Description
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 🙂
Ingredients
Streusel Crumb Topping:
- 3/4 cup (97g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1/3 cup (67g) packed brown sugar, light or dark
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 6 tablespoons (90g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Muffin Batter:
- 2 cups (260g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed brown sugar, light or dark
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (115g) cool unsalted butter, cubed
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup (120mL) milk
- 1/4 cup (60mL) vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Apple Layer:
- 1 1/2 cups Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced (about 2 apples) *SEE NOTES
- 1/4 cup (50g) packed brown sugar, light or dark
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Icing (optional):
- 1/2 cup (60g) powdered sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons water or milk
Instructions
Streusel Crumb Topping:
- Preheat your oven to 375F. Line a muffin tin with 12 paper liners and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, mix together all the ingredients for the streusel until combined and you're left with a crumbly mixture.
- Set the streusel aside in the fridge while you prep the other parts.
Muffin batter:
- In a large bowl, combine flour, both sugars, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and butter.
- Use a fork, your fingers, or an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment to cut the butter into the dry ingredients. The butter pieces should be very fine and crumbly and the mixture should resemble moist sand.
- Push the dry ingredients off to the sides of the bowl to create a little well in the center. Then add in the eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla.
- Whisk the wet ingredients in the center to break them up and then move out to incorporate the dry ingredients. Keep whisking until you have a streak free batter. A few small clumps are fine.
- Divide the muffin batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each one just a little below full. Set aside.
Apple Layer:
- In a medium bowl, toss together apples, sugar, and cinnamon to combine.
- Evenly spoon about 1 tablespoon of the apples on top of the batter in each muffin cup.
- Take the streusel out of the fridge and use a fork to break it up into smaller pieces. Sprinkle it evenly on top of each muffin. The cups will be filled past the top at this point.
- Bake the muffins in the center of your preheated 375F oven for 20-25 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool the muffins for 5-10 minutes in the pan then move them onto a wire rack to finish cooling. Cool until slightly warm or room temperature.
Icing (Optional):
- In a medium bowl or cup, whisk together powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon of water or milk until smooth and pourable. If it's too thick, mix in a splash more water or milk. If it's too thin, mix in a few tablespoons more sugar.
- Drizzle the icing over the muffins then dig in!
Notes
* Try to look for firm apples that hold their shape whenever using them in baking. My favorite apples to use are Granny Smith, but some other amazing options include Honey Crisp, Braeburn, and Fuji apples.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Muffins
