Mischef-Makers Mouth-Watering Muffins - red apples

Method

• Turn the oven onto bake, 180 degrees Celsius, with the rack just above the middle.
• Wash the apples.
• Cut apples (I like to cut them into thin slices, but they can be chopped or diced- whatever you prefer).
• While you are in the process of cutting them, put the apples you have chopped into a medium-sized pot which is 3/4 full of water to avoid the apples turning brown.
• Measure the cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar into the pot of apples & stir.
• (with the sugar in the apples, I usually make the 1/8 cup a heaping 1/8 cup).
• Leave the apples on high heat until boiling, with the pot lid on.
• Put the temperature down to a medium heat as soon as it starts boiling heavily (stir occasionally).
• Cook the apples for about fifteen minutes after boiling, or until the apples are tender.
• Take the apples off of the heat and leave them to the side.
• Sift all remaining dry ingredients (the flour, baking powder, white sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, ground cloves & ground allspice) into a bowl.
• In a small-to-medium sized pot, melt the butter.
• Add the milk & beaten egg into the butter, then mix.
• Drain the stewed apples (keeping to the side 1/4 cup juice that the apples were stewed in).
• Add the apples and the juice to the butter, milk and egg, then mix.
• Pour into dry ingredients.
• Mix until the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients are combined.
• Grease six-slot large muffin pan (or put six muffin cases into the muffin pan).
• Divide the mixture evenly into the six muffin slots.
• Place the muffins into the oven.
• Bake for 25 minutes, or until the muffins are a nice golden brown & a toothpick comes out of the center of the muffins basically clean (a tiny bit of moisture is nice in these muffins).
• Take the muffins out of the oven.
• Take the muffins out of the muffin tray, and leave to cool for five minutes on a cooling rack.
• These muffins are nicest served hot with coffee.