Apple Muffins
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These wholesome apple muffins are packed with spice and everything nice—think warm cinnamon, tart apples, and crunchy brown sugar tops.
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. A full tablespoon of cinnamon, plus a hint of nutmeg and cloves, fills your kitchen with the most amazing smell as they bake. But the best part might just be the muffin tops: the brown sugar topping bakes up into a crunchy, irresistible lid.
If you’d prefer something that you can slice and share, my apple bread has similar flavors and is equally crave-worthy.
“A perfect muffin recipe! The house smelled marvelous, too!”
What You’ll Need To Make Apple Muffins
- Butter: Adds richness and flavor, giving the muffins a tender, delicious crumb.
- Granulated Sugar & Brown Sugar: Sweeten the muffins and keep them moist. A little extra brown sugar gets sprinkled on top before baking for that irresistible crunchy lid.
- Egg: Helps bind the batter together and gives the muffins structure.
- Plain Low-Fat Yogurt or Greek Yogurt: Adds moisture and richness while reacting with the baking soda to give the muffins a nice lift.
- Whole Wheat & All-Purpose Flour: Using a mix of whole wheat and all-purpose flour gives you the best of both worlds—nutty flavor and a pretty, toasty color from the whole wheat, plus a light, tender texture from the all-purpose. (Pro tip: all whole wheat will make the muffins a bit dry. However, if you have white whole wheat flour, you can use that in place of both flours.)
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda: These work together to help the muffins rise and stay fluffy.
- Cinnamon, Nutmeg & Cloves: Warm spices that pair perfectly with apples and make your kitchen smell amazing.
- Apples: Add moisture, natural sweetness, and little pockets of apple flavor throughout. Use firm baking apples that hold their shape—Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Gala, Jonagold, Jonathan, and Golden Delicious varieties are all great options.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Cream the butter and sugars. Combine the butter, sugar, and brown sugar and beat until light and fluffy.
Step 2: Add the egg and yogurt. Beat in the egg followed by the yogurt, scraping down the bowl as necessary. The batter may look a little curdled at this point—that’s normal.
Step 3: Mix in the dry ingredients. Add the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Beat on low speed until everything is just combined. The batter will be quite thick at this point—that’s exactly how it should be.
Step 4: Mix in the apples. Add the diced apples to the batter and fold them in.
Step 4: Prepare to bake. Grease a muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray. Then scoop the batter evenly into the muffin cups (it’s easiest to use an ice cream scoop with a wire scraper). Sprinkle the tops generously with brown sugar.
Step 5: Bake. Bake the muffins for about 25 minutes, until golden and a toothpick comes out clean. Let the muffins cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, then transfer them to a rack to cool completely. Because the apples help to keep them moist, the muffins will keep nicely for several days, or you can freeze them for longer storage.
More Muffin Recipes You May Like
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 a little curdled—that's okay.
- 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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These muffins are perfection. I don’t typically bake with whole wheat flour and I was a little worried they would be dry or tough but the texture was amazing. The spices were spot on as well.
Another fantastic recipe Jenn! Made these muffins with sour cream since that’s what I had on hand and they were perfect. They actually reminded me of the Hostess Crumb Cakes I loved as a kid, but sooooo much better!
Can you use tinned apples when in a pinch?
I think it would be best to stick with fresh apples for this — sorry!
Once again Jen – You are the queen of cooking. I had my doubts on this as I only had greek yogurt so I added a TBsp of milk to make it a bit more liquid. I didn’t add as much brown sugar on the tops – which still covered the muffin top. I didn’t think they would rise – but they did and they are absolutely perfection. The crumb is perfect, the taste divine – just lovely. You just keep on doing what you’re doing and we all look good:) Thank you again
Bernadette
These were amazing!! I forgot to add the topping so I’ll try to remember that next time, but other than that I didn’t change a thing and the muffins turned out perfect. They came together fast too! Will make many times again.
JENN, what can I use instead of Yogurt in these great muffins?
Hi Christine, Sour cream will work as a substitute for the yogurt. Enjoy!
Hi Jenn,
I would like to make a vegan version of these muffins. What can I substitute for the yogurt that would be vegan friendly?
Hi Patty, Although I haven’t tried it, I would think a vegan yogurt would work here. Please LMK how they turn out if you try it!
Can I use applesauce instead of yogurt?
I wouldn’t recommend it, May as the yogurt helps the muffins to rise. Sorry!
What variety of apples do you like for this recipe? Thanks!
Hi Katie, I like Honeycrisp, Fuji or Granny Smith. Hope you enjoy!
Hi! can I use sour cream instead of yoghurt??
Thanks
Sure – hope you enjoy!
I made these delicious apple spiced muffins today. They came out excellent. My kids and husband loved them.
Very easy to make and super delicious!!
Thank you!!
Can I use whole milk plain yogurt instead ?😊
Sure!
I used Greek yogurt like you suggested but my muffins did not cook. They all fell in the center and it’s like applesauce and I did use honey crisp apples
Very disappointed. Usually your recipes are great Jen.
It’s says to not use Greek yogurt, but regular low-fat plain
Hi Jenn
Love all of your recipes! I was wondering can i use full fat yogurt i have a huge thing leftover from making your tikka(which is amazing btw)
Thanks so much
Melissa
Sure (and glad you enjoyed the chicken)! 🙂
Used only all-purpose flour (2 c total) because that’s what I had. Also, subbed 3/4 c Half & Half for the yogurt because my fridge is basically empty. Added 1/2 c walnuts to the batter and these turned out delicious!!! Will definitely be making again using the yogurt after I finally make it to the store…
I thought the level of sweetness of these was perfect! Love your recipes ❤️