Prepare to indulge in these Spiced Apple Muffins, which are perfect for fall! This recipe has the perfect mix of tart and sweet flavors coming together in a baked treat.
This apple muffin recipe is perfect for snacks, desserts, or even breakfast AND will give you an excuse to go to the nearest apple orchard for allll the cozy vibes.
Why you'll love this recipe
In our household, fall is the time when many seasonal desserts are made, and these cinnamon apple muffins are one of them!
- Comforting and Seasonal: Cinnamon apple muffins are often known for their cozy and comfy feelings of fall and cooler weather.
- Homemade Goodness: Homemade goods offer a sense of tradition, often from childhood. Take your kiddos to orchard, pick some apples and let them help make this recipe with you for an experience they'll remember!
- Potential for Sharing: These are perfect for sharing with loved ones, friends, or coworkers. And if you still have extra, you can freeze them to pull out in a couple of weeks!
This was inspired by my apple crumble bars. For more cozy apple recipes, see my pear applesauce, apple cider syrup and apple slab pie!
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Ingredients
Many of the ingredients for this recipe are staples that you'll already have on hand! Add your favorite kind of fresh apples and you'll be ready to go.
- apples - Apples are the star of this recipe! You can use any type of apple that suits your personal preferences for taste. Some recommendations are Granny Smith, Honey Crisp, Fuji and Gala. If you've been freezing apples, this is the perfect way to use them!
- sour cream - Sour cream may seem like a strange ingredient for muffins, but it helps keep the muffins moist and adds some extra flavor. If you've had my sour cream cookies, you know exactly what I'm talking about.
- cinnamon - Cinnamon is going to pair great with the apple to give these muffins the perfect taste and aroma for your kitchen!
- brown sugar - Brown sugar (and cinnamon) will be an important part of the streusel topping that you don't want to miss out on!
Substitutions
Have dietary restrictions? No worries, you can use whole wheat or gluten free flour so you're not missing out on this yummy treat!
If you are out of eggs and can't make it to the grocery store, you can substitute eggs with unsweetened applesauce or mashed ripened bananas.
Swap out the sour cream with Greek yogurt or dairy free yogurt for alternative ideas!
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How to make Spiced Apple Muffins
This recipe has three major parts - mixing the ingredients for the batter, making the streusel topping and baking!
Step #1: In a small mixing bowl combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda.
Step #2: In a large mixing bowl combine sugar, vegetable oil and brown sugar and mix until smooth. Add eggs and mix to combine.
Step #3: Add milk, sour cream and vanilla and mix until incorporated, scraping down the sides and underside. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
Step #4: Fold in the diced apples and fold in using a rubber spatula until distributed in the muffin batter.
Step #5: Make the topping: In a small mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Add in the butter and use a fork to incorporate it until it's crumbly and in the size of peas..
Step #6: Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin tin, filling each well about ¾ of the way full. Set aside.
Top each filled, unbaked muffin with 1 Tablespoon of the streusel topping.
Place into the preheated oven on the middle rack. Bake for 24-26 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
Hint: Make sure to not overmix the batter! Otherwise, the batter will turn out tough, instead of light and airy. Stir just until all the ingredients are combined for optimal taste.
Variations
Apple pie spice: If you love the apple flavor, add a dash of apple pie spice to your muffins. You can swap some of the cinnamon that's called for in the recipe, or add the spice in addition to the cinnamon in the recipe.
Nuts and fruit: If you love nuts of fruit, consider adding chopped nuts such as walnuts, pecans or almonds. If you're a fan of fruit, you can raisins, dried cranberries or chopped dates. This recipe is great because of it's versatility!
See this low sugar apple crisp for another tasty apple baked good.
Serving Suggestions
Make sure when you noshing on these muffins, they're covered with foil or in a container with a lid.
Top tip
While you've already got all the ingredients out and are making the muffins, make extra to share with loved ones and freeze.
Then the next time you're craving this treat, pull out of the freezer and defrost.
Recipe FAQ
It's all about personal preference, but some good apples to bake with are Granny Smith, Honey Crisp, Gala, Jonagold, Jonathan, and Golden Delicious.
Oil generally works better because it is already in liquid form and can be distributed easier.
This recipe calls for two and a half cups. A good rule of thumb is that one apple is about one cup when chopped up. So for this recipe, I would plan to use about 3 apples!
If you tried these spiced apple muffins or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments. Hungry for more? Be sure to stay in touch on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.
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Recipe
Cinnamon Spiced Apple Muffins
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Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- 2 eggs + 1 yolk
- ¾ cup 2% milk
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups apples peeled and diced
For the streusel topping
- ½ cup flour
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup packed brown sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 Tablespoons cold butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a muffin tin with paper liners and lightly spray with baking spray. Set aside.
- In a small mixing bowl combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda.
- In a large mixing bowl combine sugar, vegetable oil and brown sugar and mix until smooth. Add eggs and mix to combine. Add milk, sour cream and vanilla and mix until incorporated, scraping down the sides and underside. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Fold in the diced apples and fold in using a rubber spatula until distributed in the muffin batter.
- Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin tin, filling each well about ¾ of the way full. Set aside.
- Make the topping: In a small mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Add in the butter and use a fork to incorporate it until it's crumbly and in the size of peas..
- Top each filled, unbaked muffin with 1 Tablespoon of the streusel topping. Place into the preheated oven on the middle rack. Bake for 24-26 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Once baked, remove from the oven and place into a wire cooling rack to cool. Once the
muffins are cool enough to touch, remove them from the tin.
Notes
- When lining the pan, space out the liners to where they are in every other cavity.
Spacing out the muffins will help them rise while baking, resulting in fuller, more
rounded tops. - Once the flour mixture is added, be careful not to overmix. Overmixing can cause the gluten to overdevelop, resulting in crumbly muffins.
Nutrition
This Farm Girl Cooks is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. Calories and other nutritional values vary depending on which brands were used.
