Apple-Pecan Muffins

In honor of the first day of fall, I'd like to share a really good muffin recipe. It's from Ellie Krieger's "The Food You Love" cookbook. I love them warmed up!

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole-grain pastry flour or whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup canola oil
2 large eggs
1 cup natural unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup lowfat buttermilk
1 Golden Delicious apple, cored, peeled, cut into 1/4 inch pieces (I added 1/2 an apple extra)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Coat a 12 cup muffin pan with cooking spray.

In a small bowl, mix together 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar, the pecans, and cinnamon. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk the remaining 3/4 cup brown sugar and the oil until combined. Add eggs one at a time, whisking well after each addition. Whisk in the applesauce and vanilla. Stir in the flour mixture in two batches, alternating with the buttermilk, just until combined. Gently stir in the apple chunks.

Pour the batter into the prepared muffin pan, filling each about 2/3 full, and sprinkle evenly with the pecan mixture. Tap the pan on the counter a few times to remove any air bubbles. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of one of the muffins comes out clean, about 20 minutes.

Let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the muffins to loosen them. Enjoy warm or let cool completely before storing in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Yields 12 muffins.