When it comes to baking at home, we hope our recipes will turn out as good (if not better) than the bakery down the street. It’s a fair expectation, and homemade treats should be well worth your time and your efforts. Rest assured, these Apple Crumble Muffins will not disappoint.
Not only will we cover what it takes to whip up an incredible batch of apple muffins, but we’ll also get you caught up on what it takes to make the perfect crumble topping, along with tips for freezing your muffins for make-ahead mornings on the go!
This is a sponsored post written by The Anthony Kitchen in conjunction with Rodelle Vanilla. All opinions are entirely my own.
Muffins are a great morning staple to have on hand, as they stay fresh for days and are freezer-friendly. It’s a breakfast treat you can serve to the whole family and expect to hear only thanks and gratitude in return. Yes. A complaint-free morning. It’s practically every mother’s dream. Top it off with a perfect Apple Crumble Muffin and a quiet cup of coffee, and we’re essentially looking at pure bliss here, people.
So what is pure bliss in Apple Muffin form? This is the criteria we set before ourselves on a quest to make the perfect morning treat:
- Must have a tender crumb on the inside.
- A delectable crumble topping.
- Must be easy to make.
APPLE MUFFIN INGREDIENTS
- Apples – In most baking recipes involving apples, you might have noticed a common call for firm, tart apples. This is not the case with Apple Crumble Muffins. For muffins, you want to use a softer variety of apples. Golden Delicious or yellow apples are perfect for this recipe.
- All-Purpose Flour
- Sugar – You’ll need both brown sugar and granulated sugar for the crumble topping, and brown sugar only for the Apple Muffin Batter. Light brown sugar is preferable, but if you only have dark brown sugar, you can use that as well.
- Baking Powder – Baking powder and baking soda are not interchangeable ingredients, so be sure you are working with baking powder when assembling your Apple Muffin batter.
- Fine Sea Salt
- Ground Cinnamon
- Butter – Take note, you will need your butter to be very cold for the crumble topping and melted butter for the muffins. Make sure you use only unsalted butter!
- Large Eggs
- Whole Milk
- Vanilla – For this recipe, we used Rodelle’s Vanilla Extract. It has a rich, deep dark brown color, and is produced from the highest quality bourbon vanilla beans. Their percolation process produces high-caliber vanilla, and it is a difference you can see, smell, and most importantly, taste.
MUFFIN CRUMBLE TOPPING
A crumble is a mixture of flour, sugar, and cold butter. Cold butter is key to a perfect crumble, and if your butter is at any other temperature, you’re essentially going to end up with a thick batter instead. Cold butter cubes are mixed into the flour/sugar mixture via a method called “cutting.”
A pastry blender is probably the most common and efficient tool out there for cutting butter, but you could also use a food processor or two knives to work the mixture into a proper crumble.
The crumble is ready to use when the butter cubes have been broken up into teeny-tiny pieces, just a touch smaller than a pea. Another great way to tell if your crumble is ready is by the texture. The mixture should feel somewhat like damp sand.
HOW TO MAKE THE BEST APPLE CRUMBLE MUFFINS
To make apple crumble muffins with a tender crumb and a perfect crumble topping, you’ll begin with the crumble. Before you move into the batter, do yourself a favor and knock out that prep work first.
- Make the Crumble Topping – Mix together flour, sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Then, add the butter and cut it into the dry mixture until the mixture begins to resemble a texture similar to damp sand.
- Prep the Apples – Golden Delicious or yellow apples are perfect for making Apple Muffins. Peel and dice them into 1/4″ cubes.
- Mix the Dry Ingredients – To mix the dry ingredients for the Apple Crumble Muffins all you need is a mixing bowl and a whisk. Don’t you just love the simple things?
- Mix the Wet Ingredients – Mixing the wet ingredients is just as easy as mixing the dry. Bonus! Whisk together sugar, eggs, vanilla, and the melted butter.
- Make the Batter – Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and very gently, stir to combine. Be sure to stop as soon as the batter comes together. Over-mixing the batter can cause them to be tough. Add in those apples, stir once more, and start scooping.
- Scoop and Bake! – Fill the muffin tin with liners, followed by a scoop of batter, sprinkle on the crumble topping, and transfer to the oven. The muffins are ready when the tops are springy to the touch and the muffins are a beautiful golden brown. Can’t you just smell the cinnamon already?
MORE YUMMY MUFFIN RECIPES TO TRY!
- Cinnamon-Sugar Donut Muffins
- Cinnamon Apple Muffins
- Cream Cheese Pumpkin Muffins
- Easy Pumpkin Muffins
HOW TO FREEZE APPLE MUFFINS
To freeze apple muffins simply allow them to cool completely and place them in either a freezer-safe, ziptop bag or an airtight, freezer-safe storage container. If using the plastic bag, remove as much as possible (without squishing the muffins) before sealing. If using a storage container, try to find a container that fits the muffin just right. You don’t want a ton of blank space in there.
So not only do you have an easy muffin recipe on hand, you have a make-ahead muffin recipe on hand. This means mornings just got a whole lot easier…and a whole lot tastier.
ARE APPLE MUFFINS HEALTHY?
This is a grey area. Are there healthy apples in the muffin? Absolutely. Is there a somewhat limited amount of sugar per serving? Yes, in this particular recipe, there is. But healthy isn’t necessarily a black-and-white term, and it doesn’t mean the same thing to everyone. Therefore, we could get away with calling apple muffins healthy-ish, but probably due to the oil, flour, and sugar (limited as it may be), we can’t rightfully call them 100% healthy.
That’s not to say you couldn’t find a whole-grain or paleo apple muffin recipe but if you want your muffins to be a real breakfast treat, settle with healthy-ish.
5 MORE APPLE RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE
- Apple Strudel with layer upon layer of flaky crust and a flavorful apple filling is a dessert that could conjure the whole family just by scent alone the moment it comes out of the oven!
- Apple Pudding is a festive apple dessert that everyone will thoroughly enjoy, yet doesn’t take all day in the kitchen! It’s a quick-fix that’s decadently moist, loaded with big apple flavor, easy to make and tastes amazing. Think bread pudding meets cake.
- Homemade Apple Pie doesn’t need to be complicated and you certainly don’t need an onslaught of ingredients. You can make a perfect apple pie with nothing but the essentials…and this recipe!
- Easy Apple Pumpkin Butter is the perfect appetizer for entertaining, and looks particularly adorable on a cookie platter! Learn how to arrange a beautiful platter and make a stellar spread your guests will adore!
- Baked Brie with Apples and Walnuts is the perfect mix of sweet and savory, melty and crunchy. It features apples smothered in a cinnamon, caramel-type sauce, and melty baked brie. It’s easy to make and perfect for any party!
Perfectly tender and fluffy Apple Crumble Muffins, with a crumble topping and a hint of cinnamon.
- 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup cold butter, cut into small cubes
- 1 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, separated
- 2 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2 cups finely diced apple, from a peeled Golden Delicious or yellow apple
-
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, stir together flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, sea salt, and cinnamon.
-
Using a pastry blender, cut the butter, into the mixture until it starts to come together and has a texture similar to sand. Set aside until ready to use.
-
Preheat the oven to 425° and have ready a greased, 12-cup muffin tin lined with muffin liners.
-
In a medium-sized mixing bowl whisk together 1 3/4 cup flour, baking powder, fine sea salt, and cinnamon.
-
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together brown sugar, eggs, milk, and vanilla. Whisk in melted butter. With a sturdy spoon, stir in dry ingredients just until the batter comes together. Do not overmix.
-
Toss the diced apples in the remaining 2 tablespoons of flour, add to batter, and gently to combine.
-
Fill the muffin liners 3/4 of the way full and top each with a scant tablespoon of the crumble. Bake for 15 minutes. Allow to cool slightly.
Recipe Video
If you have leftover batter, reserve and add to muffin tin once the first batch of muffins has finished baking and the tin has cooled slightly.
Consider using parchment paper muffin liners. If you don't have this kind, it's best to spray the muffin liners and the pan with cooking spray before adding the batter.
Makes 14-16 muffins.
Those are gorgeous muffins. Love that crumb topping.
I love having muffins on hand, either just for the family or for guests. These look absolutely wonderful!
Now this is my kind of breakfast! I love getting a bit of apple in every bite. These look amazing!
These apple muffins looks so good. Perfect to use up some of the apples from my tree! I love that they’re freezable muffins too.
what a great crown on those muffins and that topping is to die for I bet those were gone in 60 seconds!
I love quick and easy recipes like this one! 🙂 I will be trying it out soon.
There’s nothing better than a moist delicious muffin covered with bakery style crumbs! These muffins look fabulous and perfect for a quick on-the-go fall “healthy-ish” (count me in) breakfast.
There’s way too much crumble top for 12 muffins. Are the amounts of ingredients correct?
Hi Mariela! You should have muffin batter for 14-16 muffins. This explains why you have an excess of crumble topping, but also note, you don’t have to use all of the crumble topping. Be sure you are only filling the muffin tin 3/4 of the way full or your bake time will be affected. Hope this helps!
I just made these. They are really good. Can I make it in a sheet pan instead of muffins?
Hi Rebecca! I’ve not tested that, so I can’t recommend it. Probably best to stick with the muffin pan for now 😉
Do you think McIntosh muffins would be okay?
I meant McIntosh apples not muffins lol
Hi Briana! Yes, I believe McIntosh would be fine for this recipe 🙂
Would honey crisp apples work?
Honeycrisp apples are delicious (my favorite, actually), but might be a little too firm for this recipe. If you don’t mind your apples al dente, they might be fine though 😉
I used Honey Crisp and grated the apple. They came out amazing.
Can you use skim milk?
As I’m sure you know, skim milk has much less fat than whole milk. Fat in baked goods adds to both the flavor and the texture of the final product. I’m not sure that using skim milk would keep the muffins from baking properly, but long story short, they might not be quite as good 😉 Whichever route you choose, happy baking!
Loved this recipe!
The muffins were buttery and so yummy! I used buttermilk instead of milk.
I will definitely make them again! Thank you!
Thank you so much, Jyoti!
My liners are all stuck and leaving so much yummy muffin behind. What went wrong?
I always use parchment paper muffin liners. If you don’t have this kind, it’s really best to spray the muffin liners and the pan with cooking spray before adding the batter. I’ll go ahead and add this tip to the recipe. Thanks so much for your comment!
I sprayed my tins with cooking spray instead of using liners. Let them cool a bit, then take them out using a butter knife
I really love Apple recipes and these Apple Crumble Muffins are just so perfect. I would love to have this on my plate for breakfast tomorrow. Thanks for sharing!
Amazingly moist and delicious! These are perfect apple muffins, so easy to make and with that gorgeous crumble on top!
What delicious muffins! They’re perfectly spiced and moist, and I just love that crumb topping — adds the perfect texture. Thanks for sharing!
This is my kind of breakfast! Thanks for the tips on the crumble topping and freezing!
I love apple in baked goods esp muffins!! This crumb topping looks delicious.
Thanks for such amazing information on this Apple Crumble Muffins. Awesome crumble topping. Will go well with my Tea Cup. Have to try a batch soon.
This looks so good! What a great breakfast meal prep for the whole family!
Thanks for sharing! Do they keep long?
I swear, I can smell these just by looking at the pictures! Apple muffins are such a comfort food for me, and that crumb topping is to die for!
I have an over abundance of apples right now and am trying to use them up before they spoil. I made a batch of these muffins and they were so good, I made 4 more batches and put the muffins in the freezer for later. Soooo delicious. Thanks for a great recipe!
That is awesome! I love these muffins for a freezer staple too! They’re perfect for a grab-and-go kind of morning 🙂
Apple things are my favorite and these muffins a new favorite in our house. I love that we can just freeze them, then grab and go and boom! Breakfast is done! Thanks for this great recipe!!
temp and how many apples how long to bake
Ran out of cupcake liners so I made it in a loaf pan instead. I used coconut oil to grease the pan then added parchment paper for good measure. I reduced the temperature to 350 and increased the time to 50 minutes. Worked out great. Thank you for the recipe!
I made a double batch of these muffins tonight and my husband said they are his new favorite! Delicious!!
For the 6th step, how much melted butter? Was it supposed to come out of the 6TBS melted butter? Or does the 6TBS melted butter all go into the batter? Thanks!
The 6 tbsp of melted butter goes into the apple muffin batter when you are mixing up the wet ingredients 🙂
I haven’t made it yet but it looks delicious. Do you think that I would be able to make it with gluten free flour or would that make it to dry.
I’m not sure about whether or not it would make it overly dry, but it would definitely change the texture significantly if you subbed in gluten-free flour. A bit more “chalky” on the palet. Best of luck!
My kids like mini muffins as samcks (and breakfast). Any idea how long I would have to bake them if I’m using a mini muffin tin? Would the temperature be the same?
The temperature would be the same and I would cut the bake time and half and check on them. If they need more time, just check every 2-3 minutes from there 🙂
I used almond milk and vegan butter in place of milk and butter and it’s still tasty. I love that they are moist on the inside thanks to the apples. I’ve already eaten two in the last 15 minutes.
That’s awesome! I’m so glad it worked tailored to suit your needs! Happy baking 🙂
I watched the video on apple crumble muffins that relates to this recipe. In the video, the presenter mentioned 2and half tsp brown sugar but the recipe states as 2 and half Tablespoon of brown sugar. Which is the right spoon measurement for brown sugar?
Tablespoons. Must have been a verbal error!