The Scents of Fall

Fall is my favorite time of year, evoking memories of apple picking, hayrides, leaf "peeping" and of course anything baked with apples. I love the scents of fall: the crisp air, apple pie baking, and the fall rain, which we're getting plenty of in Northern Georgia!

We recently went apple picking for Golden Delicious and Rome Beauty apples in Ellijay and while there we also picked up goodies from the orchard's bakery and store: apple fritters, apple cider, and fried pies (apple, blackberry, peach, chocolate and my favorite, coconut -- which I've never seen before). I filled my Longaberger baskets with apples to display around our kitchen and then delivered some to beloved friends and family. After packing the boys' lunches with an apple each day for several days, I baked some Apple Gingerbread Muffins this morning; the scent filled our home with hints of cinnamon, allspice, ginger and molasses -- mmm, can't you just smell it now?

Apple Gingerbread Muffins

2 c. all-purpose flour

1/4 c. brown sugar

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/8 tsp. allspice

1/8 tsp. ground ginger

4 T. unsalted butter, melted

1/2 c. light, mild molasses

1/4 c. milk

1 egg

2 medium-size Golden Delicious apples, peeled, finely chopped

1/3 c. chopped pecans, optional

Preheat oven to 400F. Lightly spray muffin pan with Pam baking spray. In a medium size bowl, combine the first six (6) dry ingredients and mix well. In a small bowl, combine the wet ingredients (butter, molasses, milk, egg) and blend until smooth. Add the butter-molasses mixture to the dry ingredients and blend until smooth; batter will be fairly thick. Fold in the apples and fill muffin cups half way. Bake for 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.