Apple Cinnamon Muffins with Fresh Apples
Apple cinnamon muffins are a lovely treat to have during festive times like Autumn. These muffins are a delightful baked treat that combines the flavours of fresh apples and cinnamon in a moist, tender muffin. They are perfect for breakfast, brunch, or a snack, these muffins offer a comforting and delicious way to enjoy the classic pairing of apples and cinnamon. These delicious apple cinnamon muffins are the perfect morning snack or afternoon tea-time dessert. If you love apple recipes, try my creamy apple crumble cheesecake recipe.
In this post, you will learn how to make delicious Apple Cinnamon Muffins.
What are Apple Cinnamon Muffins?
Apple cinnamon muffins are a type of sweet, moist baked good that combines the flavours of fresh apples and warm cinnamon. These muffins are a popular choice for breakfast, brunch, or a snack, offering a comforting and delicious taste of autumn flavours.
What Variety of Apple Can I Use?
Choosing the right apple variety can enhance the flavour and texture of your apple cinnamon muffins. Varieties like Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Braeburn, Fuji, Gala, Jonagold, and Pink Lady are all excellent choices that offer a good balance of sweetness, tartness, and firmness. Try experimenting with different types or combinations to find your perfect muffin flavour.
Personally, I use Pink Lady in this recipe, but it is up to your discretion on the type of apple that you prefer.
Apple varieties that you should stay from however are Red Delicious, McIntosh, Ginger Gold, Golden Delicious (in some cases), and Cortland due to their tendency to become too soft and mushy when baked. Instead, opt for firmer, crisp apples with a good balance of sweetness and tartness to ensure your muffins have the desired texture and flavour.
Apple Varieties and Their Characteristics
- Granny Smith apples are tart, firm, and crisp. They hold up well during baking and provide a nice contrast to the sweetness of the muffin batter. It gives the muffins a tart flavour that balances the overall sweetness. When most people think of baking, they think of Granny Smith apples.
- Honeycrisp is sweet, crisp, and juicy. These apples maintain their texture well when baked and offer a nice sweetness and crunch.
- Braeburn apples have a sweet-tart flavour with a firm texture. Braeburn apples hold up well during baking and provide a balanced flavour profile with both sweetness and a bit of tartness.
- Fuji are very sweet and crisp apples. They add a lot of sweetness and moisture to the muffins while maintaining a nice texture.
- Gala apples are mildly sweet and juicy. They tend to soften nicely when baked but do not go mushy while adding a gentle sweetness to the muffins.
- Jonagold has a sweet-tart flavour with a honeyed sweetness. Jonagold combines the best of both worlds with its balanced flavour and good texture when baked.
- Pink Lady (Cripps Pink) is tart and sweet with a firm crisp texture. They maintain their structure during baking and add a complex, sweet-tart flavour to the muffins. My personal favourite.
Tips for Using Apples in Muffins
- Peeling: peel the apples for a smoother texture or leave the peel on for added colour and fibre.
- Dicing: dice the apples into small, uniform pieces. This will help to ensure they cook evenly within the muffins.
- Combining Varieties: consider using a mix of apple varieties for a more complex flavour. For example, combine a tart Granny Smith with a sweet Honeycrisp.
- Prevent Browning: toss the diced pieces in a bit of lemon juice to prevent them from browning. Coating fruit in lemon juice prevents the fruit from browning before you can start baking.
How to Make My Apple Muffin Tops Tall?
There are three important steps to making your muffin tops tall. I learned this from Sally’s Baking Addiction.
- Make sure that your batter is thick. (Which this recipe’s batter is quite thick.)
- Make sure that your muffin tins are filled to the top with batter.
- Bake your muffins at an initial high temperature, and then drop the temperature keeping your muffins in the oven while decreasing the temperature.
The initial high temperature lifts your muffin lids and once the temperature is decreased the insides of your muffins will bake evenly.
Storing My Apple Cinnamon Muffins
You can store your muffins at Room Temperature for up to three days in a sealed airtight container. Allow your muffins to completely cool on a wire rack, then store them in an airtight container or wrap them in plastic wrap and keep out of direct sunlight.
You can store your muffins in the Refrigerator for up to one week. Make sure that your muffins cool completely before placing them into an airtight storage container to prevent them from getting soggy from condensation build-up. Place them in the fridge.
You can store your muffins in the Freezer for up to three months. Allow your muffins to cool completely, then wrap each muffin individually in plastic wrap to prevent freezer burn. Place the wrapped muffins in a large zip-top freezer bag or an airtight container. Label the bag with the date to keep track of storage time and store them in your freezer.
Storing and reheating apple cinnamon muffins properly ensures they remain moist, flavourful, and delicious. By following these storage methods, you can keep your apple cinnamon muffins fresh and delicious for an extended period of time.
Ingredients
All-Purpose/Plain Flour: all-purpose flour forms the main structure of the muffins. Whole wheat flour can be substituted for a hearty muffin.
Brown Sugar: brown sugar adds extra moisture and adds a slight molasses flavour that makes the muffins delicious like my juicy pear crumble recipe.
Granulated Sugar: granulated sugar adds sweetness.
Apples: fresh apples, peeled and diced, add moisture and natural sweetness. Applesauce can also be substituted for fresh apples.
Cinnamon: cinnamon is the key spice in this recipe. It adds that lovely autumnal flavour!
Unsalted Butter: unsalted butter adds richness and moisture to the muffin batter.
Baking Soda and Baking Powder: baking soda and baking powder are both leavening agents that helps the muffins to rise and become fluffy.
Salt: salt enhances the overall flavour.
Eggs: eggs offer the stability and structure that the batter needs to adhere to each other.
Yogurt: yogurt adds more moisture than milk alone. Full-fat yogurt or Greek yogurt is recommended for baking.
Vanilla Extract: vanilla extract enhances flavour.
Milk: milk adds moisture to the batter. Full-fat milk is recommended when baking to provide the most amount of flavour.
Tips
- Try using sour cream instead of yogurt.
- Only peel and cut your apples right before, you are going to put them into the batter to prevent them from turning brown.
- The crumb topping is optional if you do not feel like making it; however, it does make the muffins taste great!
- Be generous when putting the crumb topping on the muffin tops. The crumb topping makes them look and taste amazing.
- Try drizzling honey on top of the muffins once they have cooled for added sweetness.
Do you want more muffin recipes? Try these amazing muffin recipes below!
- Banana Muffins
- Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins
- White Chocolate and Raspberry Muffins
- Double Chocolate Muffins
- Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
Apple Cinnamon Muffins
Ingredients
Crumb Topping
- 1/4 c. brown sugar light or dark
- 1 1/2 tsp. sugar granulated
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/8 c. butter melted
- 1/2 c. all-purpose flour/plain flour
Muffin Batter
- 1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour/plain flour
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 c. butter softened to room temperature
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 c. brown sugar light or dark
- 1/8 c. sugar granulated
- 1/2 c. yogurt light or full fat
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/4 c. milk light or full fat
- 2 med. Apples peeled and chopped into small cubes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425℉/220℃/Gas Mark 7. Grease your muffin tin with non-stick baking spray or butter.
Crumb Topping
- Start with making your crumb topping. In a small bowl, combine your brown sugar, granulated sugar, and cinnamon together. Stir in your melted butter. Mix in the flour with a fork. Do not overmix as this will turn your crumb topping into a paste. Once mixture looks like crumbs keep in fridge until needed.
Muffin Batter
- In a medium bowl, whisk together your flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
- In a separate large bowl, beat the softened butter and both sugars together on high speed until smooth and creamy. Approximately 2 minutes.
- Add the eggs one at a time and whisk into the butter and sugar mixture. When both eggs are whisked in, pour in the yogurt and vanilla extract. Beat the mixture again on a medium speed until mixture is mostly combined and creamy. The batter can start to look a little curdled but that is ok.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and beat on medium speed until fully incorporated. Scraping the bowl as needed.
- Fold in the apples.
- Pour your batter into the pre-greased muffin tins filling the tins all the way to the top.
- Spoon your crumb topping onto the tops of the batter and slightly press it into the batter. Be generous!
- Bake your muffins at 425℉/220℃/Gas Mark 7 for 5 minutes.
- After the 5 minutes is up, decrease the temperature to 350℉/180℃/Gas Mark 4 and bake for another 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of a muffin comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes in the muffin tins and then transfer to a wire rack to cool the rest of the way.
Notes
Author: Sarah Young
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best apples for apple cinnamon muffins?
Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, Fuji, and Braeburn apples all work well. Choose an apple that holds its shape when baked and provides a good balance of sweetness and tartness.
Do I need to peel the apples?
Peeling the apples is recommended for a softer texture, but you can leave the skins on if you prefer. Just make sure the apples are washed well and diced into small pieces.
Can I use applesauce instead of fresh apples?
Fresh apples provide the best texture and flavor for these muffins. Applesauce can be used in some muffin recipes as a moisture-rich substitute for other ingredients, but it won’t provide the same pieces of baked apple throughout the muffins.
How do I keep apple cinnamon muffins moist?
Avoid overmixing the batter and be careful not to overbake the muffins. Measuring the flour correctly and using enough moisture in the batter will also help create soft, tender muffins.
Can I make apple cinnamon muffins ahead of time?
Absolutely! These muffins are great for making ahead. Once completely cooled, store them in an airtight container and enjoy them within a few days.
Can I use whole wheat flour?
Yes! You can replace some or all of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour. Keep in mind that using whole wheat flour may create a slightly denser muffin.
Can I add nuts to apple cinnamon muffins?
Definitely! Chopped walnuts or pecans are delicious additions and pair especially well with the apples and cinnamon. Add them directly to the muffin batter before baking.
Can I add a crumble topping?
Absolutely! A buttery cinnamon crumble topping adds extra sweetness and texture and makes these muffins even more delicious.
Why are my apple muffins dense?
Dense muffins are often caused by overmixing the batter. Mix the wet and dry ingredients together just until combined and avoid continuing to stir once the flour has been incorporated.
How do I know when the muffins are done?
Insert a toothpick into the center of a muffin. If it comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, the muffins are ready. The tops should also look lightly golden and set.
What can I serve with apple cinnamon muffins?
Apple cinnamon muffins are delicious with butter, cream cheese, honey, or maple syrup. They’re perfect for breakfast, brunch, an afternoon snack, or alongside a cup of coffee or tea.