Apple Breads From Grandma’s Old Tin Recipe Box: Apple Bran Muffins and Dutch Apple Bread

Remember how you could always count on delicious aromas and special treats at Grandma’s house? Bring those memories to life and share them with your family and friends by baking up some delicious Dutch Apple Bread and Apple Bran Muffins. This muffins are a good way to sneak bran, therefore fiber, into your family’s diet. With the cinnamon, applesauce, and nuts, they probably won’t even realize they are consuming healthy fiber. The Dutch Apple Bread with it’s topping is like a heavenly dessert.

APPLE BRAN MUFFINS

2 cups bran flakes cereal1 cup milk (skim is healthier)1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour2 tbsp sugar2 tsp baking powder1 tsp cinnamon1/4 tsp salt2 eggs, slightly beaten1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce3 tbsp salad oil1 tsp vanilla extract1/2 cup toasted almonds, chopped (walnuts also work well)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 12 muffin pan cups and set aside. In a large bowl, combine the bran flakes and milk. Let mixture stand for 5 minutes. In another bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt; set aside. To the bran flakes, add eggs, applesauce, oil, and vanilla; beat well. Stir in the dry ingredients and nuts just until moistened. Fill the muffin cups 3/4s full. Bake at 25 to 30 minutes, until lightly browned and tops spring back when touched. Remove from pan and cool on a wire rack.

DUTCH APPLE BREAD

This recipe was clipped from an old rural electric co-op newsletter from Southern Indiana and found in my late mother’s old metal recipe file box.

1/2 cup butter, softened1 cup sugar2 eggs1 tsp vanilla extract2 cups flour1 tsp baking soda1/2 tsp salt1/3 cup buttermilk1 cup peeled chopped apples1/3 cup chopped walnuts

Topping:1/3 cup flour2 tbsps sugar2 tbsps brown sugar1/2 tsp ground cinnamon3 tbsps butter

In a mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Beat eggs and vanilla into the creamed mixture. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; stir into the creamed mixture alternately with the buttermilk. Fold in the apples and nuts. Pour into a greased 9-inch by 5-inch by 3-inch loaf pan. For the topping, combine the flour, sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Mix well. Cut in the butter until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle over the batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes or until bread tests done. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Enjoy!