Apple Muffins
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These wholesome apple muffins are packed with spice and everything nice—just what you need for a cozy start to the day.
Adapted from King Arthur Flour, these delicious apple muffins are made partially with whole wheat flour, which gives them a wholesome, nutty flavor and toasty-brown color. They’re also chockfull of tart apples and enriched with yogurt, so no one could ever accuse them of being cupcakes pretending to be muffins. The recipe calls for a full tablespoon of cinnamon along with a hint of nutmeg and cloves, so your house will smell amazing while the muffins bake. But the best part of this apple muffin recipe might just be the muffin top; the brown sugar gives the lids an irresistible crunch. If you’d prefer something that you can slice and share, my apple bread has similar flavors and is equally crave-worthy.
Table of Contents
“I made these gorgeous muffins, they are easy to make, so very light and tasty. Perfect for the autumnal or winter season.”
What You’ll Need To Make Apple Muffins
- Butter: Provides richness and flavor to the muffins.
- Granulated Sugar and Brown Sugar: Sweeten the muffins while adding moisture and subtle caramel-like flavor.
- Egg: Binds the ingredients together and provides structure to the muffins.
- Plain Low-Fat Yogurt or Greek Yogurt: Adds moisture and richness to the muffins and interacts with the baking soda to help them rise.
- Whole Wheat Flour and All-purpose Flour: The foundation of the muffins. The use of whole wheat flour provides a wholesome, nutty flavor and lovely color.
- Baking Powder and Baking Soda: Leavening agents that help the muffins rise and give them a fluffy texture.
- Cinnamon, Nutmeg, and Cloves: Infuse the muffins with warm, aromatic spices that complement the apples.
- Apples: Provide moisture, sweetness, and texture to the muffins. Make sure to use baking apples that are firm enough to hold their shape when baked. See the FAQ’s for what brands of apples are considered best for baking.
- Brown Sugar: Adds a crunchy, sweet topping to the muffins enhancing the flavor and texture.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
To begin, combine the butter, sugar, and brown sugar.
Beat until light and fluffy.
Add the egg.
Then beat again.
Add the yogurt.
Beat again.
Add all the dry ingredients right to the bowl.
Mix until just combined. Note that the batter will be very thick.
Add the diced apples.
Then fold them in.
Use an ice cream scoop to transfer the batter to a muffin tin.
Sprinkle the tops generously with brown sugar.
Bake for about 25 minutes.
Let the muffins cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, then transfer them to a rack to cool completely.
Frequently Asked Questions
Baking apples, such as Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Gala, Jonagold, Jonathan, and Golden Delicious varieties, are firm and tart, making them ideal for baking because they hold their shape and retain their texture during the baking process. Their tartness balances the sweetness of baked goods, and their firmness prevents them from turning mushy, ensuring a pleasing texture in baked treats. They’re also ideal in apple pie and apple crisp.
Using all whole wheat flour may make the muffins dry. If you have white whole wheat flour, that would work nicely. If not, I’d suggest using 1½ cups of whole wheat and ½ cup all-purpose flour.
Because the apples help to keep them moist, the muffins will keep nicely for several days. Store them at room temperature in an airtight container lined with a sheet of paper towels. Arrange the muffins in a single layer and cover them with another sheet of paper towels to absorb any excess moisture.
Absolutely! The muffins can be frozen in an airtight container or sealable plastic bag for up to 3 months. Thaw for 3 to 4 hours on the countertop before serving. To reheat, wrap individual muffins in aluminum foil and place in a preheated 350° oven until warm.
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Spiced Apple Muffins
Ingredients
- ½ cup (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (packed) dark brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup plain low-fat yogurt or Greek yogurt
- 1 cup whole wheat flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled off
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled off
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 cups peeled cored, and finely chopped baking apples (you'll need 2 large apples)
For Topping
- 6 tablespoons (packed) dark brown sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Grease a 12-cup muffin pan with butter or spray with non-stick cooking spray.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
- Add the egg and mix well, stopping to scrape the bowl if necessary.
- Beat in the yogurt. The batter will look grainy.
- Add the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Beat on low speed until just combined. The batter will be very thick.
- Add the chopped apples and mix until just combined. Do not over-mix.
- Use an ice-cream scooper or large spoon to divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups. The cups should be full. Sprinkle the 6 tablespoons of brown sugar evenly over top.
- Bake the muffins for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
- Remove the muffins from the oven, cool them for 5 minutes in the pan, then turn them out onto a rack to finish cooling completely.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions:The muffins can be frozen in an airtight container or sealable plastic bag for up to 3 months. Thaw for 3 to 4 hours on the countertop before serving. To reheat, wrap individual muffins in aluminum foil and place in a preheated 350°F (175°C) oven until warm.
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Comments
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Another amazing recipe. When you posted in on Facebook I knew I had to make them. They are beautifully light and just spiced perfectly. Delicious with the apples but would also be excellent without them or with just nuts. Either way another winning recipe I will make over and over again.
Just made these twice. The first time, did the recipe exactly as is. The top had a very crisp shell but the muffins were raw in the middle. The second time, I used pears and only filled the muffin cups 3/4 the way. The result was similar. What are your suggestions?
Hi Christina, Because you’ve had a problem with these twice, and followed the recipe exactly (with the exception of the pears the second time around), I suspect it may be a problem with your oven. Check out the tips in this helpful article to test your oven’s accuracy.
I’ve made these muffins several times without a problem. Are you mistakenly using the convection setting on the oven? Otherwise, I agree it sounds like there is a problem with the oven.
Delicious! Used Fuji apples and, for more protein, used Greek yogurt diluted with a bit of milk. Reduced the brown sugar topping to about 3.5-4 Tbsp. I agree that the brown sugar topping probably isn’t needed, but it does add a pleasant touch of sweetness. After hesitating on the 1 TBSP cinnamon, I decided to trust Jenn on this…and am glad I did! Thanks for another keeper recipe.
Now that the blueberries are pretty much gone until next year I had to leave off blueberry muffins and find a seasonal substitute. These apple spice muffins are the perfect player! With myself and two sons a dozen never last long. Certainly not long enough to ponder storage methods. Once they are cool and knocked out of the pan, I just set them on a rack on the kitchen counter. They will disappear in a day or so. I have used Honey Crisp and Granny Smith apples. I think the Granny Smith lend themselves better to baking than the Honey Crisp. Honey Crisp are the best eating apple, hands down. But Granny Smith come out with more apple flavor and less mushy when baked.
Did you try using it with only white whole wheat flour? If you can’t use this for all the flour required, could you substitute the whole wheat with white whole wheat flour? Thanks, Jenn
Hi Jenn, I haven’t tried them this way, but I’d imagine that’d work. Hope you enjoy!
Simply Scrumptious. I like the fact that the recipe uses whole wheat flour. I have made the recipe several times. We like the muffins as written but I have made using vegan margarine and for children I usually leave off the brown sugar topping.
Great recipe. Perfect for Fall Apple season. This could also make a great individual dessert for guests paired with a vanilla caramel ice cream. I left the apple chunks about 1/4-1/2 inch sizes to get more Of the fruit notes. Thanks!
Jenn I just finished making this muffin recipe …. And Jenn the results are sheer perfection! I am sooooooo happy. I own the Bosch oven from hell and every dish I try to cook in there is a challenge. It’s always a joke when we entertain ,,, will we or won’t we serve an apple pie with Uncooked pastry? It is such a comfort to know I can follow your instructions and rest assured I will have a good product to serve my family and friends. Many thanks and keep your great dishes coming to our table.
I would like to make mini muffins using this recipe. Would I have to make any adjustments in the recipe?
Hi Cyndi, Mini muffins would work here, just make sure to chop the apples into small chunks. I’d bake them for 10-15 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean.
Hello,
I don’t have any wheat flour, so I’m going to substitue with graham flour! I will let you know how it goes, but this is a great recipe regardless!