Apple Muffins with a Twist

I wanted to make something interesting during apple season and I came upon the perfect recipe at the blog http://cannelle-vanille.blogspot.com/2010/09/apple-gruyere-and-sage-muffins-and.html. I suggest that you visit this site for a visual delight. Aran Goyoaga, the author is a mom, photographer, and cook. Her photography is soft and elegant, with gorgeous props and backgrounds!

I modified the recipe a bit, but the combination of the apple sweetness, gruyere earthiness, and the "piney" sage taste was a great blend. I am partial to the taste of rice flour, and the gruyere is a cheese that blends well with other flavors and does well during baking. The topping that you see on the top of my loaf in the photograph is melted, shredded gruyere.

The recipe makes 6 muffins and a small loaf or 2 small loaves. To make them you will need

1 cup (150 grams) superfine brown rice flour
1/2 cup (75 grams) millet flour
2 Tbs (30 grams) potato starch (flour)
2 Tbs (20 grams) tapioca starch (flour)
1/3 cup (70 grams) cane sugar
1 tsp (8 grams) baking powder
1/2 tsp (3 grams) baking soda
1/2 tsp (5 grams) salt
1/4 tsp xanthan gum
1 Tbs fresh sage, finely chopped
1 cup (55 grams) shredded Gruyere
1 egg
1 cup (250 ml) buttermilk
1/4 cup (55 ml) olive oil
2 apples, peeled and small diced
Extra shredded Gruyere for topping

In a large bowl, whisk together the first 11 ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, buttermilk and olive oil. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until combined. Fold in the diced apples.

Scoop batter into muffin tins or loaf pans. Bake at 400F for 20 minutes for the muffins and 40 minutes for the loaf.

This is a closer view of my results.