Apple, Honey, Almond and Rosemary Muffins

The Jewish New Year is celebrated today, and this brings back memories of traditional foods, even to an agnostic such as me. One of the culinary traditions for this event, is to dip a slice of apple in honey, and eat it as a symbol for a sweet New Year. Plenty other sweet dishes are added to the table as well, in order to emphasize this hope for a sweet New Year. The muffins I have created here were inspired by this tradition. On top of the traditional apples/honey combination, I’ve decided to add almonds and rosemary to the muffins. The muffins turned out moist and tasty, with an added wonderful fragrance from the rosemary, and a nice crunchy topping from the slivered almonds.
These quick and easy to make muffins, are perfect as a light dessert after a heavy meal, especially when served with the honey-rosemary syrup. Obviously, they can also be served for brunch, or as a light snack any time of the day. Try them and enjoy. Happy and sweet New Year to all!

Makes: 16
Prep time: 20 minutes
Baking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:
For the muffins:
2 medium Granny Smith apples
3 medium crisp sweet apples
2 XL eggs
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup honey (preferably orange blossom)
½ cup oil
½ cup full fat yogurt
½ cup almond meal
1½ cups flour
1 Tbs baking powder
Dash salt
2 Tbs fresh chopped rosemary
For topping:
½ cup slivered almonds
For the honey-rosemary syrup:
¾ cup water
½ cup sugar
¼ cup honey (preferably orange blossom)
1 Tbs fresh chopped rosemary
½ tsp lemon juice
Dash salt

1. Preheat the oven to at 350F(175C). Line muffin pans with baking cups.
2. Peel, core and coarsely chop the apples in a food processor. Measure 2 packed cups and set aside.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, honey, oil and yogurt. Add the almond meal, flour, baking powder, rosemary and salt, and whisk briefly. Add the chopped apples and mix with a spatula. Divide the batter between the baking cups, filling them up to ¾ of their height. Scatter the slivered almond on top and place in the oven.

4. Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of one muffin comes out almost dry. Transfer to a rack to cool to room temperature.

5. The syrup: mix all the ingredients in a medium pot. Bring to the boil, lower the heat to medium-high and cook for 2-3 minutes. Let cool and serve with the muffins.