Easy Apple Muffins

Soft and sweet Apple Muffins made from scratch. These easy muffins have a delicious cinnamon topping and are perfect for morning or afternoon tea or as a lunchbox treat. 

Say hello to my bakery-style Apple Muffins 💕

Soft and fluffy high-top muffins filled with freshly chopped apples and dusted with a sweet cinnamon sugar topping. These gorgeous Apple Muffins are so easy to make and a great treat for the lunchbox. 

If you love all things cinnamon, you’ll fall head over heels for these easy Apple Muffins. 

Last year, I developed a recipe for Apple Cake and it’s quickly become one of my most popular recipes of all time. So I knew an Easy Apple Muffin recipe was next on the list!

Just like my apple cake, these Cinnamon Apple Muffins are super light and fluffy on the inside. Made with oil and buttermilk, they’re soft and sweet with tender bites of apple in each one. 

And just like my favourite Cinnamon Tea Cake, these muffins are finished with a brushing of butter and cinnamon sugar while they are still warm – it’s a magical trick! It turns a regular muffins into a delightful treat that’s reminiscent of a hot cinnamon donut. You are going to LOVE them! 

HOW DO YOU MAKE HIGH TOP MUFFINS AT HOME?

There is a trick to making high top muffins just like those at a bakery. First, you need to make sure you fill the holes of your muffin pan right to the top with batter – see photo above. Then you want to bake the muffins in a very hot oven during the first 5 minutes of baking. This will ensure the muffins rise quickly and form those lovely domed tops. The oven temperature can then be reduced for the remainder of the cooking time. 

HOW CAN I MAKE MUFFINS THAT ARE SOFT AND MOIST?

One trick for soft and moist muffins is using oil instead of butter. It gives the muffins a more cake-like texture, with a crisp top and a soft and tender centre. Another reasons for tough or dry muffins is over mixing. Make sure you don’t over mix your muffin batter. Stir the mix lightly by hand. Using buttermilk also helps to make muffins soft and moist.

CAN I MAKE MY OWN BUTTERMILK?

Yes. If you don’t have any buttermilk on hand, try making your own buttermilk from scratch. Add one tablespoon of white vinegar to 1 cup of milk. Leave for 5 minutes to curdle, then use as normal. This solution works well for these muffins. 

WHAT APPLES SHOULD I USE?

Most apples will work well in this recipe, so use your favourite kind! I like to use red apples like Royal Gala or Pink Lady. Also, you don’t need to worry about peeling the apples, you can leave the skin on. 

CAN YOU FREEZE APPLE MUFFINS?

Yes you can. While I will always think muffins are best fresh, especially warm from the oven, you can freeze these Apple Muffins. Simply wrap them well individually using plastic wrap and place in your freezer. You can heat them up in the microwave for 20-30 seconds to enjoy warm. 

MORE MUFFINS RECIPES TO TRY

• Double Chocolate Muffins
• White Chocolate Raspberry Muffins
• Chocolate Chip Muffins
• Blueberry Muffins
• Banana Nut Muffins

Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Hungry for more? Join me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter for more amazing recipe ideas.

Let’s Bake

Easy Apple Muffins

Yield Makes 12–14 muffins 1x

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

4.9 from 17 reviews

Prep: 20 minutesCook: 18 minutesTotal: 38 minutes

Soft and tender Apple Muffins covered in cinnamon sugar.

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Ingredients

• 350 grams (2 and 1/2 cups) plain flour or all purpose flour
• 3 level teaspoons baking powder
• 200 grams (1 cup) caster sugar or granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 small red apples (approximately 2 cups), roughly chopped
• 120 ml (1/2 cup) vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 240 ml (1 cup) buttermilk*

Cinnamon topping

• 1 tablespoon butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 and 1/2 tablespoons caster sugar or granulated sugar

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 200 C (390 F) standard / 180 C (350 F) fan-forced. Grease a 12-hole muffin pan well with butter or olive oil spray or line with cupcake liners.
2. In a large mixing bowl, add flour, baking powder, sugar and cinnamon and whisk briefly. Add chopped apples. Stir just to cover the apple pieces in the flour mixture.
3. To a small bowl, add oil,  vanilla and eggs whisk briefly just to break up the egg yolks. Make a well in the middle of your dry ingredients, add the wet ingredients, along with the buttermilk.
4. Very gently fold until the mixture is just combined – be careful not to over mix or your muffins will be tough.
5. Spoon out the mixture into your prepared tin. Depending on how much apple you added, you might be able to squeeze 14 muffins out of this batch.
6. Bake for 5 minutes before turning down the heat to 180 C (350 F) standard / 160 C (320 F) fan-forced and bake for a further 13-15 minutes or golden brown on top and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
7. While the muffins are still warm, brush the tops with melted butter. In a small bowl, mix together the sugar and cinnamon, then generously sprinkle over each muffin.

Notes

Buttermilk: You can make your own buttermilk but adding 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or fresh lemon juice to 1 cup of regular milk. Leave to sit for a few minutes and then use as per normal. It works great in this muffin recipe.

Nutrition Information

Serving Size: 1 muffin Calories: 269 Sugar: 20.2 g Sodium: 32.6 mg Fat: 10.3 g Carbohydrates: 41.8 g Protein: 4.1 g Cholesterol: 30.7 mg

Nutrition information is a guide only.

Author: Jessica HolmesCategory: MuffinsCuisine: Australian

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Jessica Holmes

Hi, I’m Jess, the creator of Sweetest Menu and the author of Something Sweet. A self-taught baker and published recipe writer who can’t stop making easy and delicious baking recipes.