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
Just made these! So yummy! I doubled the recipe and got 4 dozen mini muffins out of it. I ended up omitting the butter for the topping and then just put a very large pinch of the cinnamon sugar mix on before I put them in the oven and they turned out great. 🙂
Thanks, Tammy. I’m happy you loved these muffins.
Delicious, Note: directions in step 2 are not updated with the correct cups of flour or cinnamon when doubling the recipe.
Lori, the amount of ingredients change when you click on the 2x or 3x the recipe but the instructions do not change. I’m happy you love the muffins.
I don’t know if I missed it, but are these suitable for freezing? Maybe leave the topping off, and put it on when they defrost?
Katie, just cool the muffins completely, wrap securely so they are airtight, and freeze for up to 3 months. You can freeze them with the topping or if you want, you can wait and add the topping after you reheat them. You can either let them thaw at room temperature or heat frozen, unwrapped in the microwave or wrapped in foil in the oven. Hope you enjoy!
Absolutely fantastic muffins!! I have made them a few times for the guests of our Irish B&B and they are a hit every time.
I appreciate you enjoying this recipe enough to make for guests at your B&B, Bobbi. Thanks!
Excellent recipe. They’re delicious!
Thanks, Juliana!
Best apple muffins ever. Were lovely and moist and the crunchy cinnamon topping just finished them off. I followed the recipe as written and was really easy.
Leanne, I’m so glad you loved these muffins and especially the cinnamon topping. That is a favorite part of the muffin to me. Thanks!
So yummy. I am also very impressed with the recipe because my sons (4 and 6 yrs) “measured” the ingredients, but the texture is perfect. We even added chopped pecans. We didn’t add the cinnamon sugar on top because my kids ate them before I was able to dip them.
Danyelle, I love that your sons “helped” you make the muffins. I loved when my son was little and he helped me bake. I understand the boys eating them before you had time to dip them.
Just made these this morning. They are by far the best Apple Cinnamon Muffins I have eaten. And the topping is unbelievable!
Thanks, Carol. I’m so happy you loved these muffins. I love that topping, too.
Great recipe! I used two peeled apples, maybe next time I will dice them smaller. Recipe was correct for 12 muffins, since the batter is thick, it’s ok to fill above 2/3. Baked 25 minutes. For the cinnamon sugar topping, a couple teaspoons were enough.
Glad you liked the muffins, Blanca. Thanks!
These were delicious and easy to make. Will definitely make them again! I did not put 1/4 cup of cinnamon in the icing though, that sounded like a huge amount so felt it must be a typo on the recipe, I put 1 t. cinnamon in the icing and it was fine.
Linda, I’m so glad you liked the muffins. I do make them with 1/4 cup cinnamon but as I state in the notes, if you like less cinnamon flavor just use 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Thanks!