These gluten free applesauce muffins are simple, tender muffins made with smooth applesauce and plenty of ground cinnamon for the perfect breakfast or snack.
1teaspoonxanthan gum(omit if your blend already contains it)
1teaspoonbaking powder
¾teaspoonbaking soda
½teaspoonkosher salt
1 ½teaspoonsground cinnamon
1cup(200g)granulated sugar
6tablespoons(84g)unsalted buttermelted and cooled
⅔cup(160g)applesauceat room temperature
⅓cup(2.66fluid ounces)buttermilkat room temperature
2(100g (weighed out of shell))eggs at room temperature, beaten
1teaspoonpure vanilla extract
Cinnamon sugar mixturefor sprinkling (optional; see Recipe Notes)
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 425°F. Grease or line the wells of a standard 12-cup muffin tin and set it aside.
In a large bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ground cinnamon, and granulated sugar, and whisk to combine well.
Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients in the large bowl and add the melted butter, applesauce, buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla, and mix to until just combined. The batter will be very soft.
Divide the batter among the prepared wells of the muffin tin. Shake the pan back and forth to distribute the batter evenly in each well of the muffin tin.
Sprinkle the tops of the batter in the muffin wells with a light dusting of the optional cinnamon sugar mixture. I use about 3/4 teaspoon of cinnamon sugar on each muffin.
Place the muffins in the center of the preheated oven, and let them bake for 5 minutes.
Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and continue to bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out with no more than a few moist crumbs attached (about another 15 minutes). Do not overbake.
Remove the pan from the oven. Allow the muffins to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
For the cinnamon sugarTo make a cinnamon sugar mixture for sprinkling on top of the raw muffins, you can almost use as little or as much as you like. The ratio of ground cinnamon to granulated sugar should be about 1 teaspoon cinnamon to 1/4 cup granulated sugar (or 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon per full cup of granulated sugar).Nutritional information is approximate, and is calculated without the added cinnamon sugar mixture on the top of the muffins.