Delicious Apple Cinnamon Muffins with Streusel Topping: Your Ultimate Fall Breakfast Recipe
There’s nothing quite like the aroma of freshly baked muffins wafting through your home, especially when they’re bursting with the comforting flavors of autumn. These **Apple Cinnamon Muffins** are not just a treat; they’re a celebration of seasonal bounty, perfect for starting your day on a cozy note or enjoying as a delightful snack.
Muffins hold a special place in my heart as a versatile and beloved baked good. They offer the perfect canvas for seasonal ingredients, adapting beautifully from summer delights like Strawberry Muffins to the quintessential flavors of fall. Imagine sweet, tender chunks of apple mingling with warm cinnamon, all crowned with a irresistible streusel topping – it’s truly like enjoying dessert for breakfast, any time of the year!
Crafting these apple muffins is incredibly straightforward, utilizing whatever apples you might have on hand. While some recipes call for apple sauce or cider, I firmly believe that using real chunks of fresh apple makes all the difference. This approach guarantees a vibrant, authentic apple flavor and a delightful textural contrast that you can truly savor. Each bite offers a distinct taste of crisp, sweet apple, perfectly complementing the warming spices.
Choosing the Best Apples for Your Muffins
Selecting the right apple variety is key to achieving the perfect muffin texture and flavor. You want apples that hold their shape well during baking and offer a balanced sweet-tart profile. Here are some of my top recommendations, along with why they work so well:
- Braeburn: Known for their crisp texture and balanced sweet-tart flavor, Braeburn apples hold up beautifully when baked, preventing your muffins from becoming soggy.
- Cortland: These apples are sweet, slightly tart, and maintain their shape exceptionally well, making them ideal for chunky fillings.
- Gala: Sweet and mild, Gala apples soften nicely without turning mushy, adding a lovely sweetness to your muffins.
- Granny Smith: If you prefer a tart counterpoint to the sweetness of the muffin batter and streusel, Granny Smiths are an excellent choice. Their firm flesh ensures they retain their structure.
- Honeycrisp: A favorite for many, Honeycrisp apples are incredibly crisp and juicy, offering a wonderful burst of flavor and a good bite even after baking.
Ultimately, a mix of two different apple varieties can provide a more complex flavor and texture profile, offering the best of both worlds!
When the crisp air of fall arrives, I believe a glorious cinnamon streusel topping deserves a place on almost every baked good! It adds an incredible layer of flavor and texture that transforms a simple muffin into something truly extraordinary. Just like how it elevates this Pumpkin Coffee Cake to a new dimension, the streusel on these muffins provides that perfect crunch and buttery sweetness.
That crunchy, buttery topping isn’t just an embellishment; it’s a game-changer. It takes these muffins up several notches, guaranteeing they’ll be requested time and time again by everyone who tries them. The contrast between the tender, apple-filled muffin and the crumbly, spiced streusel is simply divine.
Essential Ingredients for Perfect Apple Cinnamon Muffins
For the complete measurements and detailed instructions, be sure to scroll to the bottom of the post for the FULL PRINTABLE recipe card.
Here’s a breakdown of the key ingredients you’ll need and why they are important for these delicious muffins:
- All-Purpose Flour: Forms the essential structure of your muffins, providing the base for all other ingredients.
- Granulated Sugar: Adds sweetness and helps create a tender crumb.
- Brown Sugar: Contributes a deeper, molasses-rich sweetness and extra moisture, enhancing the overall flavor and texture.
- Baking Powder: Our primary leavening agent, ensuring your muffins rise beautifully and have a light, airy texture.
- Cinnamon: The star spice that pairs perfectly with apples, bringing warmth and depth to every bite.
- Salt: A crucial flavor enhancer that balances the sweetness and brings out the best in the other ingredients.
- Vegetable Oil: Provides moisture and makes the muffins incredibly tender. You can substitute with any neutral-flavored oil you prefer, such as canola oil.
- Milk: Adds moisture and helps to activate the baking powder. Any type of milk works well, whether dairy or non-dairy.
- Egg: Acts as a binder, adding richness, moisture, and helping with the structure of the muffins.
- Apples: Freshly peeled and diced apples are the heart of this recipe, providing natural sweetness, moisture, and a delightful texture.
- Butter: Essential for the rich, crumbly streusel topping. I always opt for unsalted butter in baking to control the salt content precisely.
Expert Tips for Baking the Best Muffins
Achieving bakery-quality muffins at home is easier than you think with a few simple techniques. Follow these tips for consistently delicious results:
- Do Not Overmix Your Batter: This is perhaps the most crucial rule in muffin making. When a recipe instructs you to mix wet and dry ingredients separately and then combine them, heed this advice. Overmixing develops the gluten in the flour too much, leading to tough, chewy muffins instead of light and tender ones. Mix until the ingredients are *just* combined; a few lumps are perfectly acceptable and often desired for a tender crumb.
- Use an Ice Cream Scoop for Even Portions: For uniformly sized muffins and a cleaner baking experience, an ice cream scoop (or a large cookie scoop) is your best friend. This ensures that each muffin cup receives roughly the same amount of batter, leading to consistent baking times and beautifully shaped muffins. It also helps prevent drips on the muffin tin that can bake on and become difficult to clean.
- Avoid Overbaking Your Muffins: Just like with brownies or cookies, muffins continue to cook slightly in the hot pan after they’re removed from the oven (this is known as carry-over cooking). If you bake them until they are completely done in the oven, they will likely become dry and crumbly once cooled. Aim for them to be just barely done.
- Master the Toothpick Test: To determine if your muffins are perfectly baked, insert a toothpick into the center of one. You want it to come out with just a few moist crumbs clinging to it. If it comes out with wet batter, they need more time. If it comes out completely clean, they might already be slightly overbaked, so adjust your baking time slightly next time.
Step-by-Step Guide to Making Apple Cinnamon Muffins
Follow these simple steps to create a batch of incredibly delicious apple cinnamon muffins from scratch:
- Prepare Dry Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Make sure there are no lumps and the ingredients are well combined.
- Combine Wet Ingredients: In a separate liquid measuring cup or small bowl, measure out the milk and vegetable oil. Crack in your egg and whisk thoroughly until the mixture is fully combined and smooth.
- Gently Mix Batter: Pour the wet milk mixture into the dry flour mixture. Stir with a spoon or spatula until the ingredients are *just* combined. A few small lumps in the batter are perfectly normal and actually desirable for a tender muffin. Be careful not to overmix.
- Fold in Apples: Gently fold in your peeled and diced apples until they are evenly distributed throughout the batter.
- Fill Muffin Tins: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or grease it thoroughly. Divide the batter equally among the prepared muffin cups, using an ice cream scoop for consistency.
- Prepare Streusel Topping: In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, white sugar, flour, and cinnamon for the streusel. Add the cubed cold butter and, using your fingertips, rub the butter into the dry ingredients until a coarse, wet sand-like consistency is achieved. Sprinkle this delicious streusel mixture generously over the top of each muffin cup.
- Bake to Perfection: Bake the muffins in your preheated oven for 15-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out with just a few moist crumbs. The tops should be golden brown and the streusel lightly crisp.
- Cooling: Once baked, remove the muffins from the oven and allow them to cool in the muffin pan for about 10 minutes. This allows them to set slightly before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
One of the many reasons I adore making muffins is how wonderfully they freeze! This makes them an ideal candidate for meal prepping or simply having a delicious, homemade option ready for busy mornings. Once your muffins have completely cooled (this is very important to prevent freezer burn), place them in an airtight freezer-safe container or a heavy-duty freezer bag. They will keep beautifully in the freezer for 2-3 months. To enjoy, simply thaw them at room temperature or warm them gently in the microwave or oven for a “freshly baked” experience.
Serving Suggestions and Customizations
These Apple Cinnamon Muffins are fantastic on their own, but they also pair wonderfully with a variety of accompaniments. Enjoy them with a hot cup of coffee or tea, alongside a glass of milk, or as part of a larger breakfast spread with yogurt and fresh fruit. For an extra touch of indulgence, a drizzle of maple glaze or a dollop of whipped cream can elevate them to dessert status.
Feeling creative? Here are a few ways you can customize your muffins:
- Add Nuts: Toasted chopped walnuts or pecans can add a lovely crunch and nutty flavor.
- Boost Spice: A pinch of nutmeg or allspice can further enhance the autumnal spice profile.
- Dried Fruit: A handful of raisins or dried cranberries would be a delicious addition alongside the apples.
- Glaze It: A simple powdered sugar glaze (powdered sugar mixed with a little milk or lemon juice) can add extra sweetness and shine.
Discover More Delicious Muffin Recipes
If you love these Apple Cinnamon Muffins, you’ll definitely want to explore other delightful muffin creations. Muffins are endlessly adaptable, offering a perfect treat for any craving or season. Expand your baking repertoire with these fantastic recipes:
- Irresistible Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Bright and Zesty Lemon Raspberry Muffins
- Classic Cinnamon Muffins
- Wholesome Whole Wheat Apple Butter Muffins
- Decadent Cinnamon Roll Muffins
- Hearty Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins
Apple Cinnamon Muffins
Erin Sellin
5 minutes
18 minutes
23 minutes
12
Rate Recipe
Print Recipe
Ingredients
-
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour -
1/2 cup white sugar -
1/4 cup brown sugar -
2 teaspoons baking powder -
2 teaspoons cinnamon -
1/2 teaspoon salt -
1/3 cup vegetable oil -
1/3 cup milk -
1 whole egg -
1 1/2 cups peeled and diced apples
Streusel Topping
-
1/4 cup brown sugar -
2 Tablespoons white sugar -
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour -
2 Tablespoons butter, cut into cubes -
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
-
Preheat oven to 350º F. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with liners.
-
In a large bowl mix together flour, both sugars, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
-
Using a liquid measuring cup measure the milk and oil. Add in your egg and whisk until it is combined.
-
Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture and stir until it is just combined.
-
Fold in your diced apples.
-
Divide batter equally among prepared muffin tin.
-
To make your streusel topping: Mix together the sugars, cinnamon, flour and butter together with your fingers. Once you get a wet sand consistency sprinkle over the muffin cups.
-
Bake for 15-18 minutes until a tester comes out mostly clean.
-
Remove muffins from the oven and let them cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
Nutrition
Calories:
217
kcal
|
Carbohydrates:
33
g
|
Protein:
3
g
|
Fat:
9
g
|
Saturated Fat:
2
g
|
Polyunsaturated Fat:
6
g
|
Cholesterol:
21
mg
|
Sodium:
206
mg
|
Fiber:
1
g
|
Sugar:
19
g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Additional Info
Erin Sellin
5 minutes
18 minutes
23 minutes
Breakfast Recipes
American
12
217
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