Recipe: Chunky Apple Muffins with a Marzipan-Walnut Topping
A Shriveled Apple and Sunday Morning Inspiration
That sad, shriveled apple sat in my fruit basket all week. I couldn’t bring myself to throw it out. I knew it had potential. Sunday arrived—my kitchen retreat day—and as I skipped my usual smoothie for oolong tea, I craved something warm and comforting. Let’s make muffins!
That apple caught my eye as I gathered ingredients. Would it still be good? To my surprise, under the shriveled skin lay perfectly lovely fruit. Then, inspiration struck—I’ll make CHUNKY APPLE MUFFINS WITH A MARZIPAN-WALNUT STREUSEL TOPPING.
Experimenting with vegan baking has been a journey. It has been challenging to replicate the beautiful texture of quick breads and muffins made with real eggs without using real eggs. A flax ‘egg’ it turns out, really is a great substitute. Because it is just ground flax mixed with water, the syrupy slurry that it makes adds fiber and nutrition while keeping the texture light and moist. Honestly, you truly can’t tell the difference between a muffin made with a real egg and a flax ‘egg.’ And this is a bonus not just for vegans but also for those with an egg allergy.
Making a flax ‘egg’ is easy. Just mix together in a small bowl,
1 tbsp ground flax
2 tbsp water
Let stand for at least 5 minutes, or while you prepare the rest of the recipe.
For these muffins, I used two flax eggs (namely 2 tbsp ground flax and 4 tbsp water). Into the batter went quick oats, stone-ground whole wheat flour, and a touch of all-purpose flour for a lighter texture (although next time, I’ll go with just whole wheat for more robustness). Brown sugar and vanilla added a warm caramel flavour to complement the apple chunks.
What would make these muffins really special was the streusel topping. I had leftover marzipan from Christmas—a rather firm grocery-store log containing just almonds and sugar—perfect for vegan baking. I grated it and combined it with chopped walnuts and a little whole wheat flour to prevent the marzipan from clumping. Then I generously sprinkled the mixture over the muffin batter before baking. And if you don’t have marzipan, no worries. Just substitute more nuts or shredded coconut.
As the muffins baked, a beautiful warm spicy apple aroma filled my kitchen. Once they cooled slightly, it was time for breakfast. What greeted me was a delicious treat with tender apple chunks, a light and moist texture, and a sweet, nutty streusel topping.
The real magic that morning was how the even the most unassuming ingredients—like a forgotten shrivelled apple—could spark something extraordinary.
Try these delicious CHUNKY APPLE MUFFINS WITH A MARZIPAN-WALNUT STREUSEL TOPPING and let me know how they turns out!
Did you know: At Momentum Cafe, my café in Regina, Saskatchewan (Canada) we make our own marzipan. We make a spreadable version with eggs. It’s the secret to our double-baked almond croissants, available on Mondays only. Drop in sometime and try one—they will change your life!