Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin pan with paper liners.

Roughly slice the apple, add to a food processor and and pulse to chop. Set aside.

Grind the whole flaxseed in a coffee or spice grinder. In a medium sized bow, mix together the ground flaxseed and water and set aside to thicken (approximately 5 minutes).

Once the flaxseed "egg" is firm, add the organic apple sauce, chopped apple, organic vegan sugar, coconut oil, pure maple syrup and Madagascar Bourbon vanilla extract to the bowl and stir to combine with a solid spoon.

In a large bow, whisk together the dry ingredients and once combined, use a large spatula to very gently fold in the wet ingredients.  

Be careful to not over-mix! Over-mixing will cause the muffins to be dry and crumbly.

Scoop the batter into the muffin liners filling each about 3/4 full. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 c almonds.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center of one muffin comes out clean. 

Remove from the oven and allow to slightly cool for approximately 5 minutes in the muffin pan. 

Once cool, carefully remove each muffin to a wire rack and allow to cool completely.

Serve with a tall, cold glass of plant-based milk or a steamy vegan pumpkin spice latter and enjoy!

Leftover may be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days or frozen for up to one month.