Whole Wheat Apple Muffins with Maple Glaze

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a muffin tin with paper liners.

2. Toss chopped apples in a small bowl with lemon juice. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients (flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon).

4. In a separate medium bowl, cream together butter, brown sugar, and honey until smooth and fluffy.

5. Mix in egg whites and vanilla until fully combined.

6. Add buttermilk and continue to mix wet ingredients until blended. (If mixing lemon juice and milk to make buttermilk, pour 1 tablespoon of lemon juice into a measuring cup then add 3/4 cup milk on top of the lemon juice. Let stand for 5 minutes before adding to the other wet ingredients.)

7. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until fully incorporated. Batter will be sticky.

8. Fold in the apples.

9. Fill each paper liner to the top with batter (these muffins don’t rise too much). Bake for 15 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean (muffins should be springy to the touch). Remove from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack.

10. While muffins are cooling, prepare the glaze. Add milk to powdered sugar. Whisk together, also adding the maple syrup until a glaze forms. The glaze can be adapted to your desired consistency—add more milk for a thinner glaze or more powdered sugar for a thicker one.

11. Using a whisk or small spoon, drizzle cooled muffins with glaze.

Makes 16 muffins. Muffins will keep for 2-3 days in an airtight container.