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These family-favorite bakery-style apple muffins are full of warm apple bits and topped with a sweet cinnamon crumble!
We Love Apple Muffins!
Muffin recipes are a go-to breakfast in our home. We like to whip up a batch and pull a few out of the freezer each morning for a quick grab-and-go easy breakfast idea or after school snack! We also love making our Carrot Cake Muffins and Banana Nut Muffins to have on hand.
We love that these muffins are studded with pops of juicy fruit for a breakfast, brunch idea, baby shower or any time of the year!
Why we love them:
- So easy! Similar to quick bread recipes, muffins are easy to whip up. With a few ingredients, your home will smell like an Apple Pie Recipe – yum!
- Fresh apples. The warm apple bits and sweet cinnamon crumble topping create a delightful balance of flavors and textures.
- The best for storing. As mentioned above, muffins are perfect for storing for later! Keep several in the freezer for delicious homemade apple muffins anytime the craving strikes.
Ingredients
PREP TIME: 15 minutes
COOK TIME: 28 minutes
Cinnamon Crumble
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter – cubed
Apple Muffin Batter
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 1¼ cups granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 whole eggs
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ cup milk
- 2 cups peeled, cored, and sliced apples – I like Granny Smith apples or Fuji apples for my muffins. Use your preference of firm apples to prevent mushy apples. Some other firm apples include Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, Golden Delicious, and Piñata apples.
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
Apple Tips
To ensure the pieces of apple create a nice balance of taste and texture with the rest of the muffin use the following tips:
- 3 medium apples yield about 2-2½ cups of chopped apples
- Peel the apple, slice it into quarters, and cut out the core and seeds.
- Slice the quarters in half for 8 wedges.
- Dice the apple into small pieces. This is your preference but should be about the size of a blueberry.
- When adding the apples to the batter don’t use an electric mixer to stir, instead, use a spatula to fold the apples evenly into the batter.
how to make apple muffins
- CRUMBLE. Mix ¼ cup sugar, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, 3 tablespoons flour, and 2 tablespoons cubed butter in a small bowl. Use a fork or pastry blender to create a crumble (butter pieces should be small). Set aside.
- PREP. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease the muffin tin with cooking spray or line it with cupcake liners.
- BATTER. Cream ½ cup butter, 1¼ cups sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and ½ teaspoon salt in a large bowl until fluffy. Add 2 eggs one at a time and beat until mixed.
- In another bowl, whisk 1¾ cups flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, and ½ teaspoon cinnamon.
- Add this to your creamed mixture, along with ½ cup milk, and mix until just incorporated. Fold in 2 cups sliced apples.
- BAKE. Scoop into prepared muffin cups until ¾ filled. Sprinkle with crumb topping and bake for 28-30 minutes, or until muffin tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool before serving.
Complete the Meal
- Serve with: Breakfast Potato Recipe, Avocado Eggs, Yogurt Parfait, Scrambled Eggs
- Drinks: Blueberry Smoothie, Orange Julius Recipe, Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie, Strawberry Oatmeal Smoothie
- More muffin recipes: Banana Nut Muffins, Lemon Poppyseed Muffins, Strawberry Muffins
More collections: Muffin Recipes, Brunch Ideas, Easy Breakfast Ideas
Apple Muffins
Apple muffins are full of warm apple bits and topped with a sweet cinnamon crumble for a family-favorite bakery-style muffin!
Equipment
Ingredients
Cinnamon Crumble
- ¼ cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons butter, cubed
Apple Muffin Batter
- ½ cup butter
- 1¼ cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ cup milk
- 2 cups peeled, cored and sliced apples
- ½ cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Lightly grease muffin pan with cooking spray or line with cupcake liners.
- Make cinnamon crumble by mixing together sugar, cinnamon, flour, and cubed butter in a small bowl. Use a fork or pastry blender to create crumble (butter pieces should be small). Set aside.
- Cream butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt in a large bowl until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time and beat until mixed.
- In another bowl, mix flour, baking powder, and cinnamon. Add this to your creamed mixture, along with the milk, and mix until just incorporated. Fold in sliced apples.
- Scoop into muffin cups until ¾ filled. Sprinkle with crumble and bake for 28-30 minutes, or until muffin tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool before serving.
Notes
STORE. Place cooled muffins in an airtight container or Ziploc freezer bag. Store at room temperature for 1-2 days, in the fridge for 3-4 days, or in the freezer for 2-3 months. Thaw if needed before serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 316kcal, Carbohydrates: 45g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 14g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 54mg, Sodium: 197mg, Potassium: 161mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 28g, Vitamin A: 363IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 58mg, Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQ
Are apple muffins healthy?
- These muffins have a good amount of carbs and sugar so I would not classify them as healthy, however, they do not contain hard-to-pronounce additives that muffins from the grocery store have. For a healthy breakfast idea try to substitute half of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat pastry flour.
- Reduce the amount of sugar by about 25% with little to no effect on the overall result.
- Mix in flaxseed and chia seeds for added nutrition.
- Use organic products.
- Try our recipe for Healthy Apple Muffins.
Check for Doneness?
- Insert a toothpick into the center of the muffin, it should come out clean or with only a couple of crumbs. Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack.
How do I get the best texture for apple muffins?
- Don’t overmix. Mix by hand. You’ll only need 10-12 stirs to mix the wet and dry ingredients. Don’t worry if the batter is lumpy.
- Use room temperature ingredients, particularly butter and eggs. Not only do they incorporate easily, but they help give a fluffier muffin.
How to store apple muffins?
- Place cooled muffins in an airtight container or Ziploc freezer bag. Store at room temperature for 1-2 days, in the fridge for 3-4 days, or in the freezer for 2-3 months. Thaw if needed before serving.
For More Apple Recipes:
Apple Cinnamon Muffins
40 mins
Healthy Apple Muffins
25 mins
Mini Applesauce Muffins
21 mins
Easy Apple Cake
40 mins
These were gone in minutes! Brought them on a potluck and it’s a crowd favorite! Keeping this apple muffins recipe!
Enjoyed these for breakfast this morning and started my day off right! They turned out light, fluffy and delicious; easily, a new favorite recipe!
These muffins had so much flavor and were so easy to make. Everyone loved them!
I just got done makeing theae apple muffins. They are amazing
Yay! I’m so glad you love the muffins!!
Delicious warm, delicious cold.
I like the texture and taste of these muffins. I’ll be stocking these int he freezer for easy snack for my kids to grab.
My family loves these apple muffins!! Love biting into a nice chunk of apple!
A quick and easy breakfast to make. Who doesn’t like a warm muffin right out of the oven. I like the apple chunks in here. So yummy!