Apple cereal muffins

Apple season is upon us. We have several apple trees in the garden, including two old trees, which Eddie loves to climb on. These two trees have eating apples which are quite tart in taste. They're best picked by the end of September, and keep very well in boxes over winter, getting sweeter and sweeter.
I don't know what the variety is, they are not Gala or Braeburn. And we've got a big crop again this year. A lot of our neighbours have apples of their own, and you often see buckets of apples outside homes, offering them for free.

I also have a young Golden Delicious tree, which my Mum planted a couple of years ago, and this year we had quite a few apples. They were on a small size but pretty good.

Needless to say, there are just too many apples for us to eat. I still have some of the apple preserves left from the last year. And I've been offering apples left and right to anyone who's willing to take them.
Now is the season, when I'm trying to use apples as much as possible. Thankfully, we love them in all kinds of bakes.
Yesterday morning I was baking a batch of apple muffins.

Apple cereal muffins
Ingredients (makes 10-11)
2 medium apples
2 medium eggs
150g dememare sugar
125ml milk (plant-based or dairy)
80g butter, melted
250g self-raising flour
1tsp baking powder
1/2tsp cinnamon
a handful of cereal as a topping, or nuts (pine nuts or flaked almonds)

Start by grating two apples. You don't have to peel the apples, it will only add to the texture of the cupcakes. In a big bowl mix the grated apples, demerara sugar and two eggs. Add the flour, milk, melted butter, baking powder, cinnamon and mix well.

Spoon the cake mix into the paper muffin cases and sprinkle the cereal on top.
Place the muffin tin (I put the muffin cases in the muffin tin so that they keep the shape rather than go flat) in the oven preheated to 180C and bake for about 20+ minutes. The muffins should be golden brown in colour and well-risen.

They are very fluffy in texture, moist and sweet. Good for breakfast or in a lunch box. They will keep well for 2-3 days in a tin.

You can leave them as they are, or drizzle a bit of icing on top. As Sasha is off school this week, until his school transport is sorted out, he helped me decorate the muffins with the glaze and fruit stars.

Sasha scoffed a couple of muffins as soon as they slightly cooled. Eddie ate one after school, and ceded "Not bad!" - Thanks for your kind words, son!

In this recipe I used Dorset Cereals Spectacular Grains Raspberries & Apple with toasted spelt & popped buckwheat which was one of the products in the latest Degustabox food box.
You can use any of the healthier cereal or granola as a topping.
Ingredients include grains (68%) [wholegrain toasted wheat flakes, toasted sweetened malted barley flakes, toasted sweetened malted spelt flakes, wholegrain malted oat flakes, wholegrain barley flakes, popped buckwheat, sultanas, dried apple slices and freeze dried raspberries, pumpkin and sunflower seeds and more.

I also used a Good Hemp Unsweetened Dairy Free Drink (also found in the last Degustabox), as I wanted to find out how it works in baking. I've tried the hemp milk in coffee, and wasn't very enthusiastic about it. It has an acquired taste. However, in pancakes and muffins you hardly notice the difference.
And as we don't follow the vegan diet, I have eggs and butter in my recipe.

And here are a few of the apple recipes that might help you to go through your apple glut:

Apples stewed in apple cider

Apple bread

Apple Sharlotka

Belgian Apple Tart

Apple Turnovers

What do you do with apples - preserves, bakes, salads?