In my first year of university I worked at Alannah Hill on Oxford Street in Paddington. Yep, I was one of those girls – red lipstick, mandatory heels and fake flowers and/or birds clipped into my hair (a pixie cut at the time a la Kate Moss).

That year was very floral, to say the least. But regardless of the fun times I had in that other-worldly boutique, it was the muffins from the cafe around the corner that really made the experience a memorable one.

I can’t remember the name of the cafe (it was on Glenmore Rd if you happened to be a Paddo local 12 years ago?) but it was always bustling and the muffins were hard to get your hands on. They literally sold out within minutes of escaping the oven and if you got one you really did cherish every bite.

I’ve been searching for a recipe that came close to those decadent treats and I think I’ve finally found it.

One of my favourite cookbooks at the minute is The Thrifty Kitchen by Suzanne & Kate Gibbs (it’s out of print but I highly recommend you search your local library for it). It’s full of easy recipes that use basic ingredients and there’s so many practical ideas for using leftovers, baking for lunchboxes and weekend meals to cook, freeze and eat later. It’s completely unpretentious and very homely and full of tips and tricks to waste less and save money.

The Apple + Cinnamon Breakfast Muffins are delicious and if you don’t happen to have granny smith apples in the fruit bowl, there are three different variations listed on the same page (see – practical!) including orange + pear, raspberry + coconut and lemon + poppyseed.

Apple + Cinnamon Breakfast Muffins (makes 12)

3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 cup milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil (I use olive oil)

2 granny smith apples, cored

1 1/2 cups of self raising flour

1/2 cup plain flour

1 tsp bicarb soda

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

3 tsp caster sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degreesC
2. In a large bowl, whisk the brown sugar, beaten egg, milk and oil together. Finely chop one of the apples. Sift the flours, bicarb and 1 tsp of the cinnamon and stir in with the chopped apple until just combined. Spoon the batter into a muffin tray. Slice the remaining apple and arrange on top of the muffins.
3. Bake for 20minutes until golden.
4. Combine the sugar and remaining cinnamon in a bowl and, once the muffins are out of the oven, sprinkle on top while the muffins are still hot.