Thank you, as always, for your supportive comments on my weigh-in post. I swear that every day is not as gloomy – I do have time to enjoy my life (sometimes a little too much perhaps 
). I’d rather focus on the good stuff and as I’m eating the fruits on my labor (literally, right now!) I figured it would be fun to share the apple picking pictures from this weekend with you… and then of course show you the first thing I made with apples from my loot! 
Ready?
It was a gorgeous Saturday morning – crisp air, a little windy, but lots of sunshine. Perfect for a day on the orchard! After a little detour to an orchard with no apples (yeah…) we finally found ourselves at Cider Hill Farm in Amesbury, MA… and it was OPEN. That’s a good sign.
We enjoyed the viewed for a minute…
… grabbed our apple picking bags and made a quick bathroom stop [I'm telling you this because well... see for yourself. I had to... Adam waiting for me while I'm in the bathroom. Priceless. Sorry, honey - it's for the blog!! 
... and on that note, I'm pretty sure he will never hold my purse ever again. Thank you, Tiffany, for this priceless photo nonetheless. Totally worth it!]
… and then it was time to apple pick!
Hey, does anyone see any apples here? Um, this could be trouble.
After a bit of climbing and jumping (the boys did the dirty work )…
… we somehow managed to get a lot of apples. Yay!
Wait, what’s that?
Ahha! I guess we could have just “picked” our apples from here, but that’s just not as fun.
Say hello to a few friends…. Such cuties!
And finally, FINALLY, I tried my very first apple cider donut!! I figured they were fresh enough.
My thoughts? Exactly what I thought they’d taste like. I shared this one with Adam. It was good but not earth shattering. I’d rather eat a healthy muffin. And that’s exactly what I did when I got home that night! 
Apple cranberry bran muffins (recipe below)
This recipe makes 12 muffins (~130 calories each). I made 6 regular, and 3 double-sized so I could use my fancy tulip papers. Doesn’t this guy look like he came straight from a bakery? I think so. 
Mom and dad
Little babies:
I made them with apple sauce instead of oil and was afraid they’d be dry. Nope – amazingly moist with such tender crumb.
Apple Cranberry Bran Muffins – makes 12
Ingredients:
- 1.5 cup wheat bran
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1/3 cup apple sauce
- 2T plain fat free yogurt
- 1 egg
- 1t vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 1.25 cups whole wheat pastry flour
- 2t ground cinnamon
- 1t baking powder
- 1t baking soda
- 2/3t salt
- 1 apple, diced
- 2/3 cup fresh cranberries
- Preheat oven to 375* and spray or line a muffin tin
- In a medium bowl, combine wheat bran and buttermilk. Soak for 10 minutes.
- In a large bowl, combine apple sauce, yogurt, egg, vanilla and brown sugar.
- In a separate bowl, whisk flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Add bran mixture to wet ingredients.
- Gently fold in dry ingredients into wet until well combined.
- Fold in apples and cranberries into the muffin batter.
- Divide batter into 12 muffin cups, bake for 16-18 minutes until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes in tins; cool on wire rack thereafter.
I will be making these muffins over and over again. They deserve to go on the favorites list.
What’s your favorite MUFFIN recipe? What’s your favorite APPLE recipe? I still have quite a few apples left….
Don’t forget to support me in Project Food Blog! Today is the last day to help me advance to round 6. Please vote HERE!!
I used to make muffins a ton. Here are two of my favs: Apple, Pumpkin, Cranberry Muffins and Banana Blueberry Muffins.
For apple recipes, I have a bunch in my blog. The Apple Pie I made a couple weeks ago is AMAZING.
Thanks, Jen. These all look delicious!
I’m not much of a donut fan either. Like you, I’d rather have a muffin.
I love chocolate chip muffins and coffee cake muffins. Not exactly the healthiest choice, but they’re yummy!
Those muffins look good! I need to start baking. I always say this!
I’m not a big donut fan, but I think cider donuts are delicious.
I love making an upside down apple cake from a recipe that I stole from my sister…who took from a Hananford’s magazine! It is soo good!
I need details!!
I love those tulip papers!
Please tell Adam that I LOVE his purse.
-Josh
Hey, you’re getting me even more in trouble with comments like that
Your muffins look so delicious. I love apples…eating one right now for a snack.
I’m looking for an apple picking farm around here, hope I can locate one.
Ok I think your apple bran muffin and my apple cider doughnuts need to have a face-off!
Yesssssss.
Oh man this post has my mouth watering!!!
Those muffins look great! Thank you for including the recipe. I’ll be baking these in the near future.
Glad you had such a nice time apple picking! I haven’t been since I was little.
I’m so jealous. That is my absolute favorite apple orchard. I especially love that you pay by what you pick rather than for a whole bag, that way you can get as much or as little as you like.
those muffins looks awesome! and i was thinking about getting those papers, looks so professional
That looks AMAZING! I have a major weakness for muffins. I’m not gonna lie. I’m going to have to come up with a gluten free vegan version of these.
That pic of Adam is awesome
What a fun day!
Never been a donut fan – I think they’re the inferior, red-headed stepchild of cake and muffins!
Love apple picking though – the county next to me is officially North Carolina’s apple haven, so wandering through mountain holler orchards is a pretty sweet, fall treat!
where did u get those tulip papers? love them!
Hi Lauren, I purchased them at the King Arthur store in Vermont. They are available online too
Your muffins look delicious- AND just like they came from a bakery! Love it!
Looks like you had a great time! I love caramel apples and dutch apple pancakes! My dad is Belgian so I always get dutch apple pancake when i go visit his hometown.
I’m dying to go apple picking this fall and am determined to do so and eat MY first apple cider donut, too! Although, maybe I’ll just bake a batch of your muffins and save myself the calories
Hey! Rachael is discriminating against gingers!!! me no likey
Bakery indeed, they look super tasty! And I’m so glad you included that pic of Adam, haha