Cinnamon Apple Muffins
Posted Sep 13, 2020, Updated Sep 01, 2023
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These Cinnamon Apple muffins are moist & fluffy, full of fresh apples and warm fall spices, and topped with a delicious crumb topping. Apple muffins are an easy-to-make, freezer-friendly, fall breakfast everyone will love!
I love waking up on a chilly fall morning and enjoying one of these delicious Apple Muffins, slathered with this cinnamon honey butter and a cup of warm coffee. These cinnamon apple muffins are everything a muffin should be – moist & fluffy, full of fresh apples and warm fall spices, and topped with a delicious crumb topping.
When I was a teacher I had a group of students who used to meet in my room every Tuesday morning for a student-led bible study. I always tried to bake them something delicious to help them kick-start their day, and these Apple Muffins made a regular appearance, especially in the fall.
These apple and cinnamon muffins are easy to make in 30 minutes, plus they are freezer-friendly so you can bake them and enjoy them for weeks (or months if they last that long).
Apple Muffins Recipe: Ingredients & Substitutions
- All-purpose flour. There are many possible substitutions for all-purpose flour, some include: bread flour, cake flour, white whole wheat flour, a 1:1 all-purpose gluten-free flour, etc. If you would like to use whole wheat flour, I suggest only substituting up to half of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat, otherwise you risk a more dense, less fluffy texture.
- Granulated sugar. White granulated sugar and organic cane sugar work well in this recipe.
- Light Brown sugar. If desired, you can us dark brown sugar for a richer molasses taste.
- Salted Butter. Unsalted butter works beautifully in this recipe. Also canola oil, coconut oil, ghee, etc.
- Whole Milk. 2% milk or half and half can be used in place of whole milk. I don’t recommend using anything with a lower fat content.
- Unsweetened Applesauce. Any applesauce variety works well in this recipe, sometimes I like to use cinnamon applesauce!
- Egg. I have not tried any egg substitutions, but if you do let me know in the comments below.
- Old-Fashioned Oats. Quick cooking oats can be used in the crumb topping in place of old-fashioned.
How to make Apple Muffins
This apple and cinnamon muffin recipe is really easy to make, but as always we’ll walk through it step by step, and don’t forget to watch the video.
Combine Dry Ingredients
In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon and sea salt, set aside. I like to do this in the beginning so the dry ingredients are evenly distributed throughout the batter, however you could just add them on top of the wet ingredient so you can only use one bowl.
Combine wet ingredients
In a large bowl, whisk together melted butter, vanilla, applesauce, milk and egg.
Add sugars & dry mixture
Add sugars to the wet mixture and whisk to combine. I like to add the sugars separately to ensure all the brown sugar is dissolved before proceeding with the recipe. You don’t want to find hard brown sugar chunks in your muffins!
Once the sugars are mixed in, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until combined.
Add apples
Next, add the diced apples and stir until evenly distributed.
Make the crumb topping
The crumb topping is really easy to make. Simply add all the topping ingredients, besides the oatmeal, to a large bowl and use a fork or pastry cutter to combine until large crumble pieces form.
Add the oatmeal and stir it in with a fork or pastry cutter.
Putting it together
Use a cookie scoop or 1/4 cup measuring cup to measure portions of apple muffin batter into the greased wells of a standard muffin tin. Then, add about 1 TBS of the streusel topping to each apple muffin.
Bake and Cool
Bake until the tops spring back when touched and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs
Once the apple muffins are baked, remove them from the oven and use a spoon or knife to immediately remove any streusel that baked onto the pan. Push in the sides of each muffin gently to release them from the muffin pan.
Let the muffins cool in the muffin tin on a wire rack for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely (or serve slightly warm).
Serve!
Serve these apple muffins slightly warm with a slather of this homemade honey cinnamon butter or homemade apple butter. Yum! You can also serve them with homemade peanut butter, homemade vanilla almond butter and a warm mocha latte or matcha latte.
How to freeze apple muffins
To freeze, let the apple muffins come to room temperature. Then transfer them to an airtight container and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To reheat
Simply warm the muffins in the microwave for 30-60 seconds (depending on the number of muffins being reheated). You can also reheat them in the oven. To do so, place them in a small baking dish or loaf pan and cover with aluminum foil. Warm at 350 degrees F for 10-15 minutes or until warmed through.
Recipe FAQs
Everyone has their favorite apple variety to bake with, mine is a tie between Pink Ladies and Granny Smith because I love the sweet/tart contrast. However, I usually just choose a variety that’s on sale! Here are some of my suggestions for apples to use in these apple muffins:
Pink Ladies (aka: Crisps Pink)
Granny Smith
Fuji
Honeycrisp
Jonagold
Jazz
Braeburn
Gala
Golden Delicious
Make so many delicious recipe, these muffins of course, and apple pie, apple crisp, sautéed apples, apple galette, etc.
Both result in moist muffins, however I prefer butter because of the flavor it imparts into the muffins.
I bake muffins between 375 and 400 degrees F (depending on the recipe).
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Cinnamon Apple Muffins Recipe
Ingredients
Apple Muffins
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ½ cup whole milk
- ¼ cup salted butter melted
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 TBS unsweetened applesauce
- 1 egg slightly beaten
- 1 cup apples finely diced (about 1 medium apple)
Crumb Topping (optional)
- ¼ cup salted butter softened
- ½ cup old-fashioned oats
- 2 TBS all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar packed
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
Make the Apple Muffin Batter:
- Preheat oven to 375. Grease a standard 12-cup muffin tin, set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon and sea salt, set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together melted butter, vanilla, applesauce, milk and egg.
- Add sugars to the wet mixture and whisk to combine.
- Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until combined.
- Add diced apples and stir until evenly distributed.
Make crumb topping:
- Combine butter, sea salt, cinnamon, brown sugar and all-purpose flour with a fork or pastry cutter.
- Add oats and use a fork to combine until evenly distributed.
Putting it together
- Use a 2 TBS cookie scoop to measure portions of muffin batter into each well of the prepared muffin tin.
- Add about 1 TBS of streusel topping to each muffin, spread it over the top of the batter and gently press it into the batter.
- Bake at 375 for 18-22 minutes or until the tops spring back when touched and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs
- Once muffins are baked, remove them from the oven and use a spoon or knife to immediately remove any streusel that baked onto the pan. Push in the sides of each muffin gently to release them from the muffin pan.
- Let the muffins cool in the muffin tin on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
- Transfer muffins to a wire cooling rack to cool completely (or serve slightly warm).
Video
Notes
How to freeze apple muffins
To freeze, let the apple muffins come to room temperature. Then transfer them to an airtight container and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.To reheat
Simply warm the muffins in the microwave for 30-60 seconds (depending on the number of muffins being reheated). You can also reheat them in the oven. To do so, place them in a small baking dish or loaf pan and cover with aluminum foil. Warm at 350 degrees F for 10-15 minutes or until warmed through.Ingredient Substitutions
- All-purpose flour. There are many possible substitutions for all-purpose flour, some include: bread flour, cake flour, white whole wheat flour, a 1:1 all-purpose gluten-free flour, etc. If you would like to use whole wheat flour, I suggest only substituting up to half of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat, otherwise you risk a more dense, less fluffy texture.
- Granulated sugar. White granulated sugar and organic cane sugar work well in this recipe.
- Light Brown sugar. If desired, you can us dark brown sugar for a richer molasses taste.
- Salted Butter. Unsalted butter works beautifully in this apple muffin recipe. Also canola oil, coconut oil, ghee, etc.
- Whole Milk. 2% milk or half and half can be used in place of whole milk. I don’t recommend using anything with a lower fat content.
- Unsweetened Applesauce. Any applesauce variety works well in this recipe, sometimes I like to use cinnamon applesauce!
- Egg. I have not tried any egg substitutions, but if you do let me know in the comments below.
- Old-Fashioned Oats. Quick cooking oats can be used in the crumb topping in place of old-fashioned.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
If you like this recipe, you will also love these:
- This Cinnamon Apple Baked Oatmeal is a healthy and delicious way to start the day.
- If you’re in a fall baking mood, try this apple pie or this apple crumble pie. Both made from scratch!
- This is, hands down, the best apple crisp ever!
- For more delicious muffins try these blueberry muffins, banana muffins, spinach banana muffins and so many more muffin recipes.
- We love this Paleo Apple Cake, it’s a healthy fall treat!
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These were amazing. So soft and fluffy. The topping was so good. Probably one of the best muffins I have ever made.
Thank you so much Natalie! I’m so glad you love them!
I just… I can’t. This was so good.
It took me about an hour to make, but that’s because I have a VERY small college apartment kitchen and I was very disorganized! But let me tell you… this was SO worth the hour wait. Laura’s pumpkin muffins and these pumpkins are my two favorite muffins I have EVER had (yes, even topping the Costco muffins. These recipes are THAT good).
Thank you, Laura, for giving a yummy recipe for desserts this week for my husband & me. We’re thinking about putting ice cream on the side, it tastes like a yummy breakfast OR a yummy dessert!
These were so easy to make . They are very good . Love this recipe!!
Amazing recipe! For an egg substitution, for every egg try 1 TBSP of white vinegar!
So good! Didn’t have applesauce so added a little extra butter and threw in an extra apple (I had tripled the recipe). Just topped with cinnamon/sugar since I was too lazy to make the yummy topping you included LOL
Thank you!!!
Delish and moist! I can’t believe that I made them! Thank you!!