Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Soft apple muffins loaded with cinnamon flavor and a buttery streusel baked on top. These are delicious warm or served the next day since they are so tender.

When you’re looking for a quick breakfast or after school snack during the fall season, Apple Cinnamon Muffins are the way to go. I took the apple bread that you know and love and turned it into a muffin complete with a sugar streusel baked on top.

This easy apple muffin recipe can be ready in about 30 minutes. They are delicious fresh from the oven, but are also super soft and moist the next day. Perfect to share with a teacher or friend.

Why you’ll love this muffin recipe:

• 100% homemade
• Extra moist and tender
• Loaded with fresh apples inside
• Cinnamon sugar streusel

What kind of apples are best for muffins?

Normally I like to use Granny Smith apples in baking because they are tart and don’t get mushy while baking. However, these muffins are in the oven for less than 20 minutes so if you use Granny Smith, they may still be a little firm. My family prefers softer apples in muffins, so I used Gala apples. They bake up nice and soft in the muffins so the texture of the apple matched better with the soft muffins.

How to Make Apple Cinnamon Muffins

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
• In a medium bowl, stir together the sugar, milk, oil, egg and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined.
• Fold the apples gently into the batter.
• Line 14 muffin cups with paper liners. Divide the batter between the 14 muffin cups.
• Make the crumble by mixing together the flour, sugar and butter in a small bowl. Don’t overmix this. It’s ok if it is a little floury. This mixture will be crumbly.
• Divide the crumbs between the 14 muffins, sprinkling the crumbs on top of the batter.
• Bake at 425 degrees for 5 minutes, then lower the oven temperature (without opening the oven) to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 14 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the center of the muffin should come out clean. Allow the bread to cool completely on a wire rack.

Why start the oven high and then lower it? It helps get a nice quick rise on the muffins. Then they continue to cook at a lower temperature.

What is the key to moist, tender muffins?

The key to tender muffins is this: Don’t overmix the batter. Overmixing batter for muffins and quick breads can cause them to be tough and more “chewy”. This is because you ruin any air bubbles and those air bubbles are what give you fluffy muffins. Over mixing also develops gluten strands which can make for a chewier muffin. Chewy can be good in certain yeast breads or cookies, but no one wants a chewy muffin.

Apple Cinnamon Muffins

4.53 from 40 votes

Soft apple muffins loaded with cinnamon flavor and a buttery streusel baked on top. These are delicious warm or served the next day since they are so tender.

Servings 12

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 19 minutes

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Ingredients

 

For the muffins:

• 1 cup granulated sugar 205 grams
• 1/2 cup 2% milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour 260 grams
• 2 teaspoons baking powder aluminum free
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups diced fresh apples* peeled and cored

For the Crumble:

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tablespoons salted butter softened

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
• In a medium bowl, stir together the sugar, milk, oil, egg and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined.
• Fold the apples gently into the batter.
• Line 14 muffin cups with paper liners. Divide the batter between the 14 muffin cups.
• Make the crumble by mixing together the flour, sugar and butter in a small bowl. Don’t overmix this. It’s ok if it is a little floury. This mixture will be crumbly.
• Divide the crumbs between the 14 muffins, sprinkling the crumbs on top of the batter.
• Bake at 425 degrees for 5 minutes, then lower the oven temperature (without opening the oven) to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 14 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the center of the muffin should come out clean. Allow the bread to cool completely on a wire rack.
• Store at room temperature in an airtight container.

Notes

*I prefer Gala apples for this recipe so that they soften during baking.

The calories shown are based on the recipe making 12 muffins, with 1 serving being 1 muffin. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. The information in the nutrition box are calculated through a program and there is room for error. If you need an accurate count, I recommend running the ingredients through your favorite nutrition calculator.**

Nutrition

Calories: 281kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 73mg | Potassium: 138mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 89IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 53mg | Iron: 1mg

Author Julie Clark

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Calories 281

Keyword apple dessert, easy muffins

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