Apple Hemp Muffins

Apples. I will never tire of them.

Weather it be in the form of hard cider, pie or just straight up snacking I will continue to eat the hell 'outta apples until citrus fruits come into the seasonal spotlight.

I've been fortunate to receive two massive bags of local, organic utility grade apples this fall, which automatically translates to lots of apple crisp.  To avoid falling into a complete sugar coma I decided to take the remaining apples and make a batch of unsweetened applesauce.

Then I realized... wait, I don't even eat applesauce.  It's not like I wouldn't eat it, but I would never go out of my way to buy it otherwise.  In the attempt to not let this beautiful jar of sauce go to waste I scoured through old cookbooks and recipe files for some sort of baked good that would put it to good use.

The recipe for these apple hemp muffins had been tucked away in one of my many random recipe folders for a good two years.  I would always pass them by because they had applesauce (which was something I never had the house), but now with my massive jar of apple mush, I finally had the opportunity.

With a couple modifications, these muffins came out great! The addition of hemp seeds gives these cake like, lightly sweetened vegan muffins a boost in protein and a healthy dose of essential fatty acids.

Apple Hemp Muffins
Makes 1 dozen
Adapted from this recipe

1 1/2 c whole wheat pastry flour
1 c. oat flour
1/2 c. hemp seeds
2 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1/4 t. sea salt
1/4 t. nutmeg
1/2 t. ground ginger
1 c. applesauce
1/2 c. maple syrup
3/4 c. almond milk
1 t. vanilla
3 T. coconut oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl combine dry ingredients, sifting in baking powder and baking soda. In another bowl, combine applesauce, maple syrup, almond milk, vanilla, and coconut oil and mix together. Add the wet to dry and mix until just combined. Spoon into lined or lightly oiled muffin tins. Bake 25-30 minutes, transfer to a cooling rack.
Store in an airtight container.