Its the time of year I always used to dread as a child as the last few days of the holidays were numbered and it was time to run all the errands that are associated with going back to school. Now as a parent it is just as hectic without the benefit of being able to sleep late and play in the sunshine before the back to school chaos (and traffic) begins.

As I mentioned in my last last post, it is very important in our family to have a wide range of healthy snacks that can be made at home since the rules around lunchboxes are so strict so I wanted to share another easy recipe with you.

The original recipe lists cake flour so I substituted half a cup of wheat bran to make it a bit more filling. It also stated to peel and chop the apples but I find that all the fibre in apples can be found in the skin and it seems a shame to waste it. I also find when you chop apples (and many other fruits) into chunks when making muffins, it doesn’t seem to bake around the fruit properly and you are left with the dreaded undercooked batter no matter how long you leave it in the oven for.

Apple Crumble Muffins

Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius.

For the crumble topping mix together:

60ml pecan nuts (I used sprinkle nuts)

15ml ground cinammon

45ml brown sugar

For the muffins sift together:

250ml cake flour

125ml wheat bran

5ml baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)

2.5ml salt

In another bowl whisk the following together with a fork:

125ml buttermilk or plain yogurt

80ml sunflower oil

5ml vanilla essence

1 large egg

Add the yogurt mixture to the flour mixture and stir until well blended.

Add to this:

2 grated apples with skin left on (about 250ml of grated apple).

Spoon into a prepared 12 hole muffin pan and sprinkle the topping over before baking for 20 minutes until well risen and golden brown. Allow to cool before eating. Best made and eaten on the same day.