture.

Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls 3 in. apart onto lightly greased baking sheets. Bake at 375 for 13-15 min or until golden brown. Cool on wire rack.