Rose Apple Muffins

About six months ago I visited a Greek mama living in Rotterdam. Her house was spotless, despite having a very active toddler, and she had prepared delicious cheese pies and iced coffee, the way we Greeks enjoy it. It was lovely. During this visit she told me that she was really upset because the day before “…I was peeling apples to make apple roses and I left the knife for just a second and next thing I know my son has it in his mouth!”. Don’t worry, the little boy was fine and no one was hurt. I empathized with her frustration of course, but what struck me more was how on Earth did she have the time to craft roses our of apple slices and take such a good care of her house and kid at the same time. Irene, this one is dedicated to you 😉

Now, fast forward and a few weeks ago I found myself creating little roses on top of muffins. You guys, it is really simple! That said, Irene is still a great cook and the fact that this trick is easy doesn’t take away her home-making fabulous-ness.

So, here is how to do it yourself.

Take an apple and peel it. Now, using the apple peeler keep peeling the white part of the apple till you are left with just the core. You can do this using a small knife, but it is so much easier with the peeler and you get slices with an even thickness as well, which is a plus.

Arranging the slices

Now all you need to do is arrange the slices in your muffin tin or silicone mould. You start from the outside. The thinner the slices and the thicker the batter, the easier they will stay in their place.

It is really simple. I know I am repeating myself here, but honestly, nothing can go wrong and you should try it because it gets you in a meditative state and looks super cool as well. You just put the one slice next to the other in a spiral manner. They practically fall into place on their own.

I never said I am not sloppy when pouring batter.

See? Little roses!

You might be wondering about the batter I used. Well, you can use any muffing batter really and make it as healthy or decadent as you want, but I have found a formula that works great with my oven and gives great muffins every time. Here it is:

6 tablespoons of flour + 4 tablespoons of sugar + 1 tablespoon “No egg” mixed with a tablespoon of water OR 1 egg OR 1/2 banana OR 1 tablespoon chia seeds mixed with a bit of water OR 2 tablespoons apple sauce + 1/2 teaspoon baking powder = Delicious muffins

I bake my muffins at 175 C for 25 minutes in a preheated oven but the time you need might differ, depending on your oven. You might also need to bake them a bit longer if you add a filling like jam or chocolate paste or a nut butter.

Ta-dah!

As you can see my little roses turned into little pyramids but I am pretty sure that wouldn’t happen in a larger tin (for example, if you topped a whole apple pie like that) or with less slices. I still like how they look though. And I like them even more with a bit of sugar sprinkled on top 😉

(NOTE: In many cases white sugar is not vegan as bone char is used to process it. Here you can find a list of bone char-free sugar companies.)

Enjoy!