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    Home ยป Recipes ยป Muffins

    Apple Muffins

    September 12, 2022 By Sam 166 Comments

    This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure policy.
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    collage of apple crumb muffins, top image of multiple closer up, bottom image of multiple further away at a different angle

    There are apple muffins, then there are these irresistibly moist and tender Apple Crumb Muffins! My simple recipe is packed with apple pieces and piled high with a buttery streusel topping. Recipe includes a how-to video!

    close-up view of apple muffins with a crumb topping on a metal cooling rack

    Easy Apple Muffins

    This isn’t just an apple muffin recipe, this is possibly the best one you’re likely to stumble across on the internet. Bold claim, I know, but I really love this recipe and am excited to be re-sharing it with you today.

    This recipe is super simple and comes together easily by hand (no mixer), including the streusel topping. Unlike many recipes that use a pastry cutter to cut in cold butter, my recipe uses melted butter and a fork to create that sweet, crumbly top. It’s the perfect way to welcome Fall, or just use up a surplus of apples from apple picking. Overall, it’s a game changer!

    With fall just around the corner, you’re going to want to save this recipe for those soon-to-be chilly autumn mornings. These apple muffins will cozy up your kitchen real quick!

    Why I Love These Apple Crumb Muffins:

    • Springy-soft & fluffy interiors
    • Punctuated with tart apple pieces
    • Thiiiick layer of cinnamon/brown sugar streusel on top
    • No fuss, no electric mixer, no headache
    • Almost like an apple crisp in muffin form, only a bit less work.

    What You Need

    overhead view of ingredients including eggs, buttermilk, apples, and more

    Here are the key ingredients you’ll need to make my apple muffins:

    • Apples. I talk a little more about what type of apples to use in the video and FAQ section below. Whichever you use, make sure to peel and chop them into small pieces before adding them to the batter.
    • Buttermilk. Buttermilk makes these apple crumb muffins beautifully moist and tender. If you don’t have any on hand, you can use my easy buttermilk substitute.
    • Butter. Use unsalted butter in the streusel and make sure it’s cooled down after melting. If you only have salted butter, you can omit the salt.
    • Brown sugar. A combination of light brown sugar and granulated sugar in both the apple muffins themselves and the streusel topping adds a noticeable depth of flavor.

    SAM’S TIP: If you have extra streusel, you can store it in an airtight container at room temperature for a few days or in the fridge for longer. It’s great for adding to my banana muffins and pumpkin muffins! Personally though, I never have extra–the more crumb on my apple crumb muffins, the merrier 😊

    Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!

    How to Make Apple Crumb Muffins

    collage of four photos showing muffin batter being prepared and divided into cupcake liners
    1. Whisk together the dry ingredients.
    2. Combine the wet ingredients in a separate bowl, then stir them into the dry ingredients until everything is about 50% combined.
    3. Gently stir in the apple pieces until just incorporated. Don’t over-mix your batter or the muffins will be dense and dry!
    4. Evenly divide the batter into a lined muffin tin and set aside.

    Preparing the Streusel & Baking

    collage of four photos showing streusel being prepared and sprinkled over muffins
    1. Whisk together the sugar, flour, salt, and cinnamon (and try to break up any large clumps of brown sugar), then drizzle in the melted butter. The butter should be melted, but it shouldn’t be scorching hot to the touch!
    2. Use a fork to work the butter into the streusel until you have a clumpy mixture.
    3. Sprinkle streusel over the apple muffins, then bake for 24-25 minutes. One thing I love about this recipe is that, unlike with my chocolate chip muffins or my new and improved lemon muffins, you only need to bake these on one temperature instead of changing mid-way through baking!
    4. Let the muffins cool in their tin for 10 minutes before removing to a cooling rack to cool completely (or to enjoy still warm!).

    SAM’S TIP: Don’t overwork your streusel, or you will end up with a paste that will be impossible to sprinkle over your muffins. Just toss/claw together with a fork until it’s combined and clumpy!

    streusel topped muffin that's been cut in half to show bits of apple baked inside

    Frequently Asked Questions

    What apples are best for baking muffins?

    I always recommend using an apple you enjoy eating, and for me that’s Gala or Golden Delicious (also my apples of choice for apple turnovers recipe and apple butter). Keep in mind that firmer apples are best for baking, so I don’t recommend McIntosh or anything similar in your apple crumb muffins. You could use Granny Smith apples, but I prefer to save them for apple pie since they’re so tart.

    Why are my apple muffins dry?

    Dry muffins are typically a result of over-mixing your batter. These apple crumb muffins are a quick bread, much like apple cider donuts or pumpkin bread, and they should be mixed as little as possible. Use a gentle hand next time and make sure to mix until just combined. Over-baking the muffins can also cause them to be dry, so if you think you didn’t over-mix them, your oven may be running a bit hot and you may need to pull them out of the oven a minute or so sooner next time.

    Can apple muffins be frozen?

    Yes! You can wrap and freeze your apple muffins for up to one month. Be careful when wrapping and make sure you don’t knock off too much of the streusel!

    SAM’S TIP: If you’d like your apple muffins to have a bakery-style look, follow my tutorial for how to make muffin liners out of parchment paper. They’re surprisingly easy and instantly elevate the look of your muffins!

    crumb-topped muffins on a cooling rack

    I know some of you will want to make this recipe in a loaf pan, and while you certainly could do that, I personally think you should try my new apple bread recipe instead!

    Enjoy!

    Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook

    close-up shot of an apple muffin topped with streusel

    Apple Muffins

    There are apple muffins, then there are these irresistibly moist and tender apple crumb muffins! My simple recipe is packed with apple pieces and piled high with a buttery streusel topping.
    Recipe includes a how-to video!
    4.75 from 55 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Course: Bread, Breakfast, muffins, quick bread
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 45 minutes minutes
    Servings: 12 muffins
    Calories: 390kcal
    Author: Sam Merritt

    Ingredients

    For Muffins

    • 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
    • ½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar firmly packed
    • ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
    • 2 teaspoons baking powder
    • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • ½ teaspoon table salt
    • ½ cup (120 ml) avocado oil or vegetable oil or canola oil may substitute vegetable oil or other neutral cooking oil
    • ½ cup (120 ml) buttermilk
    • 2 large eggs lightly beaten
    • 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
    • 1 ½ cups (215 g) peeled chopped apples

    For Crumb Topping

    • 1 ¼ cups (156 g) all-purpose flour
    • ½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar firmly packed
    • ⅓ cup (66 g) granulated sugar
    • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • ¼ teaspoon table salt
    • 6 Tablespoons (85 g) unsalted butter melted but cooled so no longer warm to the touch

    Recommended Equipment

    • Muffin tin
    • Mixing bowls
    • Spatula

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 375F (190C) and line a 12-count muffin tin with paper liners. Set aside.
    • In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugars, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
      2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour, ½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar, ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon table salt
    • In a separate bowl (or large measuring cup), whisk together oil, buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla extract until well-combined.
      ½ cup (120 ml) avocado oil or vegetable oil or canola oil, ½ cup (120 ml) buttermilk, 2 large eggs, 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
    • Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and use a spatula or spoon to gently stir ingredients together until approximately 50-75% combined. Add apple pieces and continue to stir until ingredients are just combined (over-mixing may result in dense, dry muffins).
      1 ½ cups (215 g) peeled
    • Evenly divide batter into prepared muffin tin. Set aside while you prepare your crumb topping.

    Crumb Topping

    • In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, sugars, cinnamon, and salt.
      1 ¼ cups (156 g) all-purpose flour, ½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar, ⅓ cup (66 g) granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon table salt
    • Drizzle melted butter over the flour mixture and use a fork to toss/claw the mixture together until all of the dry ingredients are moistened and you have a crumbly streusel.
      6 Tablespoons (85 g) unsalted butter
    • Evenly divide streusel over the muffins.
    • Transfer to center rack of 375F (190C) oven and bake for 24-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
    • Allow muffins to cool in muffin tin for 10 minutes before carefully removing to a cooling rack (I use a butter knife to gently pry them up and then lift them from the pan) and allow to cool a bit before enjoying.

    Notes

    Apples

    A firm apple that you enjoy eating on its own works best for this recipe. I prefer Golden Delicious or Gala apples. Granny Smith are a bit too tart for my taste here.

    Storing

    Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. These muffins may also be carefully, tightly wrapped and frozen for up to a month.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1muffin | Calories: 390kcal | Carbohydrates: 57g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 43mg | Sodium: 226mg | Potassium: 105mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 30g | Vitamin A: 240IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 90mg | Iron: 2mg

    Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.

    Tried this recipe? Show me on Instagram!Mention @SugarSpun_Sam or tag #sugarspunrun!

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    This apple muffin recipe was originally published September of 2015. I have updated the photos, added a how-to video, and updated the post to be as helpful as possible. The recipe itself has been slightly updated; I’ve slightly re-written it to help with the flow of the recipe and have cut down slightly on the amount of streusel, as some readers complained it was too much!

    « Apple Turnovers
    Tres Leches Cake »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Laura

      October 21, 2024 at 9:33 am

      I tried this recipe this weekend and just curious if the measurements on the crumble are right? I ended up with loads left over and it didn’t come together like crumble. I added more butter but even then, it’s still very floury. Thanks.

      Reply
      • Sam

        October 22, 2024 at 12:41 pm

        Hmmmm these are the measurements I use in the video. Is it possible you may have accidentally over-measured your flour? It is very crumbly but should work together a bit like in the video.

        Reply
      • Lauren

        November 16, 2024 at 2:21 pm

        4 stars
        Hi! I just made these muffins and they are so tasty!! The only issue i had was that the topping was just too dry. As the muffins baked the topping started to fall off! Next time I make these I’ll just add more butter to make more of a wetter crumb and hopefully the topping will adhere to the muffins!

        Reply
    2. Joanna

      October 16, 2024 at 12:11 pm

      Hi I canโ€™t seem to make the video work for this recipe. Could you please repost or email me the correct link? Thank you so much!

      Reply
      • Sam

        October 21, 2024 at 1:02 pm

        Hi Joanna! I’m so sorry for this! I will make sure to update the post. I’m not sure how this video isn’t there. In the meantime, you can always find all of my videos on YouTube. ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
    3. Charmaine Marshall

      September 25, 2024 at 8:44 pm

      5 stars
      Love these muffins turned out light and moist and the crumble was just right. Would highly recommend this recipe.

      Reply
      • Sam

        September 26, 2024 at 6:58 am

        I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much Charmaine! ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
        • Pauline Rohrmann

          October 22, 2024 at 4:36 pm

          Hi,
          Love your recipes they always turn out beautifully! Do you have a recipe for Raisin Bran muffins? Havenโ€™t been able to find a really good one.
          Thanks so much,
          Pauline

        • Sam

          October 23, 2024 at 7:39 am

          Hi Pauline. Unfortunately I do not. ๐Ÿ™

    4. Lyn

      September 08, 2024 at 3:46 pm

      Hi – Just wondering if one type of apple is better to use than another. For eating, I love Honeycrisp but would another variety be better to use? Thanks so much for your help! Lyn

      Reply
      • Emily @ Sugar Spun Run

        September 09, 2024 at 10:20 am

        Hi Lyn! We actually talk about this in the FAQ section of the post ๐Ÿ˜Š

        Reply
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    The author (Sam) in blue shirt holding donut Hi, I'm Sam! I'm dedicated to bringing you sweet, simple, and from-scratch dessert recipes. My life may or may not be controlled by my sweet tooth. Send help (or chocolate). Read more about me.

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