Glazed Honey Applesauce Bread

Fall is about pumpkins, butternut squash, maple, cinnamon spices, and apples. I mentioned recently that it’s hard for me to pass up a beautiful basket of apples at the farmers market in fall. They are so beautiful and delicious! I made scrumptious caramel apple oatmeal cookies with some, but had quite a few left over that weren’t going to get munched. When I thought about how to use them up, I kept coming back to applesauce, but we rarely eat it…unless it’s in a cake. Bingo.

Applesauce is one of those things that should always be made from scratch because it’s just so easy. I used my crockpot, filling it with peeled and chopped apples. I poured a mixture of honey, cinnamon, vanilla, and a little bit of water over the apples, gave it a mix, and let it be for three hours. I used an immersion blender to puree the cinnamon-y apples and let it cool. SO easy!

The applesauce is one of the ingredients that keeps this bread moist and makes it so yummy. I started by combining wheat flour and all-purpose flour, then adding baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. In another bowl, I combined an egg, the applesauce, brown sugar, milk, and vegetable oil. I added the wet ingredients to the dry, and stirred in some chopped walnuts at the end.

I don’t have good luck with loaf pans, so I tried my mega-muffin tin, instead. I baked the muffins for about a half an hour until they puffed up and browned, and a toothpick came out clean. Because I’d sprayed it well, they came right out of the pan. I placed them on a cooling rack while I made the glaze.

It’s all about the applesauce glaze for this bread. To make it, I simply whisked together powdered sugar, more applesauce, and vanilla. I added a smidge of water to get to the right consistency. While the muffins were still warm, I spooned the glaze over the top, letting it drip down the sides. I sprinkled chopped walnuts on each muffin and tried not to dive right into them.

I didn’t last long. I sliced off part of one of the muffins (the part with a lot of glaze) and gave it a taste. The bread itself is dense but moist, warmly cinnamon-y but not overly sweet. There are delightful crunchy bits from the walnuts in the bread and on top. The glaze adds more of the sweet apple flavor that makes it a perfect fall treat.

And the best part: I didn’t waste any of those beautiful apples.

Glazed Honey Applesauce Bread

You’ll need:

• 1 ½ cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons cinnamon
• 1 egg
• 1 cup applesauce (recipe below)
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2/3 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• ½ cup chopped walnuts, plus more for topping

For the glaze:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• ½ cup applesauce
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• Water as needed

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a mega-muffin tin or mini loaf pans well with cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine the flours, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. In a smaller bowl, combine the egg, applesauce, brown sugar, milk, and oil. Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix well. Stir in the walnuts. Spoon the batter into the muffin tin. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the muffins are set and a toothpick comes out clean. While still warm, remove the muffins from the tin and place them on a cooling rack over a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

To make the glaze, combine the sugar, applesauce, and vanilla. Add water until you get a spoonable consistency. Spoon the glaze over the warm muffins, letting it drip down the sides. Sprinkle chopped walnuts on top and enjoy the last bits of apple season. YUM.

Crockpot Applesauce

You’ll need:

• 6 apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon vanilla

In a crockpot, add the chopped apples, honey, water, cinnamon, and vanilla. Cover and cook on high heat for three hours, stirring occasionally. Puree with an immersion blender when apples are soft. Allow to cool before using in the Honey Applesauce Bread recipe. YUM.

Hungry for more? Check out the collection of recipes on the FOOD BLISS page. 

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