Apples a la Tartine Gourmande

I love cooking and baking in the Fall. It just might be my favorite season in the kitchen. Apples + Cinnamon, what could be better? The house smells so cozy with these flavors in the air. Makes me want to bake and read all day. If only… Every year about this time I bake my semi-annual pie. You all know how much pie crust makes me anxious! I decided to add a few new apple recipes to the mix this year. And since I’ve been loving the beautiful cookbook La Tartine Gourmande, I went to it first to see what I could find. Millet, Oat + Apple Muffins and Applesauce were on the menu today.

Millet, Oat + Apple Muffins

There’s my newest creation awaiting.

This recipe calls for Sesame Tahini. It is pureed sesame seeds. Tahini is a great source of “non-nut” protein. If you are not familiar with Tahini, be sure you stir it well before you use it.

I’ve been experimenting with Gluten-free flours for baking. This recipe uses Millet Flour and Quinoa Flour. My local market was out of Quinoa Flour so instead of going to another store, I decided to try the Coconut Flour in this recipe. Bob’s Red Mill has a variety of Gluten-Free milled products.

I added a sprinkle of Cinnamon to each muffin before topping with oats. I couldn’t resist the urge to compliment the apples with cinnamon.

The muffins are incredible right out of the oven. They are hearty and nutritious. A perfect start to your day. Note: I doubled this recipe, as I do all recipes. You can freeze them for a month. Why not have some extra for a rainy day?

Applesauce

I was so excited to find this simple recipe for applesauce in La Tartine Gourmande. It is actually part of a larger pot de creme recipe that I did not make. Just the applesauce here. Let me tell you that this is the BEST applesauce you may ever try. AND so simple!

I did not use the whole vanilla bean that the recipe says to use. I just felt like it was a very expensive ingredient that may not make a huge difference in applesauce. I substituted a tsp of good pure vanilla extract and the results were amazing.