Apple Cinnamon Protein Muffins

My whole apartment smells like apples and cinnamon, and no, I didn’t jump the gun on lighting a fall-scented candle. I just baked some delicious apple cinnamon protein muffins!

These muffins are super-easy to make and have no added sugars, but they’re still sweet and pack great flavor. It’s not fall yet, but these are the perfect treat for the fall season. They’re good for a pre or post-workout snack, breakfast, or to combat a nightly sweet tooth.

To make these, I just used some Kodiak cake mix (approximately 2 cups) I had on hand. I think you can likely use any good mix – Birch Benders, Arrowhead Mills, etc. I also used:

• 1 cup almond milk
• 1 ripe banana, mashed
• 2 Fuji apples
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons honey
• *Optional – 1/4 cup steel-cut oats or chopped nuts

First, I pre-heated the oven to 350 degrees and “greased” a muffin tin pan with coconut oil spray. While the oven was pre-heating, I mashed the banana and lightly beat the egg. I also peeled the apples and diced them into small pieces. I mixed all of the ingredients together in a large bowl. I tend to go heavy on the cinnamon because I love the flavor, so feel free to add more or less to your taste preferences.

After the ingredients were mixed well, I poured the batter into the muffin tin. I tried not to pour too heavily because I didn’t want them to rise up and excessively expand.

I baked these for about 20 minutes, and used a toothpick to determine whether the batter was completely baked. It only took a few minutes for the apartment to be flooded with the scent of cinnamon! Once they are out of the oven, let cool for a few minutes.

You can serve these with butter, whipped cream, or even a dollop of Greek yogurt. They stay fresh and soft for several days, and you can even freeze them (although they certainly don’t last that long in this house!). Enjoy 🙂