Follow these easy steps to create your delicious Apple Cinnamon Cottage Cheese Muffins:

1. Preheat Oven: Start by preheating your oven to 375°F (190°C).
2. Prepare Muffin Tin: Grease a muffin tin with cooking spray or line it with muffin liners.
3. Mix Wet Ingredients: In a large bowl, combine the cottage cheese, applesauce, egg, and vanilla extract. Mix until well blended.
4. Combine Dry Ingredients: In another bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
5. Combine Mixtures: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Stir until just combined, being careful not to overmix.
6. Add Apples: Fold in the diced apples and nuts (if using) gently to incorporate them into the batter.
7. Fill Muffin Cups: Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared muffin tin, filling each cup about two-thirds full.
8. Bake: Place the muffin tin in the preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
9. Cool: Remove the muffins from the oven and allow them to cool in the tin for 10-15 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

By following these steps, you will create mouthwatering muffins that are sure to impress!