Apple Streusel Muffins

I know, I've been a little lax in my posting recipes. Not that I have been bored- far from it. Just got a little caught up in the cake fun for a while. I have one more cake to share with you, but for now I thought I would give you an intermission of sorts from all that sugar. This is a really great apple streusel muffin recipe- very basic, and sort of no-frills. Its a real crowd pleaser at brunches, barbecues and picnics. And if I haven't sold you on them yet, they are just pretty darn good. And heeeeeeere it is:

Apple Streusel Muffins

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups peeled, shredded apples
•  
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon butter or margarine

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 12 cup muffin pan.

In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In a large bowl, mix together butter, sugar and eggs until smooth. Mix in vanilla. Stir in apples.  gradually blend the apple mixture into the flour mixture. Make sure to do this by hand- if you use a mixer, it tends to get overmixed, and you will land up with rubbery muffins. Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin pan.

In a small bowl, mix brown sugar, flour and cinnamon. Cut in butter until mixture is like coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over tops of mixture in muffin pan.

Bake 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Allow to sit 5 minutes before removing muffins from pan. Cool on a wire rack.