Everyone handles stress in their own way. Something I learned during the hurricane is that being in the kitchen is a major stress reliever for me. I never usually panic about a storm but Sandy felt different. I think part of me is still mildly traumatized from the derecho in June that came out of nowhere and made life hell for a week. We were so unprepared for that. After listening to our Governor hold a press conference on Monday stating that “PEOPLE WILL DIE IN THIS STORM” and to weather people saying that this was THE PERFECT STORM… I just kind of freaked out. I’ve never been a weather alarmist. I usually make jokes about people running to the grocery store for toilet paper before a big weather event but yesterday I was totally one of those people. I went to the store and got a ton of canned goods, filled up at the gas station, scrubbed down the entire kitchen, pulled out all of our flashlights and lanterns… just in case of what? I don’t know but this time I was determined to be prepared for anything. I spent all weekend and yesterday preparing and waiting and my anxiety was through the roof.
The rest of the day I was either glued to the television or baking. I made granola bars, hummus, spicy pumpkin seeds and apple muffins. Each time I felt like I was tempting fate as our powered flickered and threatened to vanish. But being in the kitchen was so calming to me, especially as I watched my beloved Ocean City go under water and listened to winds outside that sounded like a freight train about to run over our little townhouse. I frantically tweeted with others along the East Coast. I stared at the giant tree in our backyard, willing it to stay upright (it did). I wasn’t planning to get any blog recipes out of the experience but the muffins were some of the best I’ve ever made. They were delicate, fluffy and rich. I had leftover brown butter which made them incredibly tasty. They were comfort food. I needed comfort.
We never lost our power or dealt with any kind of damage. I feel incredibly lucky we were spared. My thoughts are with everyone who was impacted by Hurricane Sandy.
Brown Butter Apple Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 large sweet apple, finely diced
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup milk, regular or non-dairy (I used almond milk)
- 1/3 cup melted brown butter
- brown sugar for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with baking cups or grease the pan with baking spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar and cinnamon. Stir in the chopped apple.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, vanilla, milk and brown butter. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry until just combined. Don't overwork the batter, some lumps are fine.
- Scoop the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle a bit of brown sugar on top of each muffin.
- Bake for 22-25 minutes, until the tops are starting to brown. Allow to cool for 5 minutes.
- Enjoy warm or at room temperature.
Please read my full post for additional recipe notes, tips, and serving suggestions!
Nutrition
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These sound lovely- I bet the apples and brown butter are delicious together!
I was joking with my best friend when she told me all the bread and water were gone at the grocery store; we both thought people were freaking out over nothing. She lives in lower Manhattan and evacuated to her dad’s house in NJ…Which was actually going from bad to worse, and his house is still without power. I guess you can never be too careful!
Ooo! I honestly don’t think I’ve ever made apple muffins even though I used to L-O-V-E those (kind of gross) apple cinnamon Jiffy muffins. These look delicious!!
So glad you are ok. The images coming from the coast are frightening! I love rich and flavorful muffins. These are gorgeous!
I want to know how you get such outstanding pictures in the middle of a hurricane!!!! These sound delicious.
I love weather. Growing up in tornado country is so different from the coast though. If a tornado hits the destruction is much more complete, but chances are it hopefully knock on wood will not touch down where you are. With a hurricane you KNOW it is going to hit. I’ve never had a day to sit around expecting destruction.
Ha, I took the photo the next day by a window. It was overcast but I had enough light :)
Oh Sandy! How cute of you to name these muffins after the hurricane, creates awareness. I’m in the Midwest with many friends on the east coast. Even after reading their posts on FB & Twitter, and after watching the news, I still can’t imagine what life is like for east coasters right now :(
Happy to hear all is well at your home. I totally agree baking and cooking are both stress relievers…as long as 22 people aren’t standing around asking when the turkey is coming out of the oven!
I’m so glad to know that you are safe and that you are well. I think a cooking marathon was more productive than sitting in front of the television completely stressed! I think your whole region is going to be in crisis for some time, though, and my thoughts and prayers are with you all. The photos are very frightening. oxo
I’m so glad you were spared by Sandy. So sad that others were not. =( And I love that you baked your way through the stress – these look wonderful!
It really was a horrible thing that happened to our friends in the Northeast. I grew up in the Gulf Coast so I’m very familiar with hurricanes. I just wished those who were told to evacuate had listened to the warnings. Could have prevented many deaths and tragedies. So happy you were spared.
I’m so glad you guys were safe from Sandy! And I think it’s so great that the kitchen provides such a zen atmosphere for you. I think that’s why I love cooking so much too. I love these muffins btw. I need to make them over the weekend so I can gobble them up for breakfast during the week!
So glad you fared through the storm okay! That June storm is what had me a little freaked out, too – if that storm was so bad, how bad would it get through Sandy? Luckily we didn’t get hit as hard as June, although I feel terrible for the folks in NJ/NY. I’m heading to NYC next week and hoping to help a bit while I’m there.
OMG I’ll be in NYC next week as well! I’m joining my husband while he attends a work conference on Wed-Fri.
Seriously?!! Which conference? I’ll be at Pepcom on the 15th!
He’s going for an IBM software architect thing. I’ll have 3 days to myself (evenings with him) on Wed-Fri. I will be looking for stuff to do if you have any free time! The only thing I have on my 3 day agenda so far is Momofuku Milk Bar when I plan to consume copious amount of cookies.
Right now it looks like I’m driving up (or possibly flying) the morning of the 15th and back home the morning of the 16th, so not sure I’ll have much extra time. But email me your cell number and I’ll call you when I roll in! I have a good friend from HS that lives there that might want to pal around with us, too. And Kelly Senyei from Just a Taste is there and she’s awesome! We could all have an early cocktail somewhere together!
I just made these and they are amazing! Thank you so much for the recipe!
I’m so glad you liked them! :)
Browned butter in these sounds delicious!
I’m so glad I found this recipe on your website–I have one large apple and was looking for something yummy to make with it. Perfect! We’ll be eating Sandy Apple Muffins for breakfast tomorrow. Thank you!
These look so yummy! I can’t wait to try them!