Cinnamon Apple Muffins

Name: Cinnamon Apple Muffins Recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 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)); 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

By Laura

Posted Sep 13, 2020, Updated Sep 25, 2023

5 from 9 votes

7 Comments

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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!

cinnamon apple muffin with a crumb topping

I love waking up on a chilly fall morning and enjoying one of these delicious Apple Muffins, slathered with 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 (also try this cinnamon apple bread).

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).

cinnamon apple muffins on a wire cooling rack

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.

Overhead view of the ingredients in this apple muffins recipe

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.

two overhead photos showing how to make apple muffins

Combine wet ingredients

In a large bowl, whisk together melted butter, vanilla, applesauce, milk and egg.

two overhead photos showing how to make apple cinnamon muffins

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.

Two overhead photos showing how to make Cinnamon Apple Muffin Crumb Topping

Add the oatmeal and stir it in with a fork or pastry cutter.

bowl of crumb topping for apple cinnamon muffins

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.

two photos showing how to make cinnamon apple muffins

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.

Overhead photo of apple muffins on a wire cooling rack

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

What kind of apples are best for muffins?

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

What can I do with lots of apples?

Make so many delicious recipe, these muffins of course, and apple pie, apple crisp, sautéed apples, apple galette, etc.

Is butter or oil better for muffins?

Both result in moist muffins, however I prefer butter because of the flavor it imparts into the muffins.

What temperature is best to bake muffins?

I bake muffins between 375 and 400 degrees F (depending on the recipe).

overhead photo showing the inside of an apple muffin cut in half

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