By Post-party week. The three-decker was quiet when I stopped by Tuesday — Maureen was at the kitchen table with a cup of tea and the look of a woman who has fed forty people and earned every inch of her chair. I made her a fresh cup and we went through the leftover soda bread and talked about nothing important for an hour. This is one of my favorite things: Maureen in the quiet after the big event, when all the performance of hosting has settled and she becomes herself again.
I called Linda Fitzgerald to thank her for coming. She's always slightly surprised when people thank her. She said, "Your mother is extraordinary," and I said, "She is," and Linda said, "You're very lucky," and I said, "I know." I mean it every time. I have always known I was lucky to have Maureen.
Work was busy this week — three new admissions Monday and the floor at capacity through Thursday. I find a particular focus in those stretches when there's no room to think about anything except the next thing that needs doing. I come home depleted but precise.
Friday I made apple crisp — first of the season, because the farm stands are full of Cortland apples and September in New England demands acknowledgment. Maureen's topping ratio: oats, butter, brown sugar, a handful of flour, enough cinnamon to make the kitchen smell like childhood. I ate it warm with vanilla ice cream melting into the crevices, standing at the stove, refusing to wait for it to cool. Sean D. got the leftovers Saturday morning and ate two bowls before coffee was done. He has good food instincts, even if he can only make pancakes.
That apple crisp on Friday reminded me why September deserves its own category of baking — the farm stands are stacked with Cortlands and the kitchen practically asks you to turn the oven on. These Cinnamon Apple Cider Muffins have become my other September ritual: they carry the same warmth as the crisp but travel better, which means Sean D. can grab one on his way out the door instead of standing at the stove in his socks eating leftovers straight from the pan. Maureen would approve of the cinnamon ratio.
Cinnamon Apple Cider Muffins
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 22 min | Total Time: 37 min | Servings: 12 muffins
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp fine salt
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup apple cider (not sparkling)
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups peeled and finely diced Cortland apples (about 2 medium)
- Topping: 2 tbsp granulated sugar + 1/2 tsp cinnamon, combined
Instructions
- Preheat. Heat oven to 375°F. Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or grease each cup well.
- Mix dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg until evenly combined.
- Mix wet ingredients. In a separate medium bowl, whisk the melted butter and brown sugar together until smooth. Add the eggs, apple cider, and vanilla and whisk until fully incorporated.
- Combine. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold gently with a rubber spatula until just combined — a few streaks of flour are fine. Do not overmix or the muffins will be tough.
- Fold in apples. Add the diced apples and fold in with 2–3 strokes until distributed throughout the batter.
- Fill and top. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full. Sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar topping generously over each muffin.
- Bake. Bake for 20–22 minutes, until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature. They keep well at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 235 | Protein: 3g | Fat: 9g | Carbs: 37g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 175mg