Preheat your oven to 190°C (170°C fan). While it heats, lightly grease a 12-hole mini muffin tin with a little butter. You'll smell the warm butter as it melts into the tin — that's your cue the tin is ready.

Mix the wet ingredients. In a large bowl, beat the eggs with a fork until they look pale yellow and slightly frothy on top. Add the cottage cheese, honey, vanilla extract, and melted butter. Stir until the mixture looks creamy and speckled — the cottage cheese curds will remain visible, which is exactly what you want.

Combine the dry ingredients. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. The spices should smell aromatic and warm as you mix them — if they smell flat, your spices might be old.

Fold everything together. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet mixture and stir gently with a spatula. Stop as soon as you no longer see streaks of white flour — overmixing will make the bites tough. The batter should look thick and lumpy, like a chunky porridge.

Add the apples. Fold in the diced apples. You should hear the soft thud of apple pieces hitting the bowl, and the batter will look studded with pale green and yellow chunks. If the apples release some juice, that's fine — it adds moisture.

Fill the muffin tin. Spoon the batter into the prepared tin, filling each hole about three-quarters full. The batter should feel slightly resistant on the spoon. Sprinkle a few rolled oats on top if you like a little crunch.

Bake for 10-12 minutes. The bites are done when the tops turn a deep golden brown and the edges start pulling away from the tin. Insert a toothpick into the centre — it should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs. The kitchen will smell like a cosy autumn morning.

Cool in the tin for 5 minutes. This rest time is crucial — the bites are delicate when hot. After 5 minutes, transfer them to a wire rack. You'll hear a slight crackling sound as they cool, and the tops will firm up beautifully.