Lemony Apple Spice Muffins

Question and Answer Time, Internet!  

Q.  Where in the world have the Sisters Fierce BEEN all this time?
A.  Hunting on the Serengeti.  Floating around the world in a hot air balloon in ninety days.  Suffering with a broken stove/oven combo and waiting for the landlords to replace it.   Starting a new job and re-learning how most jobs work ... i.e. having interesting fun work to do during work time instead of blogging.  (OOPS.)

Q. What is a cupcake without frosting?  
A.  A muffin.

Q. Who wants a cupcake without frosting?  
A.  NOBODY.  Not the Sisters Fierce, no sir.

However, a few Sundays ago I found myself scrounging the pantry for something, anything, to bring to a potluck cookout.  The weather?  Rainy.  The mood?  Cozy.  The pantry?  Nearly empty.  Quickly rifling through the cupboards and a half a dozen cookbooks, I came to a winning solution.  Shredded apples, a touch of lemon and spice, and a happy little muffin was born, no frosting necessary.  Enjoy the recipe after the jump.



Why yes, that is a mini bundt pan.  Why do you look so surprised?  The leftover batter went right in.  And yes, all the muffins were gone before I could take a photo.  (Cupcakes-without-frosting aren't that cute, anyway.)

Lemony Apple Spice Muffins
Recipe is adapted wildly from a page-a-day calendar from Mama Fierce years ago.  No idea where it came from, sorry.

Ingredients
2 large eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups packed grated, peeled apples (about two medium apples), with juice
2 tsp lemon zest (about the zest of one lemon)
2 tbsp lemon juice (about the juice of one lemon
3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
scant 1/2 tsp salt
4 tbsp warm melted unsalted butter (1/2 stick)
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)


Method
Position a rack in the center of the oven.  Preheat to 400 F.  Grease a standard 12-cup muffin pan (or line with paper muffin cups).

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, grated apples, lemon zest and lemon juice.  Set aside and let stand for ten minutes.  (Rendering the apples and lemony goodness infuses the rest of the batter.) 
 
Whisk together in a medium bowl the flours, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.  Set aside.

Add to the egg mixture the butter and nuts (if using).  Add the flour mixture and fold until the dry ingredients are moistened.  Do not overmix.  Divide the batter among the muffin cups, filling about 2/3rds of the way full.

Bake until a toothpick inserted in one or two muffins comes out clean, 14 to 16 minutes.  Let cool for two or 3 minutes before removing from the pan.  Serve as soon as possible, preferably the day they are baked.