Recipe of the Week- Applesauce Muffins

Handsome Hubby got to go to the homeland- that is, California- for a wedding this weekend.  Husbands and wives are not meant to be apart. This much I know! But that’s a different story. While he was off playing, Baby Girl and I were freezing at home.  THIS started happening (BEFORE Halloween, mind you).  I’ve been in Utah for 7 years, but I still can’t get accustomed to ridiculously low temperatures and frozen water falling from the sky.

In denial, I refused to turn on the heater.  Instead, I ran the hair dryer a little longer until my hair formed itself into a nice ball of static.  I did laundry that didn’t need to be done in hopes that the dryer would heat the house a little.  I baked.  Oh I baked.  Cookies and muffins… yum.  When temperatures continued to drop, I finally surfaced from my chilly denial and turned on the heater.  And a good thing too- if I continued in this way, I might have had to shift my original denials of temperature to denials of a sudden weight gain from consuming too many baked goods that never heated my house.

Here is the recipe for my applesauce muffins.  If you’re feeling a little chilly, go bake some.  Your disappointment at a still-chilly house will be compensated by the yummy yummy taste in your mouth!   You can also make this recipe into a loaf of bread, rather than muffins if you like.

• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 1 cup applesauce
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
• 2 cups flour (I do 1 cup whole wheat and 1 cup white flour)
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/2 to 3/4 cups seedless raisins (if you like that kind of thing.  Yuck)
• 1 cup chopped walnuts (again, if you like that kind of thing- oh barf)

Blend well the egg, applesauce, melted butter, sugar, and brown sugar.  Sift flour, baking powder, salt, soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg and stir into the above mix just until blended.  Add the raisins and walnuts, folding into above mix. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.  (In my oven, it only takes about 20 minutes.  Just keep an eye on these the first time you try them).  It’s done when toothpick comes out clean after inserting into center.

Immediately remove from pan and cool on a wire rack.  Pour over a glaze of powdered sugar, milk, and a little vanilla, letting it drizzle down the sides.