Description
A delicious recipe for moist and flavorful Apple Cinnamon Muffins, featuring shredded granny smith apples, warm spices like cinnamon and nutmeg, and a two-layer batter with apple butter for an extra burst of apple flavor. These muffins have a crispy cinnamon sugar topping and are perfect for a cozy breakfast or snack.
Ingredients
Fruits
- 2 large granny smith apples (about 275g after peeled and cored, shredded)
Dry Ingredients
- 300 grams all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp cinnamon
- 2 tsp nutmeg
Wet Ingredients
- 113 grams salted butter (melted)
- 250 grams light brown sugar (lightly packed)
- 3 large eggs (room temperature)
- 190 grams unsweetened applesauce
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 130 grams apple butter (or 1/4 cup applesauce mixed with 1/4 cup brown sugar and 2 tsp cinnamon)
Topping
- 2-3 Tbsp cinnamon sugar (for topping, optional – granulated or raw sugar)
Instructions
- Prepare the Apples: Peel, core, and slice the granny smith apples. Place them in a food processor and pulse until shredded—no large chunks but not pureed.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large bowl, whisk the melted salted butter and light brown sugar until thoroughly combined.
- Add Eggs: Add one room temperature egg at a time, whisking each until fully incorporated and the mixture lightens in color, about 30 seconds per egg.
- Add Applesauce and Vanilla: Whisk in the unsweetened applesauce and pure vanilla extract until the batter is smooth.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: Gradually add the dry flour mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing just until some streaks of flour remain.
- Fold in Shredded Apples: Gently fold the shredded apples into the batter until evenly distributed.
- Rest the Batter: Cover the bowl with a lid, plastic wrap, or a tea towel and let the batter rest at room temperature for 1 hour.
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Muffin Tins: Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C) and line muffin tins for 12 muffins.
- Fill Muffin Tins – First Layer: Use a small cookie scooper to fill each muffin tin halfway with batter. Then spread about 1/2 tablespoon of apple butter onto each muffin.
- Add Second Layer: Top the apple butter with the remaining batter until muffins are filled past the top. This yields 12 large muffins or 13-15 normal-sized muffins.
- Add Cinnamon Sugar Topping: Sprinkle 1-2 teaspoons of cinnamon sugar over each muffin for a crispy top.
- Initial Bake: Bake muffins at 425°F (218°C) for 5 minutes.
- Reduce Temperature and Finish Baking: Lower the oven temperature to 375°F (190°C) and bake for an additional 13-15 minutes, until muffins are golden brown and spring back when pressed gently.
- Cool and Serve: Remove muffins from oven and cool for at least 10-20 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Resting the batter for an hour helps develop flavor and improve texture.
- Use granny smith apples for a tart balance to the sweet batter.
- Apple butter can be homemade or store-bought, and can be substituted as described in the ingredients.
- You can adjust the number of muffins by changing their size; baking time may vary slightly.
- Ensure eggs are room temperature for better batter emulsification.
- For a crispier top, don’t skip the cinnamon sugar topping.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Baking
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
