Apple Crumb Muffins
Sep 28, 2015, Updated May 07, 2023
Start your fall mornings with these super moist Apple Crumb Muffins!
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Moist Apple Crumb Muffins are the perfect breakfast during fall. The muffins are super moist because of applesauce in the recipe. The addition of cinnamon and nutmeg makes them a fall favorite!
I love how everything is so seasonal in US. Like the blogging world is full of peaches and berries in summer and then everyone goes crazy with apples and pumpkins in fall and then with mint during the holidays. It’s like you are supposed to bake and cook with certain things during specific months. I find it really fun and interesting. Ever since I have been in US, I really look forward to the season change. It’s so exciting especially from a foodie point of view. I love summer but I have been so excited for fall just because I get to bake with apples and pumpkin and all the warm spices.
Apples are one of my favorite fruits and that’s because a) I love to eat them for a snack and b) I love to bake with them. I made these apple crumb muffins the other day when I got a big box of apples from Costco. Sometimes I wonder if I buy these big boxes of fruits only to bake with them!
These apple crumb muffins turned out super moist thanks to the addition of applesauce in the recipe. Have you guys baked with applesauce? Trust me, it’s amazing in baked goods. It adds a lot of moistness to the final product minus the fat! It’s a great way to cut down on the fat in a recipe, just replace some with applesauce and if you are making apple muffins then you obviously need to use it.
It’s super simple to make these apple crumb muffins. You start with mixing together the flour with the spices. I used 50% all purpose and 50% whole wheat flour in this recipe. I usually do this when I bake muffins to snack on, just makes them little healthier. You can very well use 100% all purpose flour. I added cinnamon and nutmeg to the batter and you cannot afford to miss these when you baking with apples. In fact I added cinnamon to the crumb topping as well because there can never be enough of cinnamon and apples together!
And then you mix the wet ingredients together till combined and transfer the wet ingredients to the dry. Fold in apples and pecans and your muffin batter is ready to be baked. And of course you need to top the muffins with the crumb topping before you bake them, that is a must!
I baked these muffins using the same method that I usually do for all my muffins – bake initially for 5 minutes at high temperature and then bake till done at a lower temperature. The initial burst of temperature causes the muffin batter to rise and you get the perfect dome shaped muffins. These apple crumb muffins are lightly sweetened, smell amazing and are really delicious. So enjoy your cool fall morning with a cup of coffee and these apple crumb muffins!
If you love Apple and Cinnamon as much as me, then don’t forget to check out these Apple Cinnamon Crepes.
* These muffins took a little longer to bake since I used whole wheat flour in the recipe. If you use 100% all purpose flour, these will take 2-3 minutes less to bake.
* I added little more flour to the crumb topping and hence my crumb was all over the place. You can add little less flour to make it more coarse.
Apple Crumb Muffins
Ingredients
Crumb
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar
- ¾ teaspoon cinnamon powder
- 5 tablespoons flour
- 2.5 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
Muffins
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
- ⅓ teaspoon nutmeg powder
- 1.5 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup granulated white sugar
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- ⅓ cup salted butter melted
- 2 eggs large, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¾ cup + 1 tablespoon unsweetened apple sauce
- 1¾ cup chopped apples [from 2 medium apples]
- ½ cup chopped pecans
Instructions
Crumb
- Make the crumb topping by whisking together brown sugar, cinnamon powder and flour in a bowl.
- Add melted butter to it and mix till mixture resemble crumbs. Set aside.
Muffins
- Spray a 12 count muffin pan with non-stick spray and set aside.
- Peel and chop the apples into small cubes. Set aside.
- In a bowl whisk together both the flours, both the sugars, cinnamon powder, nutmeg powder, baking powder and baking soda.
- In another bowl, whisk together melted butter and unsweetened apple sauce. Mix till well combined.
- Add vanilla extract and eggs and mix till well combined.
- Add wet ingredients to the dry and mix till combined.
- Do not over-mix the batter, few pockets of flour is totally fine. The batter will be very thick.
- Fold in the chopped apples and pecans.
- Transfer batter to the prepared muffin pan and fill the 12 muffins pans with the batter all the way to the top.
- Sprinkle the crumb topping evenly on top of the muffins.
- Bake the muffins at 425 F degrees for 5 minutes and then reduce the temperature to 350 F degrees (with the muffins inside the oven) and bake for additional 15-17 minutes or till a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Transfer the muffins on to a wire rack to cool completely.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Apple Crumb Muffins
Hi, can I use green apples and regular white sugar for the recipe?
green apples are tart, might not be perfect for muffins but you can use them. Yes you can use white sugar, brown gives more flavor and makes the muffins more moist
I made these and they turned out awesome! They had that lovely domed top thanks to the oven temperature change! Such a great trick!
I know right, I love that trick! Glad you enjoyed them!
Thank you, it was last minute idea 😉
Thanks Danielle!
Thanks Kelly!!
Thank Stacey, apples are amazing!
Thank you Harriet!
Thanks Sarah! yay for fall baking!!
Thank you Ami!
Thank you Mir! I HATE winters too! :/
So true, only bloggers would understand! Thanks Marcie!
OMG! Manali, these apple muffins are marvellous! and that crumb on top, so so GOOD!!
Thank you Arpita!
Excellent pictures Manali. I just love crumb cakes. It’s tea time now, i just wish if i could somehow get a slice…:)
Thank you Remya! sending a slice your way 😉
WOW! This looks so yummy. I can have this anytime. Beautiful clicks dear 🙂
Thank you dear!
Apple muffins looks delicious..very beautiful clicks
Thank you Gayathri! 🙂
Apple season is almost here so the recipe is perfect!! These muffins look so moist and fluffy. Love it!! Pinning.
Thank you dear!
Thank you Rachelle!
Thank you Angie!
Thank you Alice, crumb is the best part about these muffins!
Thank you Medha!
Looking forward to yours! Thanks Sabrina 🙂
Thank you Jen, glad you like them!
Thank you Annie, they were very moist and delicious 🙂
Thanks Mira!
These look amazing, Manali! I can’t even remember the last time I had apple muffins. It’s definitely time to change that. 🙂
Yes definitely it’s time to change that! Thanks Sina!
These crumb apple muffins are looking really delicious. Love the pictures 🙂
Thank you Rachna!
crumbly apple muffins are so yummy…
Thanks Amrita!
I’m going apple picking next weekend, so will make a batch of these with the new apples 🙂 These look great – I love the whole wheat, and thers’s not too much sugar. Lovely pics, too!