Apple Cinnamon Muffins

If there were ever a smell that could make you feel the coziest, it would be "apple cinnamon" fragrance. I find it so intoxicating. It's basically the smell of apple pie which is arguable the most comforting aroma. These Apple Cinnamon Muffins are incredibly soft, tender, moist and fluffy, infused with cinnamon spice and loaded with fresh apples. I top them with a buttery streusel that makes them extra special with a lovely crunch on top. These muffins have the quality you'd expect from a great bakery, except you can make them at home with simple pantry ingredients! They rise high with golden brown tops and are easy to make in one bowl. If you love muffins, check out my popular Lemon Blueberry Streusel Muffins and Bakery-Style Chocolate Chip Muffins too!

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

• Moist cinnamon muffins - this recipe makes very tender and very moist muffins with a delicate crumb texture and pleasant vanilla cinnamon flavor.
• Soft and fluffy - the texture of these muffins is so soft and they stay soft even the days after they're made.
• Fresh apple muffins - I love using fresh fruit to make muffins. You can really use any kind of apple for this recipe, but my recommendation is a tart baking apple which has more complexity when baked into sweet batters.
• Streusel topping - there's a generous pile of sweet buttery brown sugar streusel topping over each muffin and a few thin slices of apple too.
• Easy to make - all you need is a whisk, a bowl and a spatula to make this recipe. It is so super simple!

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MUFFINS AND CUPCAKES?

The difference between muffins and cupcakes is the method! If you are creaming butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then you are making cupcakes my friend! Muffins are quick breads, NOT cake. Muffins have a soft, moist open, spongy texture instead of a fine, tight crumb structure like cake.

Quick breads are batters that are made by first mixing wet ingredients in one bowl. Then, mix dry ingredients separately in another bowl. Simply combine the two with minimal stirring to form the batter. It is a very simple method.

INGREDIENTS FOR APPLE CINNAMON MUFFINS

Here are notes of some of the key ingredients. For a full list of ingredients, see the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

• All purpose flour - regular unbleached all-purpose flour works great for spongy-textured muffins. If you have bleached cake flour, then you can replace half of the unbleached all-purpose flour with cake flour and it will actually give you an even more exaggerated muffin top. That's because bleached flour absorbs moisture more readily and sets more quickly.
• Oil - liquid oil will keep these muffins extra soft and helps with movement of leavening gases through the batter for a nice tall muffin top. I recommend sunflower for the cleanest taste, but you can use any neutral cooking oil.
• Granulated sugar - simple granulated sugar keeps these muffins moist and helps develop the golden crunchy top.
• Brown sugar - you can use light brown or dark brown sugar, but I really like dark brown sugar when baking with apples for the extra molasses flavor that it brings. Dark brown sugar has twice as much molasses as light brown sugar.
• Eggs - two large eggs will add nice structure and help with the moist spongy texture.

• Pure vanilla extract - vanilla will elevate and complement the lemon flavor. I like this Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla extract.
• Sour cream - use full fat sour cream or plain Greek yogurt to add tanginess and richness to this recipe.
• Cinnamon - if you're looking to elevate your baking, try Ceylon cinnamon which is true cinnamon from Sri Lanka.
• Apples - dice up your favorite tart apples for the batter and then slice up any red apple for decorating the tops. For baking, I recommend Granny Smith, Ida Red, Royal Gala, Pink Lady or Braeburn.

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS

• STEP 1). Make the streusel. Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and blend well until it resembles coarse crumbs.
• STEP 3). Combine dry ingredients. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt into a large bowl. Add the sugar and whisk it to blend evenly.
• STEP 4). Combine wet ingredients. Whisk together eggs, oil, sour cream, vanilla and milk in a medium bowl.
• STEP 5). Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the liquid mixture. Fold gently to combine the ingredients until mostly combined, but a few streaks of flour still remain (i.e. before completely combined).

• STEP 6). Add apples. Add the apples and fold them in gently. Do not over-mix. A few small lumps are just fine, but you don't want there to be dry patches of flour.
• STEP 7). Rest the batter. Cover the bowl and let the batter rest at room temperature for 30 minutes while you preheat the oven.
• STEP 8). Pile on the streusel. Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups, filling them to the rim. Top each muffin with a generous amount of streusel topping, then top with apple slices if desired.
• STEP 9). Bake. Bake for 5 minutes, then lower oven to 350°F and bake for another 12-15 minutes until golden brown and firm to the touch. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let muffins cool for 5 minutes before transferring individually to the rack to finish cooling.

EXPERT BAKING TIPS FOR APPLE CINNAMON MUFFINS

• Sift the dry ingredients. This is optional, but it will minimize the amount of mixing needed to combine the ingredients evenly so that you do not over-mix the batter.
• Do not over-mix the batter. Once the flour is mostly combined (with a few light streaks), then the batter is ready for baking. Since muffin batter is more lean with less sugar than cake batter, it is more likely to develop gluten and result in a tougher texture.
• Fold the apples in gently. Apples are very sturdy and you don't need to worry about them breaking down like berries when you mix them in, but it is best to try and avoid over-mixing at this point.
• Peel the apples. I know it's a bit of extra work, but it really makes a difference. The apples will cook more evenly and softer if peeled and they will also have a nicer texture since the peels can be kind of chewy and tough inside the soft and fluffy muffins.
• Let the batter stand for 30 minutes before baking. This will give you such a nice fluffy texture and it will create those nice tall high muffin tops. This time allows the flour to fully hydrate to keep the moisture locked in so that they stay moist and fluffy.
• Be generous with the streusel. Make sure you use up all of the streusel even though it will seem like a lot. As the muffins bake, they will rise and push away the streusel to cover a greater surface area, so what seems like a lot will actually be the perfect amount after baking.
• Top each muffin with a few thin slices of apple. This really makes them look like they've come from a bakery.

RECIPE FAQ

STORAGE AND FREEZING

If you love muffins, check out these recipes!

More Muffins

Looking for more muffin recipes like this? Try these:

Baking with apples

Here are more recipes with fresh apples:

Video

Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Christina Marsigliese

Soft, moist and tender cinnamon muffins loaded with fresh apple chunks and a buttery streusel topping. These are the ultimate Fall muffin and are so delicious for breakfast with a cup of tea or coffee.

5 from 3 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Rest Time 29 minutes mins

Servings 12 muffins

Ingredients

  

Streusel topping:

• 5 tablespoon (45g) all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoon (45g) packed light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoon (28g) soft salted butter
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• pinch of salt

Muffin batter:

• 2 cups plus 1 tbsp (293g) all purpose flour
• 1 ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup (110g) packed dark brown sugar
• ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs at room temperature
• ½ cup (120ml) sour cream
• ⅓ cup (80ml) sunflower oil
• ¾ cup (180ml) whole milk, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon (5ml) pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups (300g) chopped tart apple, cut into small pieces plus extra for topping
• extra thin apple slices for topping

Instructions

 

• Make the crumb topping. Combine flour, sugar and salt (if you're using unsalted butter) in a medium bowl and whisk to blend evenly so that there are no lumps of brown sugar. Add soft butter to the dry ingredients and blend with your fingertips to form crumbs. Set aside.
• Make the muffin batter. Sift 2 cups of flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a large bowl. Add brown sugar and granulated sugar and whisk until very well evenly blended, pressing out any lumps of brown sugar with your fingers.
• Combine eggs, sour cream, oil, milk and vanilla in a medium bowl and whisk until completely smooth.
• Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour int the wet ingredients. Gently fold it all together being sure to get down to the bottom and bring up any dry pockets. Stop right when the batter is fully combined and be careful not to over mix. Sprinkle the remaining tablespoon of flour over the diced and toss to coat them. Add them to the batter and fold them in gently.
• Cover the bowl and set aside to stand for 30 minutes while the oven preheats. Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. Here are parchment paper liners that I like to use for these muffins as they won't stick at all to these ones.
• Use a 2 oz scoop or two large spoons to divide the batter evenly among lined muffin cups, filling them right to the top. Place two or three thin slices of apple (with the skin on) over the batter. Top each muffin with a pile of streusel. Use two muffin pans and bake only 6 muffins per pan if you want extra tall muffin tops. This allows room for air to circulate around each muffin so the edges cook first and forces the batter up through the center.
• Bake at 425°F for 5 minutes. Then, with the oven door still closed, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and bake for another 12-15 minutes until golden on top and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Let muffins cool for 5 minutes in the pan and then transfer muffins to a cooling rack.