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
Made these as directed and they’re DELICIOUS. The 5 minute prep time is off by a factor of maybe five, though. Were cooked through at 22 minutes so might reduce the temp to 350 next time. Also dipped all the muffins in the butter and cinnamon sugar once and then in the cinnamon sugar again. DIVINE. Thank you!
Paul, I’m so happy you loved these muffins. Prep time in a recipe considers that the chopping, measuring, etc. have been done and the ingredients are at the level described in the recipe ingredient list and just figures the time it takes to follow the steps in the recipe instructions. Different ovens can bake at slightly different temperatures so the baking times can be different by a few minutes. I’ve found that happens sometimes between my oven and my mother’s. Thanks so much. xo
Skipped the cinnamon sugar top and added two apples. They are amazing!
Thanks, Melissa.
Going to try Apple Cinnamon muffins
I let my daughter make the apple muffins, and they were delicious! they had the right balance of cinnamon and apple, with a sweetness to pull it all together. they were a delight to have and I would totally have these again! Thanks!
Thank you, Laura. xo
Hello, could this be baked as a cake?
I have not made this as a cake, Tom, but other people have commented that they have.
Hi! I am planning to make these this week. Do you think buttermilk could work instead of milk? Would any of the other ingredients need adjustment? Thanks!
For every cup of buttermilk you need to reduce baking powder by I believe it’s 2 tsp up to completely and add 1/2 tsp of baking soda.
These apple and cinnamon muffins are divine! They taste very yummy and I love eating them warm. They are a very easy snack to eat for breakfast or on my way out somewhere. I will definitely be making these again!
I love to have them handy for breakfast and on hand for my family to pick up as they go out the door some days, too, Maddison. So glad you like these. Thanks!
My 3 and 5-year-olds were easily able to help with all steps of the recipe and we got a little math/measurement skills in too! 🙂
That is awesome, Michelle. What a great way to have fun and teach at the same time. Thanks for letting us know something you are doing with your children.
Made these exactly as posted, using a honeycrisp apple. I went light on the topping. It might be the best muffin I have ever had. They made everyone in my house very happy!
Honeycrisp is my favorite to use in this recipe, too. I’m glad everyone loved them. Thanks, Laurie.
i’ve already tried this recipe a couple times and me and my friends always loved the result. i would definitely recommend this recipe because the muffins just taste amazing.
Thank you, Rebecca. So glad you and your friends loved these muffins. xo