Apple carrot muffins

Gluten-free flour and almond meal are so expensive that I’ve decided to take a break from gluten-free baking. I was shopping at Coles when I saw that Granny Smiths Apples were on special this week. Since I’ve always had carrots in the fridge, I’ve decided to make apple carrot muffins topped with homemade granola. It’s really easy to make your own granola that I’m considering doing that in the future. To make these muffins, it is best to use muffin wraps instead of muffin casings so that the granola does not fall all over the oven – makes cleaning an extra chore (trust me, I’ve made that mistake). I loved the taste of the muffins. It’s light and fluffy – the perfect type of afternoon tea.

Ingredients for the muffin (makes 16 muffins)

330g self-raising flour
120g caster sugar
120ml olive oil
180ml buttermilk
1 tsp cinnamon powder
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 eggs
2 Granny Smith apples peeled and grated
1 large carrot grated

Ingredients for the granola

2 cups oats
1/2 cup desiccated coconut
1/2 cup almond slices
2 tbsp maple syrup
3 tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp cinnamon powder

Directions
Preparation time: 20min
Baking time: 20-25min or when the skewer comes out clean

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees
To make the granola, in a large bowl, mix to combine the oats, desiccated coconut, almond slices, maple syrup, coconut oil and cinnamon powder
Prepare a 16 case muffin tin with muffin wraps
Mix the sugar, flour and cinnamon into a large mixing bowl. Use your fingers to run through the mixture to remove any lumps
Whisk together the eggs, oil, buttermilk and vanilla essence
Stir the dry ingredients in together with the wet ingredients, grated carrot and apples
Mix well until a uniform mixture is formed
Divide it out evenly between the cases
Sprinkle the homemade granola over the muffins and gently press it down
Place the muffins into the oven and bake for 20-25min or when the skewer comes out clean
Leave the muffins out to cool