Start by preparing the roasted apples:

1. Pre-heat your oven to 175°C (350°F)
2. Slice the apples thinly, removing the core.
3. Lay baking parchment in an ovenproof dish and stack the sliced apples, drizzling honey between layers.
4. Finish with honey and a drizzle of olive oil.
5. Bake for 1 to 1 hour and 15 minutes, turning the apples every 15 minutes to prevent drying.
6. Once baked, let the apples cool, but do not discard the liquid.
7. When the roasted apples are at room temperature, pour the liquid that has formed into a cup, measuring out ¼ cup.
8. Pick out a few of the slices that look good and put aside, to top the muffins later.

Prepare the protein powder mixture:

1. In a blender (Nutribullet or similar), combine the eggs, ¼ cup of liquid from the apples, olive oil, vanilla extract, pumpkin puree, apple cider vinegar, protein powder, and, if desired, the sugar and sourdough starter.
2. Blend for about 1 minute until you have a creamy, fluffy mixture.
3. If you don’t have a high-speed blender, combine all the ingredients except the olive oil. Mix until creamy, and then slowly drizzle in the olive oil while mixing to emulsify.
4. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients:
5. Mix the whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg.

Mix the wet with the dry:

1. Add the creamy protein mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until the flour is just incorporated. Avoid overmixing to prevent tough muffins.
2. Fold the apple slices from the roasted apples into the batter.

Filling the Muffin Cases:

1. Line your muffin tin with paper muffin cases.
2. If you don’t have any, grease the muffin tin with melted butter and a pastry brush, then dust with flour.
3. Use an ice cream scoop or two spoons to fill the muffin cases, about 2/3 full.
4. Top with the remaining apple slices and sprinkle with a mixture of demerara sugar and cinnamon (about 2 tablespoons of sugar with ½ teaspoon of cinnamon).
5. Bake at 175°C (350°F) for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.
6. Let the muffins cool slightly as they will firm up a bit while cooling.
7. Serve the Sourdough Pumpkin Apple Muffins with Protein as they are or with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!