Apple Crumb Muffins

Inspired by this apple crumb cake recipe, these apple crumb muffins are full of fall flavor. Packing three delicious layers: we have a tender and buttery muffin base, tart and sweet spiced apple layer, and a crispy streusel topping. They feature all the classic flavors of apple pie but in a much easier baking project.

* This post was updated with new photos and a slightly modified recipe. If you like the old recipe, you can still find it at the end of this post 🙂

These muffins are seriously like apple pie in muffin form! You get three different layers with distinct textures to compliment each other. The bottom layer is a soft, cakey base that's topped with a jammy diced apple layer. They're finished off with a crisp and crumbly streusel and a little icing drizzled on top!

no room temperature ingredients?

One of the best parts about these muffins is that they don't need anything brought up to room temperature! You really only need to wait for the melted butter in the streusel to cool down, but that's usually ready in no time.

The muffin batter uses cool butter so we still have that deliciously rich flavor but without waiting for it to come up to room temperature. This is all thanks to the fact that these muffins are made using the reverse creaming method.

Reverse creaming essentially involves mixing the butter into the dry ingredients (instead of creaming together butter and sugar like the more traditional method involves). The fat coats the flour and inhibits the development of gluten (which is what usually makes cakes tough). The result is an extra tender crumb that's rich, buttery, and perfectly sturdy enough to hold up to the layers on top - but it's still VERY soft and spongy. It's also just an all around easier way to make the batter!

how to make apple crumb muffins

There are 4 total components to these muffins - but don't let that scare you off! They're all so so easy to make, and the most time consuming part is just measuring out the ingredients. As always, you can find the full recipe at the bottom of this post, but here's a quick look at how these muffins are made.

This recipe starts with the streusel, and the process to make it simply involves dropping all the ingredients together in a bowl and mixing! It's then set aside in the fridge while the other components are prepped. It will be a bit moist at first, but as it sits in the fridge, it'll become the perfect crumbly consistency by the time you come to use it.

Next up is the muffin batter. I mentioned that the reverse creaming method is easier - and I'm not kidding! You can basically sum up the whole process in 2 steps. First, the dry ingredients and butter are all cut together until fine and crumbly. The key here is to make the butter pieces SUPER small. It should look kind of like moist sand.

Then the second step is to mix in all the remaining wet ingredients. No need to whisk them beforehand! Just drop them into the same bowl and whisk it all together to complete the muffin batter. Once it's ready, you can portion it into the muffin tin, filling each cup just a hair below the top.

The third component is the apple layer. These sweet apples are made by just dropping all the ingredients into a bowl and mixing together. The sugar should mostly dissolve and the apples should look a little shiny. It's best to prep this layer last because the sugar will draw out moisture from the apples as they sit. If they sit for long, they'll release a lot of liquid.

Finally, the apple layer is spooned on top of the muffin batter and then the streusel is sprinkled on top before baking. The streusel will have hardened in the fridge, so use a fork to break it up into little pieces before topping the muffins. After everything is layered, the muffin cups should be filled past the top - this is one of the keys to a TALL muffin!

baking apple crumb muffins

A lot of muffin recipes start with a high initial heat to push the muffins up and then continue baking at a lower heat to cook the muffins through. These muffins are simply baked at one, consistent heat of 375F. It's high enough to encourage the muffins to puff up nicely but low enough to allow the muffins to bake through gradually. It just makes the process a bit easier and removes an additional step of adjusting the oven temperature!

The muffins are ready to come out of the oven once they're golden brown and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out with a few moist crumbs but no wet batter. The skewer shouldn't be completely clean otherwise that could indicate the muffins are overbaked / dry.

more apple muffin tips

1. Flour: When measuring flour, it's always best to use a scale for the most accurate measurements. If using cups, don't scoop the measuring cup directly into the bag of flour or it'll pack in more weight and dry out the muffins! Instead, use a utensil to lightly spoon the flour into your measuring cup.
2. Ingredient temperature: This muffin recipe is made with cool ingredients, but it also works with room temperature if you prefer. Just make sure that, whatever you choose, all of the ingredients are at the same temperature to ensure the batter comes together properly.
3. Baking & cooling: Keep an eye on the muffins when the bake time comes close to ending to ensure they don't dry out. Cool the muffins for a few minutes in the tray to make them easier to transfer then finish cooling on a wire rack. If you cool the muffins completely in the pan, they could still potentially dry out from the residual heat of the pan.
4. Icing: Once baked, the muffins are cooled slightly before icing. They can be iced while warm, just make sure they're not hot or the icing will melt. The icing is made by simply mixing together powdered sugar and water until pourable and then drizzled on top of the muffins. If you want, you can skip the icing and serve the muffins plain or with a light dusting of powdered sugar.
5. Storage: Cool the muffins completely to room temperature then keep the muffins stored in an airtight container or plastic bag. The less air they're exposed to, the longer they're stay moist! They should keep for about 3 days at room temperature, one week in the fridge, or 3 months in the freezer!
6. Reheating muffins: If you find the streusel topping has softened any time during storage, you can heat the muffins in a 350°F oven for 5 minutes or until crisped back up.

check out these other apple recipes!

• Apple Coffee Cake
• Apple Pie Cookies
• Apple Crumble Cheesecake
• Apple Hand Pies
• Cranberry Apple Mocktail
• Moist Spice Cake

more sweet breakfast ideas

• BEST Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
• Homemade Banana Bread
• Quick and Easy Carrot Muffins
• Blueberry Muffins
• Ultimate Pancakes Recipe
• BEST Banana Muffins

Lastly, if you made this or any of my recipes, be sure to leave a comment and review below! I love hearing your thoughts! Also tag me on Instagram @eatsdelightfulblog so I can see what you're making.

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Print

Enjoy!

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Old recipe:

For the streusel topping:

• ⅔ cups (80g) all-purpose flour, spoon and leveled
• ⅓ cup (70g) packed brown sugar, light or dark
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 5 tablespoons (75g) cold unsalted butter, cubed

For the apple layer:

• 1 & ¼ cups Granny Smith apples (peeled, cored, and diced (about 2 medium apples) *see notes)
• ¼ cup (50g) packed brown sugar, light or dark
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the muffin base batter:

• 2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour, spoon and leveled
• ⅔ cup (135g) granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup (1 stick / 115g) cool unsalted butter, cubed
• 2 large eggs
• ½ cup (120mL) milk
• ¼ cup (60mL) vegetable oil, or any neutral flavored oil
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat your oven to 375°F. Line a 12 count muffin tin with paper liners, and set aside.
2. Make the streusel topping: In a medium bowl, combine all of the streusel ingredients (flour, sugar, cinnamon, and butter). Using a fork or pastry cutter, mash together until you're left with crumbly mixture that sticks together when you pinch it with your fingers. Cover and set aside in your fridge until ready to use.
3. Make the apple layer: In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients for the apple layer (apples, sugar, and cinnamon). Toss together to coat the apples in the sugar and cinnamon, and set aside to prep the muffin batter.
4. Make the muffin batter: In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Whisk together, then add in your butter. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients using a fork or pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
5. Add the eggs, milk, vegetable oil, and vanilla to the flour / butter mixture. Whisk together until well combined. A few clumps in the batter are totally normal.
6. Layer the muffins: Scoop the muffin batter into your prepare muffin tin cups, filling each cup a little over halfway full with the batter. Top each cup with a bit of the diced apple layer (if the apples have let out any liquid - which they usually will do - drain as much out as you can before topping the muffins). Top each muffin with your streusel topping.
7. Bake the muffins in the center of your preheated 375°F oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean of any batter (the skewer may appear wet because of the apple layer though - so just watch out for batter on the skewer).
8. Cool the muffins in your muffin tin for about 10 minutes, then transfer onto a wire rack and set aside to cool completely. Serve plain or topped with a simple powdered sugar icing!

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