Apple Walnut Muffins

• 4 apples (1 1/2 - 1 3/4 lbs.), peeled, cored and halved*
• 4 1/2 cups All-purpose flour
• 1 3/4
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon Baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cups chopped California walnuts, toasted
• 2 cups canola oil

Preparation

1 Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease standard muffin pans (cups about 4 oz. or 1/2 cup capacity) with butter or vegetable shortening, or coat them generously with nonstick cooking spray.
2 Chop the apples coarsely, or dice them, so they are in about 1/4” - 1/3” pieces. You should have about 4 cups, and slightly more or less is okay.
3 In a very large bowl combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and cinnamon. With a wire whisk, stir the dry ingredients together for a minute or two, until evenly mixed.
4 Add the apples and the nuts, then stir and toss to distribute them evenly and coat them with flour. Add the oil, then mix vigorously using a large wooden spoon--or plunge right in with your clean hands to mix--until the ingredients are completely blended.
5  The batter will be very stiff and chunky, almost like a dough, and different from most batters you have probably worked with.
6 Scoop up 1/3-cup blobs of the batter, and in your hands, pat them quickly into irregular balls, and place in the prepared muffin pans.
7 Bake 35 - 40 minutes, until the muffins are golden brown, the tops look dry, and they spring back when pressed gently.
8  Cool in the pans 5 - 10 minutes, then remove to racks to cool completely. The cooled muffins may be stored in a sealed container at room temperature for up to two days. Freeze for longer storage.

Source: California Walnut Board