Whenever I have a busy couple of days or just am feeling overwhelmed, I can always count on baking to “reset” my mind. It truly is therapy. I’ve been saving this recipe for when I needed a fun project to try and it was a great success!

Now all the flavors just scream FALL time and it’s the perfect blend! My favorite part about these muffins is that the apple keeps the cornbread nice, soft and moist. The original recipe didn’t call for bacon and so feel free to leave it out, but it definitely pushes them over the top!

Ingredients

• Muffins
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 8 oz diced apples
  • pinch of salt
  • 3 slices of Bacon, precooked, diced
  • 1 cup medium stone ground cornmeal
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ cup neutral-flavored oil
  • 1 cup milk
  • 6 oz shredded cheddar cheese
• Maple Sage Butter
  • 2 sticks butter, softened
  • 12 large sage leaves, finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup
  • pinch of salt

Directions

Muffins

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a muffin tin with PAM.
2. Melt the butter in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the apples and a pinch of salt. Saute for about 5-6 minutes until the apples are slightly caramelized. Add bacon the last couple of minutes. Let cool.
3. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, brown sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. In another mixing bowl, beat the eggs. Add the oil to the eggs and whisk until fully incorporated. Stir in the milk.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk until smooth. Fold in the caramelized apples, bacon and cheddar cheese.
5. Evenly distribute the batter into the prepared muffin tin. Bake for 20 minutes until the muffins are golden and cooked through.
6. Serve warm or at room temperature with a smear of maple sage butter (recipe below).

Sage Butter

1. While the muffins bake, combine the softened butter, sage, maple syrup, and a pinch of salt in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Whip the butter until all of the ingredients are incorporated.
2. Keep the butter at room temperature until serving.