With the perfect amount of cinnamon, little pockets of apples, and a sweet crumb topping, these Apple Cinnamon Muffins are the perfect way to start your day.
Looking for a way to use up those apples? Also try this German Apple Pancake or Apple Crisp.
I have been trying to change up our breakfast routine lately, as the kids are getting bored with eggs or cereal pretty much every morning. So I’ve been having fun making muffins once a week.
The kids asked for apple muffins, so I had to make these Apple Cinnamon Muffins! I have made them a few times now, and love them. I’ve made them both with the crumb topping and without, and they are actually very good both ways. I’m a sucker for a crumb topping, but if you want something a little less sweet, or if you are short on time, you can definitely leave off the crumb. These muffins are perfect for a sweet breakfast!
Tips
Here are a few tips for making the best muffins:
- Don’t overmix your batter. Mix just until everything is combined.
- You can use an ice cream scoop or a spring loaded scoop to fill the muffin tins. This helps you to get even amounts of batter in each tin.
- Don’t overbake your muffins. Dry muffins are not good muffins. Bake them just until a tester inserted in the middle comes out clean, or once you can touch the top of the muffin and the muffin springs back.
- Let the muffins sit in the tin for about 10 minutes before removing to serve.
- You can either bake muffins in a greased muffin tin or with paper liners.
When using apples in baking, you want to use an apple that will remain crisp. I like using granny smith, but honeycrisp or braeburn are also good choices. You just don’t want an apple that will turn to mush when it is baked.
People have used many different substitutions for the applesauce with great results, including Greek yogurt, crushed pineapple, sour cream, and even orange juice! There are some great substitution ideas in the comments.
This is a personal preference. I usually keep them on because I don’t mind the texture and it’s faster than peeling the apples. I also don’t worry about chopping the apple to fine. But if you don’t like the texture, you can peel the apples. Or many people have shredded the apple, as well!
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Apple Cinnamon Muffins
Ingredients
Muffins:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 eggs lightly beaten
- 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups chopped apples
Crumb Topping:
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon butter cut into small pieces
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Grease a 12 cup muffin pan.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- In another bowl, stir together the oil and the sugar. Stir in the eggs, applesauce and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Gently stir in the apples.
- Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin pan, dividing the batter equally between the cups.
- In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, flour and cinnamon. Cut in the butter with a fork or a pastry blender until it resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle the crumb over the batter in the muffin pan.
- Bake the muffins until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Let the muffins sit in the pan before removing to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Store any leftover muffins in an airtight container.
Thom says
I am a beginner cook, but when I made these as a trail run my wife gave me a 10. She actually went back for seconds. Thanks to you I appear to know what I’m doing. This recipe gets 5 stars and 2 thumbs up! I’m looking forward to trying more and more recipes. Keep them coming!
Deborah says
Thanks, Thom – I’m so glad they were such a hit!
Sheena says
We made these with fresh picked apples and store bought applesauce (because that’s all we had on hand) and they were so good!!! Can’t wait to try them with some homemade applesauce. Thank you for this recipe!!!!
CH says
Excellent recipe! Brought these to a potluck brunch and got many compliments. I used half whole wheat flour and grated the apples instead of chopping but otherwise followed the recipe. Definitely a keeper!
Hailey says
Amazing recipe. I used plain yogurt instead of applesauce because that’s what I had, and melted butter instead of vegetable oil. They are amazing.
Shea says
These are so delicious (and I never write reviews but I had to with this one)! I needed to make some muffins for our Christmas program tomorrow and wow they are so tasty! Definitely making these again! The only thing I did different was I used sweetened applesauce and not unsweetened, because that’s all I had in the fridge. Oh and I used real vanilla and not vanilla extract. Such wonderful flavor. Will be making over and over!
Darlene says
This recipe was rich and tasty. This is my new favorite cinnamon apple muffin recipe
Roberta Legault says
Very easy, tasty recipe that was a huge hit with my family. I will most definitely add this recipe to my go-to list for quick delicious breakfast or snack items.
Donna woods says
I do love this recip.it’s awesome
Caroline says
So delicious! I used a mashed old banana instead of applesauce since that’s all I had, and added raisins too.
Marie Yuen says
Just made these, they smell and taste amazing! A must try.
Kate says
Super yummy and very easy to make! I grew up on Jiffy Apple Cinnamon muffins which my husband is not a fan of. These are definitely a few million steps up from those. My hubby is very happy and my children gobble them up! Thank you so much
Amirah says
This recipe is amazing I was on a time limit so I made it into a loaf popped it into the oven for 45 minutes and enjoyed it warm.
Wayne hess says
Loved the recipe
Vibha G says
The muffins were a hit at my house.
Williamson says
The muffins are fabulous.! The 10 minute preparation given is a bad joke. Assembling 14 ingredients, pans, 3 bowls, all forms of measurement you own, peeling, coring, chopping apples, crumb topping…
Lupita says
OMG!!! I’ve baked a bunch during this quarantine and these are my favourite thing I’ve baked thus far! I followed the recipe exactly and used Granny Smith apples. I did have to bake it a little bit longer but I think that’s my ovens fault. But wow! These are so yummy! If you love anything apple these are a must try!
Tanya says
My kids love this recipe. I have made it a couple of times now and there are never any left over.
I added some coconut and rolled oats to the crumble top for texture.
I don’t have apple sauce so I substitute for vanilla bean Greek yogurt or cream or sour cream. Still get a great result.
Camille says
I love muffins! My friends love muffins and since I bake big batches to share with them, I thought I’d try these. I made them with the crumb topping. They are delicious! My dear older friends are hoping for more!! Thank you so much! Camille
Alissa Henry says
Followed the recipe exactly and they came out PERFECT! Soooooo good!
Anji Heath says
TI made these yesterday and they were very good! I should have chopped the apples up a little bit more and my husband and I wondered if, in addition to a smaller chop, if I should have sauteed the apples in butter before incorporating them into the dough. We also thought they were a little dry but that could be another misstep with how I chopped the apples. Overall, really great recipe!
Tami says
My family loves this recipe! Shared this goodness with friends!
Haley says
We loved this recipe! Printing it off so we can make it again and again!
Jenn says
Currently have these in the oven and they smell so good! Instead of just cutting up the apples, I caramelized them last night and added them to the dough. Can’t wait to try them. Thanks for the recipe
GEORGE FINCH says
Very good and easy recipe. A quick Sunday breakfast that made everyone smile. I didn’t have applesauce so replaced with approximately the same amount of orange juice instead. Perfect 👌
Susan says
I didn’t have applesauce, but I had pineapple and used that instead. Grated the apple instead of chopping. Great recipe!!
Sally says
These are super good. I did add oat flour for half of the flour and added some raisins. They are REALLY good.
JD says
These were excellent. Only thing I did differently was to use 2/3 cup sugar and 1/3 cup brown sugar in the batter. Yum!
Jessica says
I can’t wait to make these this evening! We have so many apples I need to use before they go bad. Question- do you know if they freeze well? And if I plan to use liners in the muffin pan, should I spray them?
Deborah says
I haven’t tried freezing these particular muffins, but I usually have good luck freezing muffins in general so I’m guessing they would work just fine. And if you are using liners, there is no need to spray them. I hope you love them!
Francesca says
Can I use gala apples? Or no?
Deborah says
Yes, I think gala would work just fine!
Lorna Solberg says
I made this Last night (9-11) they are good but taste like it needs something more. I think I will play around with this recipe as I have apples coming out my ears this year, 😂 , unless the deer ate. The rest. Thank you for sharing
Paul H. says
Just tried this recipe this morning for brunch; they are FANTASTIC!
Thank you thank you thank you!!!
David says
Whipped them up in no time. Very Yummy!
Mel says
I absolutely loved this recipe. The only thing I did different was I shredded an apple instead of chunking it up. I didnt want to bite into something hard inside something soft. Delicious ! Cant wait to make it again.
Erin says
I made these the other day, replaced half the flour with wholewheat, and the cinnamon with spekulatius spice mix (easy to get here in Germany), and there were a total hit at my language class. Thanks!
Nicole says
I made these muffins for my family this morning and forgot to add the sugar:) The apples, applesauce and streusel gave the muffins just the right amount of sweetness. I love this recipe and I’m sure with the sugar that it would be even more delicious! Thanks for sharing.
Deborah says
Haha – good to know they are good without the sugar, as well! So glad you sill loved them!
Catherine Pappas says
Beautiful muffins to enjoy with a good cup of coffee. xo
Rahul says
These muffins sound so tasty and it looks gorgeous. I love the simple flavour of these.
Chels R. says
These muffins – those chunks of apple! YUM!
cookbook queen says
These look so so cozy and perfect!!!
Mollie says
I'm baking these now! I substituted 1 cup of AP flour for 1 cup of 100%whole wheat. The batter seemed too oily when it was all together and I was dipping scoops into the muffin cups. We'll see, but it next time I'll decrease the oil. I also decreased the sugar because I thought the apple would give some natural sweetness. (Now that I'm thinking about it, since I decreased the sugar, I should've decreased the oil maybe?) Overall, they smell *awesome*, I love apples and cinnamon together so I'm sure they'll taste great, and the recipe made 12 big muffins that puffed up nicely.
eatme_delicious says
Mmm I love apple cinnamon baked goods. I spend way too long looking for specific muffin recipes sometimes – like I was looking for a muffin recipe that used dried apricot last week. All the ones that were coming up didn't sound good (but maybe that's partly because I don't like dried apricot haha) and so finally I just found a muffin recipe and subbed raisins for apricots.
Emily says
I'll have to remember this recipe when I want a good apple cinnamon muffin. They look perfect!
Keep the muffins coming!
Katie says
These look wonderful. Love the spiced apple
grace says
mmm, apples AND applesauce, so there must be cinnamon involved. lovely recipe, deborah–i love a quick fix!
ajcabuang04 says
These muffins look great and simple to do!! No need to wait for butter to come to room temp. to make this. Love that!!
Would you mind checking out my blog? 😀
http://ajscookingsecrets.blogspot.com/
Vivienne says
I love all apple treats – this looks so simple and nice! def weird how there are not many recipes out there for apple and cinnamon muffins!
Barbara says
Sometimes the metric conversions online are not accurate. Have you noticed that? I double checked everything the last time.
Love that you are posting muffins, Deborah, because they are a favorite in my house too. Keep them coming!
Miss Meat and Potatoes says
Yes you should start a muffin day or maybe even a separate blog! Cupcakes have had their moment in the sun for far too long!!
Cassie says
We love muffins at our place too. Andrew is a muffin nut! I'm definitely putting these on my (very long) list of muffins to try!
Joanne says
No apple cinnamon! That's crazy talk. And you are more than welcome to post muffin recipes for as long as you like. And I will be more than happy to salivate over them.
Holly says
The best kind of muffins-apple cinnamon:)
Jennifurla says
these look perfect if you ask me!
Susi says
These muffins look delicious! I'm making note of them. I had the same problem with finding a muffin recipe for almond poppy seed muffins. I thought there would be many out there but that wasn't the case. I thought it was actually quite strange.
Pam says
That's one delicious looking muffin! I've never had an apple cinnamon muffin and it will be a great one to try. Thanks for the recipe!
Debbi Does Dinner Healthy says
Muffin day would be awesome! These look great!
Debbi Does Dinner Healthy says
Muffin day would be awesome! These look great!
kat says
Seems like a flavor that should be everywhere
Rosa's Yummy Yums says
A great muffin flavor! Yummy!
Cheers,
Rosa
Simply Life says
wow, those muffins look great!
Anna says
I made these and they were a big hit. I’m actually going to make another batch this morning. The crumb topping was good but too sweet for my family’s liking so I plan on making the muffins this time without the topping. Thanks for a great recipe!