Apricot Crunch Muffins

These muffins were delicious: apricot and apple sauce gave them a sweet flavour, and the almonds and cinnamon gave them some crunch and spice. Definitely a healthier alternative to banana chocolate chip muffins, and equally as tasty.

Here's the recipe, all you muffin lovers:

Ingredients
(Makes 1 dozen)
Topping:

• 40 ml sugar
• 20 ml flour
• 20 ml margarine
• 40 ml chopped or sliced almonds

Batter:

• 380 ml sifted flour
• 10 ml baking powder
• 1 ml baking soda
• 200 ml apricot nectar, apple juice
• 160 ml finely chopped dried apricots
• 60 ml brown sugar
• 2 ml cinnamon
• 1 egg
• 60 ml cooking oil

Method

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Line twelve 2.5 inch muffin cups with liners, set aside.
3. In large bowl, combine 360 ml sifted flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and baking soda. Then stir in brown sugar. Be careful not to overmix.
4. In a separate bowl, combine egg, apricot nectar or apple juice, and oil.
5. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add the liquid mixture in
6. Stir just until moistened.
7. Fold in the chopped dry fruit using a rubber spatula.
8. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full.
9. For the topping, stir together sugar and remaining flour in a small bowl. Cut in margarine until crumbly. Stir in almonds.
10. Sprinkle topping over the muffins. Set in oven.
11. Cook for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

The topping

Drop the batter into the muffin cups and sprinkle the topping on generously.

When they're done, let them cool a few minutes
before taking them out of the pan.

These muffins were really good, and a quick and easy recipe. Prepping time should take you no more than twenty minutes. There should be no tunnels or air pockets in the muffins once finished. This is a sign of over-mixing.

Our muffins were a little tough and the liners did not come off the muffin very easily. This was probably caused by the substitution of apple sauce for apple juice, because we didn't have any juice. I'm not a big fan of apricots, so I cut the dried apricots into very small pieces, and I didn't taste them at all in the muffins.

Sure is better than Mac 'n Cheese!