These apple muffins are a great way to use up any apples you have lying around the house. They’re flavorful, cozy, and easy to make. Filled with diced apples, brown sugar, and cinnamon, each bite is full of warm apple flavors.
I love how moist and tender these muffins are which pairs so well with the crispy crumb topping. I can eat them every day! Luckily, they come together in a few quick steps, so they can definitely be an everyday treat. If you want more breakfast recipes using apples then try my apple cider donuts recipe, apple turnovers recipe, and apple fritters recipe.
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Brown sugar — this adds a delicious molasses flavor to the muffin toppings and batter. If you do not have brown sugar on hand, then you can make some by following my guide on how to make brown sugar.
Flour — you don’t need anything fancy for the muffins. All-purpose flour is all you need for the topping, batter, and coating of the diced apples!
Butter — I highly recommend using unsalted butter. Salted butter has a varying amount of salt between different brands, so it’s more consistent to use unsalted butter and add your own measured salt.
Baking powder — always double-check that the baking powder is fresh and not expired.
Cinnamon — cinnamon is a delightful warm spice that makes your muffins that much more delicious.
Milk — I suggest you use milk instead of water for more flavorful muffins. Milk also adds sweetness and a creamy texture to the muffins.
Apples — you want apples that will hold up when you bake them in the apple muffins, as some can get mushy or grainy in the oven. Try using Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, or Pink Lady.
How to Make Apple Muffins
1. Prepare the muffin topping by stirring the brown sugar, flour, granulated sugar, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Stir in the melted butter with a fork until the mixture is combined but still clumpy. Set aside.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. In another medium mixing bowl, toss the apples with two tablespoons of the flour mixture until the apples are well coated.
3. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugars together on medium speed until creamy.
4. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until well combined. Scrape down the bowl and beat in the vanilla.
5. Add a third of the flour mixture, followed by half of the milk.
6. Continue alternating between the flour and milk, mixing just until combined. Fold in the apples.
7. Divide the batter among the muffin pan wells, about ⅓ cup per muffin.
8. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the batter, about 3 tablespoons per muffin. Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature and continue baking for 12 to 15 minutes before letting them cool for 10 minutes in the pan. Remove the apple muffins from the pan and continue to cool on a wire rack.
What Kind Of Apples Should I Use In Apple Muffins?
Apples that hold up well during baking and won’t turn soft or mushy are the best kinds to use in muffins! Sweet apples like Honeycrisp, Galas, and Fuji, or tart apples like Granny Smith and Pink Lady, are my favorites and hold up well in the oven. You can use a mix of tart apples and sweet apples to change the flavors of the apple muffins.
Can I Make This in a Loaf Pan?
Yes! Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan and line it with parchment paper. Bake at 350°F for 55 to 65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. You can also try my apple bread recipe!
Pro Tips for Making This Recipe
- Don’t overmix the batter. This can make dense muffins or large holes in the crumb texture. Mix the batter just until the flour is combined for fluffy, tender muffins.
- Measure your flour using a scale! Adding too much flour to the recipe is the most common reason muffins end up dense. The best and easiest way to measure the ingredients, especially flour, is by using a scale to measure by grams. If you don’t have a scale, fluff up the flour with a spoon, then lightly spoon the flour into a dry measuring scoop. Level the flour in the scoop with the flat side of a knife.
- Toss the apple pieces with flour. This will keep them suspended in the batter and prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the muffins as they bake.
- Start the oven at a hotter temperature for tall muffins. The initial hot blast will help the muffin tops rise tall in the first 5 minutes. Then, reducing the oven temperature for the remaining baking time will help them cook through without burning.
- Skip the crumb topping. If you’d prefer, you can leave off the crumb topping and sprinkle the tops of the muffin batter with cinnamon sugar or coarse sugar.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can store the apple muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can enjoy these muffins at room temperature or warmed in the microwave or oven.
You can freeze these muffins! To freeze muffins, wait for them to cool, place them in a freezer-safe bag, and then store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. When ready to eat, allow them to come to room temperature or quickly microwave the frozen muffin for about 20 seconds.
Yes! You can skip greasing the pan and line the muffin pan with paper liners if desired. The baking times are the same. I like to bake the muffins in liners if I plan on freezing them for easier storage and handling.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this Apple Muffins recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Apple Muffins
Equipment
- Muffin pan
Ingredients
For the Topping:
- ½ cup all-purpose flour (60g)
- ¼ cup light brown sugar (55g)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar (50g)
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter melted (43g)
For the Muffins:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (240g)
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature (113g)
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar (110g)
- ½ cup granulated sugar (100g)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup whole milk (120ml)
- 1½ cups diced apple (about 2 apples peeled and cored/ 220g)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin with baking spray.
For the Topping:
- In a medium bowl, stir together the brown sugar, flour, granulated sugar, and cinnamon. Stir in the melted butter with a fork, until the mixture is combined but still clumpy. Set aside.
For the Muffins:
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
- In another medium mixing bowl, toss the apples with two tablespoons of the flour mixture until the apples are well coated.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugars together on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until well combined. Scrape down the bowl and beat in the vanilla.
- With the mixer on low speed, add a third of the flour mixture, followed by half of the milk. Continue alternating between the flour and milk, mixing just until combined. Fold in the apples. Divide the batter among the wells of the muffin pan, about ⅓ cup per muffin. (They will be mostly full.) Sprinkle the topping evenly over the batter, about 3 tablespoons per muffin.
- Bake for 10 minutes.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 350F and continue baking for 12 to 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Let cool for 10 minutes in the pan then remove and continue cooling on a wire rack. Muffins can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Notes
- Careful not to overmix the batter as it’ll lead to dense muffins or large holes in the crumb.
- Measure your flour by using a scale! Adding too much flour to the recipe is the most common reason the muffins end up dense. The best and easiest way to measure the ingredients is using a scale, especially flour.
- Tossing the apple pieces with flour will keep them from sinking to the bottom of the muffins as they bake.
- It’s important to adjust the temperature of your oven for these muffins. The initial hot blast will help the muffins rise tall then the lower temperature will help them cook through without burning.
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