21st Birthday, Apple Picking, and Apple Muffins

Hello all!

I bet you all thought I fell off the deep end for awhile there: well I did. Midterms and papers have taken me away from my wonderful little blog, but I am back with fun photos and a simple delicious muffin recipe that is totally in season.

So, first things first, it was my birthday last weekend! The big 21, which I celebrated with my lovely boyfriend up in Chester NJ apple/pumpkin picking and enjoying the wonderful Autumn weather that has finally set in. Unfortunately, Hurricane Irene took away a lot of the pumpkins this year, and apparently many of the apples as well. But it didn't stop us from finding a few stragglers on the very tops of the trees...

...and enjoying some much anticipated apple cider, cider dogs and cider donuts (can you tell we like cider?).

We spent the rest of the day waltzing around Chester, enjoying some birthday cake balls from a cute little shop called SweetSpot Bakery. I was so glad that they let me take some photos of all their little sweet treats. If you live around that area, be sure to check them out: their cake balls are fabulous. Seriously, the banana cake is to die for. I should have bought all of them right then and there actually.

It was quite the relaxing weekend, a much needed relief to all of the studying and writing and cramming of the last few weeks. I also tested out this apple muffin recipe via Tracey's Culinary Adventures and Baking and Boys! I must tell you; make as many of these as you have apples becasue they go quick. I brought them with me to work one morning and they were subsequently inhaled by all of my fellow college students, and when I got home my roommates had polished off the ones I left in the kitchen!

Hope you enjoy the recipe! I am in a muffin sort of mood as of late, so expect another post (hopefully on s'mores muffins!) in the near future! Happy Baking!

Apple Muffins
Via Baking and Boys!/Tracey's Culinary Adventures (makes 12-16 standard muffins)

1/2 cup whole milk +1/2 cup apple cider
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
1  3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup (packed) brown sugar
3/4 cup old-fashioned oats
1 medium apple, peeled, cored and cut into small dice

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and grease one 12-cup muffin pan.

2. Combine dry ingredients (including sugar) in large bowl. Combine wet ingredients in separate medium bowl.

3. Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients, mixing until just combined.

4. Pour into greased muffin cups, each about 2/3 cup full. Sprinkle streusel over top just before baking.

5. Bake at 400 degrees for 11-13 minutes or until toothpick comes outs clean.

Streusel:

1/2 cup  all-purpose flour
1 tbsp white sugar
3 tbsp light brown sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch of salt
3 tbsp butter, melted

1. Stir the flour, sugars, cinnamon and salt together in a small bowl. 

2. Add the melted butter and stir until the mixture is crumbly. More flour may be needed.