Apple Snack Muffins for Her Teacher

What's Going on Today: Scheduled teacher visit from school. Library to return books, playtime with friends.
Naptime Goals: Prepare ingredients for Apple Snack Muffins, clean house to prepare for visit.
Tonight's Menu: Meatballs for Choir Boys, Green Salad, Garlic Bread, Apple Muffins.
Parenting Lesson of the Day: You can't wait for them to start school, and then they do.

When her teacher called the other day to schedule a home visit it really hit home. I have a preschooler. I know I have many years to look forward to with her living at home, but I can't quite believe our time together with zero obligations has drawn to a close. For almost three years we have been together from sun up to sun down, no nanny, no cleaning lady, and only a few babysitters here and there. It's been the just two of us and we've become quite a team.

With the book underway and other projects up my sleeve it is probably a good time for school to start. She needs more stimulation then just off-key singing with Mom and time at the playground with the neighborhood kids. I'm sure she'll excel at all of the singing, jumping and arts & crafts activities they throw at her. But I'm still going to miss her. After three years of non-stop time together nobody knows all of her as well as I do. And, I venture to say, she's gotten to know me pretty well, too.

Sometimes, I think, the best way to cope with change in the air is to bake. In this case, with the teacher due to arrive the following the day, my daughter and I decided to make some snack muffins to give to her. I mixed up most of the batter during naptime then let my daughter add the shredded apple and put them in the muffin tins when she woke up. We popped them in the oven to bake, then let them cool all afternoon. The following day the teacher came and the kiddo served them to her on a paper napkin with the letter "B" printed on it. The teacher's last name and our last name have the same initial, a coincidence we loved. The rest of our visit was easy and fun. Together we remarked on the delicious chewy texture, intense apple flavor and slight punch of cinnamon in each bite. They set the tone for what I hope will be a wonderful year.

Apple Snack Muffins

adapted from Apples for Jam by Tessa Kiros

3/4 c. sugar
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
2 egg.s
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. ground cardamom
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
2 apples, coarsely grated
1 t. vanilla extract
Yields about 24 mini-muffins

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Butter a 12 cup mini-muffin tin. You will bake with this twice.
2. Beat together sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and continue to mix until completely combined. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cardamom and cinnamon. Then, add it to the wet ingredients with the mixer on low until flour is completely incorporated.
3. Add in the apples and vanilla and mix through. Scraped down the sides of the mixing bowl.
4. Fill each muffin tin until 3/4 full. Bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until the tops of the muffins spring back when touched. Cool on a wire rack and serve.


Naptime Notes:
Naptime Serving Ideas: I've made this before as Apple Bread and it is delicious either way. These muffins will be perfect for packing in her lunchbox and I plan to do so this fall!
Naptime Stopwatch: Preparing the batter takes 20 minutes, tops.
Naptime Reviews: My daughter loved the small size of these, they were prefect for her fingers. My husband loved them, too, he indulged happily after dinner.