It’s apple season, and these Apple Muffins are the best way to celebrate it.

They’re sweet, loaded with warm fall spices and textures,  super moist with a delicious buttery top, and so easy to make. 

These muffins are a more indulgent version of my Apple Cinnamon Muffins with Oats and Walnuts.  I kept the same healthy ingredients and added a few more to make them more decadent to satisfy all the seasonal cravings.

What you need to make Apple muffins with cinnamon crumb topping

Ingredients notes and substitutions

• White granulated sugar – mixed with brown sugar will lighten the batter but you can use brown sugar only if you prefer
• Plain Greek yogurt –  regular plain yogurt or sour cream will work as well
• Ginger and cloves – these are very distinctive fall spices but you can only use cinnamon
• Instant oats – old-fashioned oats will work too, but they will take a little longer to bake
• Apples – I prefer to use Ambrosia or Honeycrisp
• Chopped walnuts – pecans or glazed walnuts are a good substitution
• Maple glazed pecans mix or raisins – optional

I added this mix of maple-glazed pecans (not sponsored) that contains maple-glazed pecans, apples, cherries, and walnuts combined with the chopped walnuts (1/4 cup of each).  They are a little sweet and salty which gave the muffins a very particular and delicious maple flavor.  Raisins alone or combined with the walnuts also pair deliciously with the muffins too.

Cinnamon crumb topping Ingredients

• Flour
• Butter
• Brown sugar
• Cinnamon 
• Vanilla extract
• Oats – optional

How to make Apple Muffins with Cinnamon Crumb Topping

1. Preheat the oven to 425° Fahrenheit and line a muffin pan with muffin cups. Mix the ingredients of the cinnamon crumb top and place it in the refrigerator until ready to use 
2. Whisk the wet ingredients (brown and white granulated sugar,  the butter, add eggs, vanilla extract, and yogurt)
3. Add the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, spices, and salt), and mix with the wet ingredients, stirring until just combined
4. Fold apples, walnuts (raisins or maple-glazed pecan mix, if using), and instant oats into the batter
5. Scoop the mixture into the muffin tins, fill each muffin tin close to the top, and gently press the cinnamon crumbs on top. Bake for 5 minutes at 425° F. While the muffins are in the oven, lower the temperature to 350° F and bake for 15 minutes. Remove them from the oven and let them cool in the pan for a few minutes before placing them on a cooling rack.

These muffins are incredibly moist and the cinnamon crumb topping adds a textured, sweet, buttery flavor.  

They’re delicious as is and not overly sweet, but if you want to take them to a whole new level, finish them with a drizzle of vanilla icing, it brings that indulgent layer of sweetness that melts in your mouth. 

The icing consists of confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract, and creamer. I prefer to use creamer instead of cream, or you could also use your preferred milk for a lighter consistency.

We frequently use Caramel Macchiato creamer for our coffee at home, it goes very well mixed with the icing. Mix with the regular creamer in the icing and add a pour to your coffee too, if you are a caramel lover, you will be in caramel apple heaven!

How to store muffins

The muffins should be at room temperature before placing them in an airtight container or a ziploc bag over a paper towel. Place another paper towel on top, and close the container or Ziploc bag. They will keep fresh on the counter for 1 to 2 days. Keep in the refrigerator after 48 hours, and replace the paper towels if needed – they will last up to 5 days.

They will freeze better without the icing, wrap them individually in plastic wrap and place them inside a Ziploc bag, and will last for about 1 month. To unfreeze them, I recommend placing them in the refrigerator overnight, and once they have been thawed out, warm them in the oven for about 5-8 minutes at 350° F . You could also microwave them for about 10 seconds.  

These Apple Muffins are delicious as breakfast, snack, or an indulging treat at any time. They are also perfect to grab and go. Enjoy with your favorite coffee or tea!

Here is the recipe. I hope you make them and love them as much as we do.  If you give them a try please tag me here or here, or leave a comment below letting me know how they turned out, and don’t forget to subscribe to our mailing list to be updated with our latest recipes xx

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Apple muffins with cinnamon crumb topping

Yield: 12 muffins

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Additional Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

These apple muffins are the perfect treat to indulge all your seasonal cravings. Super moist, full of flavors and textures with a delicious buttery top

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Ingredients

For the Apple muffins

• 2 apples, shredded - about 1.5 cups max
• 2 eggs at room temperature
• 1/2 cup or 1 stick of butter at room temperature
• 3/4 cup of packed light brown sugar or regular brown sugar
• 1/4 cup of white granulated sugar
• 1/2 of greek or regular plain yogurt
• 2 tsp of vanilla extract
• 1.5 cups of all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp of baking soda
• 1 tsp of baking powder
• 1 tsp of cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp of cloves - optional
• 1/2 tsp of ginger - optional
• 1/2 tsp of salt
• 1/2 cup of instant oats
• 1/2 cup of toasted walnuts, chopped - or 1/4 cup walnuts and 1/4 cup of raisins (see notes)

for the cinnamon crumb topping

• 1/3 cup of flour
• 1/3 cup of brown sugar
• 2 tbs of butter, cold
• 1 tsp of cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract
• 1 tbs of oats

for the Vanilla Icing

• 1 cup of confectioners' sugar
• 2 tbs of creamer or your favorite milk
• 1 tsp of vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425° Fahrenheit and line a muffin pan with muffin cups or liners.
2. Start by making the cinnamon crumb topping: mix the flour, sugar, and cinnamon in a small bowl and add the butter and vanilla extract. Add the oats last. Mix with a spoon/fork or with your fingertips, until you obtain a crumbly mix that feels similar to wet sand, try not to overmix the crumbs, and refrigerate until ready to use.
3. Place butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a hand mixer, mix until creamy, and add the brown and white sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, the vanilla extract, and yogurt.
4. Place flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, spices, and salt into a medium bowl, mix with a whisker or sift it through a fine mesh strainer. Mix with the wet ingredients, stirring until just combined.
5. Fold apples, oats, and walnuts (raisins or maple-glazed pecan mix, if using).
6. Fill the muffin tins close to the top with a spoon or an ice cream scoop generously the cinnamon crumbs and press them gently to stick on top. Bake for 5 minutes at 425° F. Lower the temperature to 350° F and bake for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few crumbs.
7. Remove them from the oven and let them cool for a few minutes in the pan before placing them on a cooling rack.
   

Vanilla Icing instructions

Whisk all the ingredients and adjust the amount of creamer or sugar according to the desired consistency.

Notes

• I highly recommend sifting the dry ingredients, it helps prevent big air bubbles and ensures an even distribution of the ingredients
• Baking muffins at 425° F for 5 minutes and then at a lower temperature of 350°F will promote the batter to rise out of the pan for a higher and crustier top. 
• I mixed 1/4 cup of toasted walnuts with 1/4 cup of maple pecan glazed mix. This mix pairs deliciously with these muffins (not sponsored)
• If you are a caramel lover, add a tsp of caramel-flavored creamer to the icing
• Spacing the muffins apart in the muffin pan will ensure a higher-top muffin. However, unless you have 2 (12-muffin) pans you will have to bake half the amount of muffins each time.

Nutrition Information

Yield 12 Serving Size 1
Amount Per Serving Calories 333Total Fat 15gSaturated Fat 7gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 7gCholesterol 56mgSodium 299mgCarbohydrates 45gFiber 2gSugar 26gProtein 6g

This nutritional information is indicative and is not always accurate. It is provided for informational purposes only.

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