Apple Pie Muffins

I've been trying to stock-pile my freezer lately with some good staples and breakfast items that I can pull out for a quick meal and not have to reach for a can or a box of cereal.  So far I've whipped up a double batch of Best Ever Pancakes, which I froze and stored in a ziploc freezer bag.  Yesterday I made freezer cinnamon rolls from Money Saving Mom.  You can find that recipe here.  I also made a big batch of black beans and froze them in 2 cup portions (about equal to one can of beans) so they will be ready to use whenever we need them.

Today I made these muffins.  When you're ready to eat them, you can either pull them out of the freezer the night before and they'll be defrosted when you wake up, or you can pop them in the microwave for up to 1 min (watch them, they heat up quickly!) and smother them with butter..mmmmm....

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2 1/4 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar

2 cups diced apples           

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 375.  Grease a 12 cup muffin tin or line with paper muffin cups.               

In a large bowl, stir together 2 1/4 cups flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate smaller bowl, mix together the egg, buttermilk, 1/2 cup melted butter, vanilla and 1 1/2 cups of brown sugar until sugar has dissolved. Pour into the flour mixture and sprinkle the diced apple into the bowl as well. Stir just until everything is blended. Spoon into the prepared muffin tin, filling the cups to the top.               

In a small bowl, stir together 1/2 cup of brown sugar, 1/3 cup flour and cinnamon. Drizzle in 2 tablespoons of melted butter while tossing with a fork until well blended. Sprinkle this over the tops of the muffins.

Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the tops of the muffins spring back when lightly pressed.    

Enjoy them now or let them cool on a wire rack and then freeze in freezer bags.