Pomegranate, Apple & Bourbon Muffins

I was on a search of a different recipe using up the remaining apples I had sitting on my counter. I hate to waste anything, but one person can only eat so many apples in their salads before they explode. On top of that, my partner isn't too keen on apples, so hiding them in food for him has become a challenge. What I ended up with worked out pretty well. The flavors complement each other without anything being over powering.

I used Red Stagg Black Cherry Bourbon for this. The fruity flavors blended nicely with the apples. This makes about 12 muffins.

1 cup Pomegranate, dried
1/3 cup Bourbon 
1 3/4 cup Flour
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Ginger, fresh grated
1/4 tsp All Spice
1/4 tsp Nutmeg, fresh grated
3/4 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 1/2 cup Splenda (real sugar works as well)
2/3 cup Oil
2 Large Eggs
1 tsp Lemon Juice
1 Medium-Large Apple, peeled, cored and diced small

1) Soak Pomegranates in bourbon no more than 30 minutes, strain, reserving liquid and bring liquid back to 1/3 cup.

2) Preheat oven to 375. Grease muffin tins.

3) In medium bowl combine flour, spices, baking powder and baking soda.

4) In large bowl beat the sugar, oil, eggs and lemon until smooth.

5) In portions, add in the flour mixture and stir until semi smooth. Then add in the fruits and bourbon. Mix with spoon until all is well blended.

6) Using spoon, place mixture into muffin tins to fill up to the top rim. Bake about 20 minutes. The top will brown nicely and you should be able to insert a toothpick in the center of a muffin and remove it cleanly.

Now, this recipe doesnt call for a frosting, but I found that adding a light drizzle of sugar glaze to them makes them outstanding!