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 all-purpose flour, + 2 teaspoons for coating apples
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, + 1/2 teaspoon for coating apples
- 2 cups diced apples
- ½ cup unsalted butter, , room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup milk
For the Topping:
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup 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 2 cups flour, baking powder, salt, and 2 teaspoons cinnamon in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Mix 2 teaspoons flour with 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. 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
Have you tried this recipe with mini muffins?
Leah, I haven’t made these as mini muffins. But several have commented that they have made mini muffins from this recipe. Here is a comment from Rose: “I make these as mini-muffins and I bake them for about 20 minutes (check at 15, but usually they take about 20], and as long as I dice the apples really small, they definitely get soft enough. Delicious! I also always use 2 apples for even more apple-y flavor.” Hope this helps.
These are so delicious! When I make these muffins, there are no leftovers the next day. Love this recipe!
10+ Stars from me – fan favorite at my house! Absolutely delish and followed the recipe exactly. Thank you for a great recipe!
Very good very good. Even though I’m always too lazy to make the toppings
Gertrude, so glad you like these muffins even without the topping. Hope you try them sometime with the topping.
I’m making these muffins and my house smells wonderful. Just wanted note that there is a typo in this recipe. It says 1/4 cup cinnamon for the muffin topping and later says 1 tsp. I believe it should be 1 tsp. Just a note for beginners in the baking world.
Clare, the 1 teaspoon cinnamon mentioned in the Notes section is an option for the topping. I hope you enjoy the muffins.
These are amazing!! I subbed gf flour and df/sf butter and they were perfect. I didn’t have enough to make the topping and they were delicious that way too! Thank you Robyn!
Anya, I’m so glad you enjoyed the muffins and could make them according to your dietary restrictions. I love these without the topping sometimes, too.
Looks a delicious recipe – how long will these last in a sealed container? Thanks!
Jenna, you can store these in an airtight container a couple of days or freeze to keep longer, up to 3 months. Just cool the muffins completely, wrap securely so they are airtight and place them in the freezer. You can freeze them after you add the topping. You can either let them thaw at room temperature or heat 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.
Amazing, thank you!
So good!! I’ve made these a few times and they are a win in our house! Thank you.
Thanks, Ashley. I’m happy that your family loves these muffins.
Should the apples be peeled?
It’s really a personal preference, Katheryn. Most of the time I peel mine. Hope you enjoy!
Can I use toaster oven to bake the muffins? Thank you
Irina, you should be able to bake these muffins in your toaster oven. Some toaster ovens bake faster than a regular oven so just check them earlier than the time in the recipe. I hope you enjoy!
Agreed on timing, 20 minutes
Sylvia, it takes about 30 minutes for these muffins to bake in my oven. Of course, some ovens may heat differently. The baking time may also be different at different altitudes.