YKGrub · Sept 2026 · 12 standard or 24 mini · No added sugar · CSA apples
Apple brings less sweetness and more water than banana, so this is not a straight swap. Grate the apple, do not chop it, and squeeze it.
Ingredients
2 apples, coarsely grated, then squeezed dry in a towel
½ cup unsweetened applesauce, or a third apple grated and cooked down 5 min
2 eggs
⅓ cup plain yogurt or milk
¼ cup neutral oil or melted butter
1½ cups rolled oats blitzed to a coarse flour, or 1¼ cups plain flour
1 tsp baking powder, ½ tsp baking soda
1½ tsp cinnamon, pinch of nutmeg or allspice
Pinch of salt — skip to keep them fully baby-safe
Method
1. Squeeze the apple
A good handful of liquid comes out. This is the difference between a muffin and a soggy one.
The single step people skip, and the only way these go wrong.
2. Mix
Whisk eggs, yogurt, oil and applesauce; stir in the squeezed apple; add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
3. Bake
Oven 350°F, cups ¾ full. 20–24 min standard, 14–16 mini — a little longer than the banana version because apple holds water. Cool 5 min in the tin, then on a rack.
Notes
Baby: soft enough to gum at ten months; minis suit a pincer grip
No applesauce? 1 mashed ripe banana replaces the ½ cup exactly. Keep the grated, squeezed apples — they are the texture
2 days counter, 5 days fridge, 3 months frozen — freeze flat on a tray, then bag
No added sugar, no honey. They are genuinely mild, which is correct