These apple muffins are simple to make: soft, moist cinnamon muffins studded with cinnamon-coated apple pieces and finished with a crunchy crumb topping.
These muffins stay very moist because they’re oil-based, and the diced apples are tossed with a bit of flour and cinnamon so they stay distributed throughout each muffin. The recipe includes step-by-step tips and photos to help you get consistent results. If you enjoy apple treats, you might also like other seasonal muffin recipes.
Tips for making the muffins
Follow these practical tips to help your muffins turn out tender, evenly risen, and full of apple.
- Flour measurement: Spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it off. Scooping directly can compact the flour and lead to drier muffins.
- Dice the apples small: Small, uniform pieces cook evenly and ensure every bite has apple.
- Muffin placement: Line every other muffin cup with a liner rather than all of them. This allows better air circulation around each muffin and helps create larger, domed tops.
For more fall baking ideas, try pumpkin or apple bread variations and other spiced muffin recipes.
If you try this recipe, please leave a star review and share your results. Tag photos on social channels to show your version.
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Apple Muffins
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Ingredients
Crumb Topping
- 1/2 cup Brown sugar, packed
- 1 tsp Ground cinnamon
- 2/3 cup All-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup Unsalted butter, melted
Apples
- 1 1/2 cups Gala apples, diced small
- 2 tsp All-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp Ground cinnamon
Muffins
- 2 1/4 cups All-purpose flour
- 2 tsp Ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp Ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp Ground nutmeg
- 2 tsp Baking powder
- 1/2 tsp Baking soda
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/2 cup Oil, canola or vegetable
- 3/4 cup Brown sugar, packed
- 1 tsp Pure vanilla extract
- 2 Large eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 cup Unsweetened apple sauce, room temperature
- 1/2 cup Milk, room temperature
Instructions
Crumb Topping
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In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour. Stir in the melted butter with a fork until the mixture forms a crumbly topping. Chill in the refrigerator while you prepare the rest of the recipe.
Apple
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Peel and dice the apples into small pieces. Toss the diced apples with the 2 teaspoons of flour and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon to coat. Set aside.
Muffins
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Whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
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In a large bowl, whisk oil, brown sugar, vanilla, eggs, applesauce, and milk until combined.
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Fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture with a rubber spatula until just combined. Gently fold in the coated diced apples.
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Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Line two 12-cup muffin pans with liners, placing a liner in every other well. Let the batter rest for 10 minutes to help develop a higher rise.
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Use a large cookie scoop to fill each liner to the top. Remove the crumb topping from the fridge and crumble it over each muffin evenly.
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Bake at 425°F for 5 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (175°C) and continue baking for 10–13 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
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Allow the muffins to rest in the hot pan for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
High altitude: add an extra 2 tablespoons of flour if needed.
Bring dairy and eggs to room temperature before baking for best texture.