These apple muffins are moist, tender, and packed with juicy apple chunks. Crowned with a crunchy cinnamon crumble, they’re the perfect fall treat.
On a crisp fall morning, these apple muffins really hit the spot. They’re moist, warmly spiced, and studded with tender chunks of apple. A sweet cinnamon crumble sits on top of them, offering a delicious crunchy contrast to their soft middles. Pair one with a hot cup of coffee, and you’ll have a hard time finding a more enticing autumn treat.
I speak from experience. The temps dropped here late last week, just in time for the first day of fall. I made a batch of these apple muffins to celebrate, and I haven’t been able to resist eating one every morning (and sometimes afternoon) since. If you’re looking for a fun way to welcome the new season, I can’t recommend this apple muffins recipe highly enough.
Apple Muffins Recipe Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this apple muffins recipe:
- Apples, of course! I love that these muffins are loaded with fresh apple pieces. You’ll need 2 cups diced, about 1 large or 2 smaller apples.
- Applesauce – For even more apple flavor! It also makes the muffins wonderfully moist.
- All-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, and almond flour – My favorite mix of flours to use in muffin recipes (see here, here, or here). It yields muffins that are fluffy, moist, and not at all dense.
- Baking powder and eggs – They help the muffins rise.
- Cane sugar – For sweetness.
- Almond milk – Regular milk or oat milk would work here too.
- Avocado oil – Its neutral flavor makes it perfect for this recipe. Feel free to sub another neutral oil if you prefer.
- Apple pie spice – This cozy spice blend really brings out the apple flavor. Don’t have any on hand? Try making your own, or sub cinnamon.
- Vanilla extract – For warm depth of flavor.
- And sea salt – To make all the flavors pop!
You’ll also make a yummy crumble topping using all-purpose flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and coconut oil. And if you really want to take these muffins over the top, you’ll drizzle them with an easy glaze made from powdered sugar and almond milk.
Let’s bake!
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Apple Muffins
The first step in this apple muffins recipe is making the crumble topping.
Whisk together the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Then, use a spatula to mix in the soft coconut oil. (No coconut oil on hand? Room temperature butter works too!)
Stop mixing when there is no dry flour remaining and the mixture is crumbly. Be careful not to overmix. If you go too far, you’ll end up with a paste instead of a crumble.
Next, make the batter. Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl and the wet ingredients in a medium one.
Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture…
…and stir until just combined.
Then, fold in the diced apples. I wasn’t kidding–these muffins are really packed with fruit!
Finally, bake. Use a 1/3-cup scoop to divide the batter into a greased muffin pan. Sprinkle the crumble on top, and bake at 400°F for 17 to 22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffins comes out clean.
Allow the apple cinnamon muffins to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cool, drizzle the glaze over the tops of the muffins, and enjoy!
Apple Cinnamon Muffins Recipe Tips
- Use good baking apples. Firm varieties such as Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, Pink Lady, and Jonagold will shine in this apple muffins recipe. I like that they hold their shape, so you can enjoy how the tender apple chunks play off the moist, cakey part of the muffins. I recommend steering clear of softer varieties like McIntosh or Red Delicious, which become mushy when baked.
- Choose how sweet (or not) you want the muffins to be. We love these apple muffins with the cinnamon crumble topping and glaze, but I totally get it if you want them to be a tad less sweet. Skip the glaze, the topping, or both. The muffins will still be delicious.
- Freeze some for later. These apple muffins freeze perfectly! They keep well in an airtight bag or container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow frozen muffins to thaw at room temperature, or, to speed things along, pop one in the microwave for 30-ish seconds.
More Favorite Fall Treats
If you love this apple muffin recipe, try one of these cozy fall treats next:
Apple Muffins
Serves 12
These cinnamon apple muffins are moist, tender, and bursting with spiced apple flavor. We love them with the crumble topping and glaze, but they’re also delicious without any topping if you prefer a less sweet breakfast treat.
Crumble Topping
- ½ cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ cup soft coconut oil
For the Muffins
- ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- ¾ cup whole wheat flour, spooned and leveled
- ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons almond flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons apple pie spice
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ cup unsweetened almond milk
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- ½ cup cane sugar
- ¼ cup avocado oil, or another neutral oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups peeled and diced apple
For the Glaze
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 1 to 1½ tablespoons unsweetened almond milk
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Preheat the oven to 400°F and grease a 12-cup muffin tin.
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Make the crumble topping: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Add the coconut oil and use a spatula to combine. Mix just until there is no dry flour remaining and the mixture is crumbly. Don’t overmix.
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Make the muffins: In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose, whole wheat, and almond flours, baking powder, apple pie spice, and salt.
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In a medium bowl, vigorously whisk together the almond milk, applesauce, sugar, avocado oil, eggs, and vanilla.
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Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Gently fold in the apple. Use a ⅓-cup measuring cup to scoop the batter into the prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle the crumble topping on top. Bake for 17 to 22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
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Make the glaze: In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon almond milk until smooth. If the glaze is too thick, add more almond milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until it reaches a drizzleable consistency. Drizzle over the cooled muffins.
