When I discovered that my formerly lovely red delicious apples were growing soft brown patches on their sides I knew it was time to perform cosmetic surgery.

No I didn’t botox the fruit, I pared off the ugly patches, shredded the healthy flesh and gave my apples a new lease on life as apple muffins.

My salvage operation earned me a mitvah called Ba’al Tashchis, the Torah‘s command to honor our possessions and not waste them,

I’m a little obsessed with ba’al tashchis. I suspect that it is part of my baggage as a survivors kid; the memory of the potato peels my mother ate in Auschwitz imprinted in my DNA.

A word of warning-if you’re expecting to satisfy your sweet tooth skip this recipe. Go over to Paula Shoyer or some other site.

Apple muffins are sweet in only the mildest, most moderate way, but they are yummy and very satisfying especially with a cup of coffee or herbal tea .If you are so inclined- people from the UK like to do this- you can smear butter, cream cheese or jam or any combination thereof but they aren’t scones.

Still when I asked my kids if I should post this recipe I got a resounding yes. These are kid pleasers and they are healthy enough that a Mom or Dad can feel good about serving them.

So here’s the recipe.

In my sojourns in the blogosphere I learned that three changes makes a recipe one’s own and I’ve changed the original recipe more than three times, but the Jewish sages say that giving credit to others brings redemption to the world. Who am I to stand in the way of world redemption so I”ll come clean. This recipe is adapted from the Joy of Cooking p. 624 1997 edition.

Apple Muffins or Apple Quick Bread

Preheat oven to 350F or 180 C.

Preheating is really important for successful baking. The batter doesn’t have to experience the shock of entering a cold oven. sort of likea human entering a cold bath.

3 cups of flour-any kind. I used 70 per cent whole wheat and when I ran out I added potato flour

1/2 t salt

1 t baking soda

1/4 cup oil (JOC calls for shortening but I was out of marg and canola oil worked just fine plus it’s healthier)

1/2 cup sugar-I used brown

1 egg

3/4 cup freshly grated apple pulp

1 cup almond milk or soya milk plus 1 teaspoon lemon juice (JOK uses buttermilk but I didn’t have any and I wanted my muffins to be pareve)

1 cup slivered almonds

1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

1/2 cup raisins (optional but nice)

Mix together. You can do this by hand. You can even do this with your hands. James Beard says that good cakes can be mixed by hand just like bread.

Fill 12 muffin cups or one loaf pan

For muffins increase oven temperature to 400 F or 200 C and bake 20 to 25 minutes

For quick bread, bake 11/4 hours letting the loaf cool in the pan

Enjoy