Top 8 Free Oatmeal Apple Muffins (Soy, Wheat, Nut, Fish, Egg and Milk-Free, Can Be Diabetic Friendly)

You all, I could not be more excited about a recipe than I am this one!  You have no idea how long I have worked on this!  Seriously!  My family has had to endure a lot of recipe fails in my attempt to make this one for you, but I finally got it right!  Can I get a "Woot! Woot!"!?!?! :D

May I present to you my first ever, Top 8 free muffin, created by me via doing some serious tweaks to my Cereal Muffin recipe!   That's right, y'all, I said TOP 8 FREE!  Seriously!  It is free of soy (if you use all soy-free ingredients), wheat, nuts, fish, egg and milk!  It is also moist without being mush (provided you follow my instructions), not too sweet, super simple and good for you to boot!  Hurrah! :)  I even have some variations to take you year round and to help those who have other food sensitivities/dietary needs, too!  Seriously, this will become a go-to muffin for you all when you need to make something that is safe for the masses! :) (Can you tell I'm excited about these?!?!?  I mean, just check out all the smileys!!! :D :D :D LOL )

Without further adieu, here it is!

Top 8 Free Oatmeal Apple Muffins

4 Cups gluten-free quick oats

(Do NOT use instant oatmeal or old fashioned oats!)

2 Cups unsweetened, soy-free applesauce

1 Cup water

1/2 Cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 Cup white sugar

2 Tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

up to 1 Cup apples, chopped into a small dice (optional)

(I generally use 1 or 2 small apples; Granny Smith, Gala, Fuji, McIntosh, Braeburn - all of these are great, but you can use your favorite or a combo of any that you like best.)

1. Preheat oven to 400^oF.
  

2. Mix oats, applesauce, water and oil in a large mixing bowl and let stand for 15 minutes.  (Note: Do NOT skip this part!  The oats need to soak up all the moisture they can, so they need to sit for the full 15 minutes or the muffins turn out mushy and sticky.  Not so good.)

3. Add sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon; mix well.

4. If adding diced apples, add them now and mix until evenly distributed.  (Note: You do not have to peel the apples unless you want to.)

5. Line muffin tins with 24 to 30 paper cups.

6. Fill cups 2/3 or so full.

7. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until toothpick inserted in the center muffin comes out clean and the tops are golden brown.  (Note: The toothpick will come out clean before the tops are browned.  Do NOT remove them until the tops are browned or you will have mushy and sticky muffins.)

Makes 24 to 30 muffins.

Note: These muffins are best enjoyed after they have completely cooled, especially if using the chopped apple.  I tried one while they were still warm, and they were ok, just a little sticky where the fruit was.  I tried them again after they were completely cooled, and the texture was perfect!  If you want less risk of sticky muffins, leave the chopped apple out.

Variations (Please keep your individual allergy and dietary needs in mind when using substitutions!):

• Grain-Free: If you have trouble with all grains, including oatmeal, sub quinoa flakes for the oatmeal and make as directed.
    
• Diabetic Friendly: Use any approved for baking sugar substitute for the white sugar.
    
• Other Sweetener Options: If you wish, you can use brown sugar or coconut sugar or any other non-liquid sugar for the white sugar.  I do not recommend using honey, molasses or another type of liquid sweetener as it will greatly change the moisture content and it will effect the outcome greatly.
    
• Other Fruit/Stir-In Combos: If you don't like apple or cannot have apples, you can use any other type of fruit puree you wish, such as pumpkin, berry, banana, etc. and either leave out the apples or use another type of fresh or dried fruit, nuts, seeds, chocolate chip (Enjoy Life brand would be wonderful to keep it Top 8 free), coconut flakes, etc. that you desire (just don't exceed 1 Cup of fresh/dried fruit, nuts, seeds, chocolate chips, etc.).  If you are using another fruit puree, you can leave out the cinnamon if you want.  If you are using the pumpkin puree, you can leave out the cinnamon and add 1 Tablespoon Pumpkin Pie Spice for a nice autumnal muffin option!  You can also just use whatever fruit is in season: berries in the spring/summer, apples/pumpkin in the fall/winter, etc.  Have fun mixing it up and trying new things! :)
    
• Other Oil: If you can't use or don't like olive oil, you can sub corn oil, canola oil, coconut oil or lard with success.

Awesome, right?  Lots of options for this little treasure! :)

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What is your favorite muffin?
What is your favorite meal of the day?
Do you like savory or sweet for breakfast?

(This recipe was originally posted on my original site, Natural and Free.)