For those of you who love the taste of a hot muffin on a bracingly cold morning, here's a recipe you'll want to try. The tart apples of early fall are the perfect counterpoint to the smooth sweetness of honey in these muffins, which sport a streusel topping for good measure.

Muffins
2 cups (8 1/2 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1/3 cup (4 ounces) honey
3/4 cup (6 ounces) milk
1/4 cup (2 ounces) brandy (apple brandy is good)
1/4 cup (1 3/4 ounces) vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups peeled, chopped tart apples
1/2 cup (2 ounces) chopped walnuts

Topping
6 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) brown sugar, firmly packed
6 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) unsalted butter

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat together egg, honey, milk, brandy and vegetable oil. Gently stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients, then fold in apples and walnuts.

Make the topping. In a small bowl, mix sugar, flour and butter together till crumbly. Set aside.

Spoon muffin batter into 12 greased muffin tins. Sprinkle each muffin with a heaping tablespoon of topping. Bake muffins in a preheated 375°F oven until they're golden brown and test done, about 25 minutes. Remove muffins from pan and cool completely on a wire rack.

This recipe reprinted from The Baking Sheet Newsletter, Vol. II, No. 9, September 1991 issue.