Breakfast is the hardest meal for me to eat when I’m not at home. And I’m sorry, but gluten-free cereal with almond milk and fruit works every so often, but it’s not my favorite way to start the day. Also, I can only tolerate a minimal number of eggs per week, so that leaves pastries, pancakes, and waffles. And we know that at most restaurants, these are filled with gluten.

My solution is to bring a variety of muffins with me when I travel. I even re-freeze them (but don’t tell the food police). That works well for short-term travel. But recently, I enjoyed an extended visit my mother, and my muffin supply dwindled precariously. I did make some delicious buckwheat pancakes with blueberries. And then, I created another variation on my standard muffin.

I’m back at home now. And my mom, who does not have to eat gluten-free, was raving about how happy she was to have eaten one of those muffins from her freezer. I ate one this morning, marveling again about the difference that just a few ingredients makes.

Apple Raisin Muffins with Walnuts
1 1/3 c. sorghum flour
2/3 cup arrowroot starch
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup canola/vegetable oil
1 cup orange juice
1 small apple, grated (peel can be grated or discarded if it will not grate)
1 cup raisins
1 cup walnuts, in pieces (break by hand to keep the oil)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin.

In a large bowl, whisk together sorghum flour, arrowroot starch, xanthan gum, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Add brown sugar, oil, and orange juice, mixing with a fork just to moisten. Fold in grated apple, raisins, and walnuts.

Spoon batter into muffin tins; batter will not rise enough to overflow tins. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes (convection oven: 325 degrees for 15-16 minutes). Freezes well. Yield: 12 muffins.

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So prepare that pot of coffee—because as soon as these muffins come out of the oven, you are going to want to taste them. They might not even make it to your freezer.

I could probably subsist on muffins—not that they would provide enough nutrition—but that is how much I love them. Blueberry muffins. Cranberry muffins. Muffins with macadamia nuts, pecans, or walnuts. Muffins made with eggs and dairy or vegan muffins that are dense and delicious.

Here’s another variation on the vegan muffin that my grandson and I created this week: Apple Walnut Muffins.

Grating the apple is easy—just core and press the body of the apple into the grater. The peel will likely stay together and can be discarded. If you’d rather include the peel, grate sideways, so that the peel is incorporated. My grandson loved watching the pile of grated apple grow as each apple quarter disappeared. As he noted, it smells great, too. And with no eggs in the batter, we both enjoyed licking the bowl.

Apple Walnut Muffins

1 and 1/3 cups sorghum flour
2/3 cup arrowroot starch
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Rounded 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup canola/vegetable oil
2/3 cup orange juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 granny smith apple, grated

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin.

In a large bowl, whisk together sorghum flour, arrowroot starch, xanthan gum, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Add brown sugar, oil, juice and vanilla, mixing with a fork, just to moisten. Fold in nuts and grated apple.

Spoon batter into muffin tins; batter will not rise enough to worry about if the tin is full. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-22 minutes (convection oven: 325 degrees for 15 minutes). Yield: 12 muffins. Freezes well.

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The crunch of the walnuts makes a satisfying contrast with the lighter texture of the apple-infused dough. You’ll love these muffins for breakfast or for a coffee break. My grandson ate two in a row and then politely asked for one to take home with him. I'm about to grab one out of the freezer for my breakfast. Enjoy!

“This is the best cake I’ve ever eaten!” That was a comment at our family Christmas from a person who can eat gluten. Even my ex-husband complimented me on this coffee cake, making me certain that it was as good as I thought.

My great-aunt Ruth was the baker in our extended family. I am fortunate to have a few of her recipes, and this crumb cake is one of them. I had always enjoyed it made with wheat flour, but it is truly better with sorghum flour and with the substitution of cream and water for the milk.

This cake is wonderful for breakfast or for a midafternoon coffee break. Unlike most cakes, it starts with a butter crumb topping, some of which is saved to top the cake. Most of this “topping” becomes the basis for the cake, giving it a rich yet delicate texture and flavor, enhanced by the addition of golden raisins.

Aunt Ruth’s Crumb Cake

Topping and Flour Mixture:

1 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup arrowroot starch
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted cold butter

Whisk sorghum flour, arrowroot starch, xanthan gum, and sugar. Blend in cold butter with a pastry blender. Set aside one-half cup of the mixture to use as the topping.

Additional Ingredients:

2 teaspoons baking powder
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup water
1 cup golden raisins
1/2 of a Granny Smith apple, cored, peeled, and grated

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Add the second set of ingredients to the first mixture (after you have removed one-half cup for use as the topping). Mix with a fork only until blended. Pour into a greased 9-inch round pan. Sprinkle with topping and bake in 350º oven for approximately 1 hour (convection oven: 325 degrees for 40 minutes). Yield: 8-16 servings. Freezes well.

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This cake is best eaten on the day it is made, as it will dry out rather quickly. If you’re baking for a crowd, that shouldn’t be a problem. And if you have a few pieces left, you’ll be glad to find them in your freezer when you want a special treat.

Thank you, Aunt Ruth!

As the crisp fall air cools us, I crave warm foods. When making lunch for my grandson last week, I decided that fried apples would be a great accompaniment for our hot dogs (of the all-beef, no-gluten variety). These apples, with almost the consistency of an apple pie filling, take just a bit over a half hour to create. And my grandson agreed that they were delicious.

When I mentioned making fried apples to my friend Terri, she said she’d never heard of them. That’s when I realized that I was wrong: For other people, these apples were not the ubiquitous side dish that my kids and I had loved for the past twenty-plus years.

I’m trying to recall when fried apples became a part of my cooking repertoire. I know I didn’t invent this dish, and I’d prefer to give credit. But as the link in my memory is missing, I’ll provide the recipe that I’ve come up with over the years, which leaves a lot of room for your own variation.

Fried Apples

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
5 Granny Smith apples (or other cooking apples), cored and sliced but not peeled
About 1/4 sugar
About 1 teaspoon cinnamon

In a large nonstick skillet, melt butter over low heat. Add apples, sliced approximately into twelfths. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. (The quantities are variable, and part of the fun is that this dish never come out exactly the same, twice.) Cook over medium or medium-low heat, stirring often to prevent sticking or burning. Apples are done with they are fork-tender and start to resemble pie filling. (Note: If apples are not done but start to burn, you can “cheat” by covering the pan for about 5 minutes.)

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My grandson loved being able to toss in the cinnamon and sugar. As we ate lunch, the apples warmed our insides. They also reminded me of dinners with my kids, picnicking on the living room floor, eating them with polish sausage sandwiches with Swiss cheese and mustard.

Start your own tradition by frying up a batch of apples tonight. Then share with a friend. These apples make a great dessert, too, warmed. Accompany with vanilla ice cream for an apple-pie-like treat.