Toddler Approved Applesauce & Banana Muffins

Hey guys! I want to let you in on a daily frustration of mine. Baby A, is the pickiest eater ever. I thought that my cousins were picky eaters when they were young, but my son puts them to shame. Baby A basically lives off of oatmeal, fruit and vegetable puree's, yogurt, jelly sandwiches (sugar free jelly and wheat bread!), and snacks. Okay, he will eat various other things, but my son hates things that are often 'kid approved' such as Mac & Cheese, spaghetti, string cheese, and other things of that nature. I've had to try and get creative with my cooking, making it as healthy as possible, yet still have it taste appealing to him! I turned to the book Deceptively Delicious and found a recipe for Applesauce Muffins that had a hidden vegetable puree in them! The recipe looked easy and sounded tasty enough for the whole family to enjoy, so I figured, why not try it?

I intended on following the recipe to it's entirety but quickly realized that I was short on applesauce and my sweet potato was taking it's sweet time in the oven. Plus, when it comes to recipes I tend to improvise. Below is my own version of Deceptively Delicious's Applesauce Muffins.

What You Need

Streusel Topping:

1/4 Cup Old-Fashioned Oats

1/4 Cup Brown Sugar (Light or Dark)

1 Tablespoon Granulated Sugar

1 Teaspoon of Cinnamon

2 Tablespoons of Unsalted Butter

Muffin Batter:

1 1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour

1 Cup Old-Fashioned Oats

1 Teaspoon Baking Powder

1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda

1/2 Teaspoon Cinnamon

1 Apple 

1/2 Cup Unsweetened Applesauce (1 applesauce snack up)

1 Ripe Banana (not pictured, sorry!)

1/2 Cup Whole Milk

1/2 Cup Brown Sugar (Light or Dark)

2 Tablespoon Granulated Sugar

1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil

1 Large Egg

What You Need To Do

Yields approx 12 Muffins

Preheat your oven to 400*F and place your paper baking cups into your muffin tin. Next, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, oats, and cinnamon in a large bowl and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl or in your stand mixer, combine the sugars, applesauce, egg, milk, oil, and banana, then mix on low until smooth.

If you're using a stand mixer you will be able to multitask! Peel and slice your apple into tiny pieces. Combine with the wet ingredients and mix on low until the apple pieces are evenly distributed in the batter.

Slowly add in your dry ingredients and mix on low until combined.

Pour the batter into your paper baking cups to about 2/3 of the way full. 

Next you will want to make your streusel topping by melting your butter and combining the sugars, cinnamon, and oats. Stir until evenly combined. 

Top your muffins with a pinch of struesel topping and bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out of the center of the muffin clean. 

I couldn't help but sneak a peek while they were in the oven! Don't those look delish!?

When your muffins are done remove them from the oven and let them cool slightly. Serve warm and with a big glass of milk! 

 I couldn't believe how divine these muffins were. I was expecting them to come out good, but I couldn't believe how amazing they tasted! Honestly, I'm not just saying that. The streusel topping almost had a caramel taste and the muffin had just the right amount of banana flavoring. The cut apples gave the muffins that extra boost, making these muffins high on my "must make again list". Baby A like them so much that once he finished the first one he was holding up his bowl saying "mo, mo, mo". Best of all, I feel great about feeding them to my whole family since they are packed with real fruit!

I hope your family gives these muffins the same stamp of approval that my family gave them!

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