Fall here in the Pacific Northwest is idyllic: The trees look like a patchwork quilt of color before dropping their leaves into rust-colored piles to crunch through. The blue sky days are cool and crisp in the morning and pleasant to be out in by afternoon. I even welcome the moody gray days that give us the chance to cuddle up indoors in front of the wood burning stove…. Basically, it’s an autumnal paradise around here. And if you ask me, the snacks must match the mood. Enter my latest creation: sourdough applesauce spice muffins.
The cinnamon and cardamom, combined with the applesauce in these muffins taste just like fall. Aside from chili and cornbread (and maybe pumpkin bread), I can’t think of any food more appropriate for the season.
Like most sourdough recipes, you have the option of a short or longer ferment. You can let them sit for 30 minutes, up to overnight. They would make a perfect back-to-school breakfast that you could whip up the night before, stick in the fridge, then bake fresh in the morning. Who wouldn’t be excited for the first day of school when they wake up to the scent of baking apples and spices?
At the risk of sounding bossy, you ought not to skip the apple cider glaze (I made the batter lower in sugar so I could add the glaze without the muffins being overly sweet). Serve these sourdough applesauce spice muffins with a cold glass of milk or a hot mug of coffee while watching the leaves fall.
sourdough applesauce spice muffins
These hearty sourdough muffins shout "Fall!" with cinnamon, cardamom, and apple. Don't skip the yummy apple cider glaze.
Ingredients
- 1 c butter, softened
- 1 c sourdough starter, fed or unfed
- 1 1/2 c applesauce
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 c milk
- 4 cups flour (I used 2 cups all purpose and 2 cups freshly milled white wheat)
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1-3 tsp cardamom (depending on how strong you like this flavor)
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 c chopped pecans (optional)
- For the glaze:
- 3/4 c powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 tbsp apple cider
Instructions
1. In a stand-up mixer combine wet ingredients (butter through milk) and mix until well combined.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together dry ingredients (flour through salt)
3. Add dry ingredients in three of four additions and mix until just combined, but no streaks of flour appear in the batter. If using, add the pecans and quickly mix them in.
4. Cover the batter and let it sit for 30 minutes, or up to overnight. If you are letting it sit for four hours or longer, stick the bowl in the refrigerator.
5. When you are ready to bake the muffins, grease two muffin pans and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
6. Fill the muffin tins evenly and bake for 25-30 minutes (until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted), rotating the pans half way through the baking time.
7. Let the muffins cool in the pans for 5 minutes or so before removing them and placing on a cooling rack to finish cooling.
8. Mix the powdered sugar and cider together and drizzle on muffins (or dip the muffins into the glaze), once the muffins are mostly cooled.
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