Cinnamon Apple Muffins Recipe
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Cinnamon Apple Muffins are so scrumptious and full of warm cinnamon and crisp apple bits and finished with a cinnamon sugar topping. Favorite bakery style muffins recipe with amazing flavor and aroma, perfect to enjoy anytime.
And believe me, when autumn rolls around, these babies are in high demand.
In reality, they are perfect as a year-round breakfast treat, but for some reason, I immediately associate them with cool autumn mornings with all that cinnamon and apple deliciousness they have in their favor.
And luckily, these babies definitely have lots going on in their favor!
These cinnamon apple muffins use just one apple to make a dozen muffins, but if you prefer more apple bits in your muffins, by all means, I’d increase it to two. Dice them small so that the pieces of apple aren’t overwhelming when you take a bite of muffin. You want every single bite to be well-balanced in flavor and texture.
What Apples to Use for Cinnamon Apple Muffins?
You can use whichever baking apple you prefer. I like to use Braeburn, Rome, Jon Gold, Gala, Granny Smith, Honey Crisp, and SweeTango apples in these muffins. I also like that when I bite into the apple pieces, I still know that it is apple and not make me think it is applesauce or apple butter included. Don’t you?
Along with apples, flour, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla, you’ll just need some butter, milk, baking powder, salt, and eggs. The classic ingredients for a cinnamon apple muffin, I think. Nothing weird here.
Once the muffins are in the oven baking, I like to brown a little bit of butter and mix together a bowl of cinnamon sugar. Then, once the muffins have cooled slightly, I dip the tops of the muffins into the slightly warm brown butter and then into the cinnamon sugar mixture.
Talk about perfection!
Amazingly enough though, folks don’t just eat the tops of the muffins and then forget about the sweet little base. They gobble the whole thing up it’s so well balanced in flavors.
But, just in case you were wondering, you can skip that indulgent little coating on the top, but I seriously recommend you don’t.
These muffins are so easy to make ahead so you can have this delicious muffin when ever you want.
Freeze instructions: You can make these muffins ahead and store them in an airtight container for a couple of days or freeze them to keep them longer up to 3 months. Just cool the muffins completely, wrap them in 2 layers of freezer wrap so they are airtight and place them in the freezer. You can also freeze them after you add the topping.
To Reheat: You can either let them thaw at room temperature or heat them frozen, unwrapped in the microwave, or wrapped in foil in the oven. If you want, you can wait and add the topping after you reheat them.
Other Favorite Muffin Recipes
More Muffin Recipes
Here’s my Cinnamon Apple Muffins. Make them soon.
Cinnamon Apple Muffins Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups (240 +.02 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour, for coating apples
- 1½ teaspoons (6 g) baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (1 g) kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons (5 + 1 g) ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, for coating apples
- 2 cups (240 g) diced apples
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup (198 g) granulated sugar
- 2 large (100 g) eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons (9 g) vanilla extract
- ½ cup (113.5 g) milk
For the Topping:
- 1/2 cup (113 g) butter, melted
- 1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (31 g) ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375º F. Spray muffin tins with bakers spray or coat well with shortening or butter and flour, making sure to discard any excess flour from the tins after coating.
- Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Mix flour with ground cinnamon used to coat the apples. Toss diced apples with the flour/cinnamon mixture to coat apples in a separate bowl. Set aside.
- Cream together butter and sugar until lightened in color, about 3 minutes. Add an egg, one at a time, taking care to fully incorporate before adding the other. Mix in vanilla.
- Gently fold in flour mixture, alternating with milk. Stir until just combined. Fold in diced apples and scoop mixture into prepared muffin tins, filling about 2/3 to 3/4 full. Bake until a toothpick or skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 30 minutes.
- Prepare topping for muffins while the muffins are baking by melting the butter and allowing to cool slightly. Pour butter into a separate bowl sized easy for dipping tops of muffins. Mix together granulated sugar and cinnamon in a separate bowl and set aside.
- Once muffins have baked, remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly in the muffin tin. Then, remove each muffin and brush the butter on with a pastry brush (or dip into the melted butter) and then into the cinnamon sugar mixture. Place onto a plate to finish cooling.
Notes
The original recipe called for a 1 to 1 mixture of sugar and cinnamon. If you prefer a less cinnamon flavor in your topping, reduce the mixture to 1/4 cup granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
We all love these, especially with added chopped walnuts!
I have to admit that while your topping looks very yummy, it’s more time than my crowd allows – Dad, husband, nephews from toddlers to teens! I sprinkle them generously with coarse sugar before baking instead, and make them as jumbo muffin toppers. Thank you, the recipe saved me when we got to Dad’s and found apples on their way out!
Thanks, Suzie. I’m happy that you and your family love these muffins. I love the addition of the walnuts.
Are these chunky? Or should I grate the apples if I want a smoother muffin texture?
Anna Beth, I dice the apple into small pieces so there are not big chunks of apple in the muffin.
These were absolutely delicious! However the topping recipe left me with a ton of extra cinnamon/sugar and butter. No harm done, I simply saved the leftovers, but next time I may half the topping recipe
Taylor, I’m glad you loved these muffins. You can use the leftovers for next time you make these muffins or use for another muffin.
These muffins are easy and super delicious and will be my go-to from now on. No more banana nut muffins for me!
My only deviation was to cut up apple slices bagged at the grocery store. My husband loves walnuts so next time I may toss in a few or I may “forget.”
Elizabeth, I bet these would be delicious with added walnuts. Let me know how you like them if added.
This was a delicious and light muffin recipe. I did not change anything. My husband and I loved the recipe. Added to my go to recipe.
Thanks, Diane. I’m so glad you and your husband loved these muffins.
Excellent recipe. I never had vanilla, so I sub’d 2 tsp maple syrup and it worked perfectly. Also, I used Gala apples – 3 cups, diced small. It looked like I had more apple than batter, and I was skeptical if I’d ruined it, however, nope. All of the apples cooked into the muffins and turned into the most amazing muffin/cake consistency. Instead of the extra step of dipping muffins after they were cooked, I sprinkled sugar and cinnamon mix on top (left out butter, I only had granulated and it was fine, but brown sugar would have been even better – it baked in and helped give a crunchy top). Lastly, I used my jumbo muffin tin, loaded each cup up past the top to make lovely bakery size muffins. I cooked them for about 35 minutes until they had a nice golden hue. I buttered the muffin tin and they popped right out. Now my go-to fall muffin recipe!
AK, thanks for telling us how you made these into jumbo muffins. I bet they were delicious.
Easy recipe and absolutely delicious.
Just made these this morning, omg delicious, and so easy.
Doubled the recipe, going to freeze them!
Thank you
I used some streusel topping to it and it really works! Thank you for the recipe. Perfect for not letting apples go to waste and for the fall!