So you foraged those mesquite beans – harvested them and ground them into meal or flour – NOW what?! There are many lovely ways to use the mesquite flour!  We already shared our One Minute Mesquite Muffin, now here is a muffin for folks that don’t have a microwave, because,,,

Muffins are Yummy!

These muffins are one tasty treat you can make ahead and even freeze for later. They also make a great dessert to take to a pot luck because they don’t need messy cutting like a cake or pie. No tools other than fingers!

Mesquite Apple Muffins

This makes roughly 2 dozen moist and delicious mini-muffins with a yummy crumb topping. It is best to make these as mini-muffins, because they do not rise a great deal. (No gluten.)  You can make them without the crumb topping, but the topping does turn them into a real treat.  The batter is presented in three sections because they are mixed in three stages.

Vegan?  Use oil instead of butter, and use both egg and milk substitutes, and you can turn these into a vegan dessert.  They come out virtually the same.

Muffin Batter

1/4 cup brown sugar – less if applesauce is sweetened
1/4 cup butter
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

2 eggs
2 tablespoons half and half – or milk
3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 & 1/2 cup almond flour
1/2 cup mesquite flour (more than this and you lose the apple flavor)
3 tablespoons potato or tapioca starch
1 teaspoon free baking powder

Crumb Topping

1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup almond flour
1/4 cup mesquite flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Prepare the Muffins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Make your crumb topping first, because baking powder is a tad time sensitive.
In a small bowl, mix crumb ingredients together. Set aside.

Now spray your mini-muffin pan. Avoid spraying too early or else the oil all runs to the bottom of the pan and the sides stick. Or use muffin papers.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter, spices, and sugar. (The oils in the butter help the spices develop fuller flavor.)

Add the remaining wet ingredients and blend well.

Add dry ingredients and mix well. At least one full minute.

Spoon into sprayed mini muffin pan.

Sprinkle about a half teaspoon of crumb topping over each portion of batter.

Bake 12 – 17 minutes.  Why 12 to 17?  Because a moister applesauce will need the longer cook time.

Ideally, place muffin pans on a wire rack to cool the muffins evenly.  DO let them cool completely before dumping them out – otherwise they break. (The voice of experience.)

Other Notes

Left over topping? You can save it for later and put it onto ice cream or yogurt. Unlike most crumb toppings that use oats or wheat flour, the flours in this topping taste just fine without cooking – and generally do not upset digestion like raw wheat flour does.

Like this recipe?

Here’s our cookbook with 36 pages of more great ways to use the Southwest bounty – including wonderful local honey! We are selling it thry Savorist Jacqueline Soule’s class site because the tcheck out is super secure. Shipped via USPS media mail.

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