Applesauce Muffins

For ten years, I've been teaching speech and debate to junior and senior high school students. As the students return semester after semester, they become more and more comfortable with the class and with each other. I've found that students listen best if they are eating (and thus, not talking)... so it became tradition to bake muffins for my classes and especially at the end of each school year. Over the years, many of the students have requested the recipe. So, as the school year wraps up and so many graduate... I wanted to share my favorite Applesauce Muffin Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs, beaten
• ¼ cup canola oil
• ¼ cup butter (room temp)
• 2 cup applesauce (can use ½ chopped apple for texture)
• 1 cup honey
• 3 ½ cup flour (can use ½ oats)
• 1 tsp. soda
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 tsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. nutmeg
• ½ tsp ginger
• ½ tsp vanilla

Directions:

Mix egg, oil, honey and applesauce in a small bowl and set aside. Assemble the dry ingredients in a medium sized mixing bowl and stir to evenly distribute spices and leavening into the flour. Combine liquid ingredients into dry ingredients with a wire whisk gently. Fill lined muffin tins 2/3 full. Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until muffins are lightly browned and a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin comes out clean. Makes 2 dozen. Best if eaten warm with a bit of butter... even better with honey-butter!