Apple Cinnamon Streusel Muffins

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These easy homemade Apple Cinnamon Streusel Muffins are moist and tender with a buttery cinnamon streusel topping! They are full of apples and the perfect fall breakfast!

Best Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Since post my blueberry muffins a couple months ago, I’ve been exited to make ALL THE MUFFINS! I’m fairly picky about a muffin and having a great base as a starting point is awesome. If you haven’t tried those, you definitely need to, but now you also need to add these to the list. They are so addicting!

These apple muffins have two full cups of chopped apples in them, plus a little more than half a cup of applesauce for some extra apple flavor. They are excellent for making ahead because they get even better the next day. The moisture and flavor from the apples really sets in and they become even more irresistible.

Apple season is right around the corner and as summer winds down and apple picking begins, these muffins will be the perfect way to enjoy those apples. And since you don’t have to use a mixer, they are also great for making with kiddos. How fun to go apple picking AND bake with the same apples!

What You’ll Need

Get your ingredients together and let’s do this!

For the Cinnamon Streusel Topping

• Sugar
• All-Purpose Flour: This recipe hasn’t been tested with 1:1 gluten-free flour, but you should be able to make the swap with no issues.
• Ground Cinnamon
• Unsalted Butter: Cold and cut into cubes.

For the Apple Muffins

• All-Purpose Flour: NOT self-rising flour.
• Baking Powder: For rise and texture.
• Baking Soda: The combination of baking soda and baking powder gives just the right rise and texture.
• Ground Cinnamon: Apples and cinnamon just go together.
• Salt: For flavor, don’t leave it out.
• Unsalted Butter: This time, it should be melted.
• Applesauce: Using applesauce in place of additional butter or oil adds even more apple flavor to these muffins.
• Light Brown Sugar: Packed into the measuring cup. For extra flavor.
• Sugar
• Egg
• Vanilla Extract
• Fresh Chopped Apples: You should use about 2 medium sized apples to get 2 cups of chopped apples.

How to Make Apple Cinnamon Streusel Muffins

Feel free to make your muffins in advance and store them in an airtight container once they’ve cooled completely. They get even better the next day!

Make the Streusel

Prep for Baking: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Prepare a muffin pan with liners.

Combine Dry Ingredients: Add the sugar, flour and cinnamon to a medium-sized bowl and whisk until the dry ingredients are combined.

Add Butter: Cut the butter into the flour mixture until the butter is fully incorporated and the mixture is crumbly. Set the streusel aside.

Make the Muffins

Combine Dry Ingredients: Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Set the mixture aside.

Combine Wet Ingredients: Add the melted butter, applesauce and sugars to a large mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Add the egg and vanilla extract, whisking until the wet ingredients are well combined.

Combine Mixtures: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and gently stir until the batter is just well combined. Do not over-mix it – the batter will be thick.

Add Apples: Fold in the chopped apples.

Fill Muffin Tin: Fill the muffin cups about 3/4 of the way full, then divide the crumb topping between the muffins. You should have enough batter for 12 muffins.

Bake: Bake the apple muffins for about 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Let Cool: Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 3-5 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack. You can enjoy them while they’re still a bit warm or wait until they reach room temperature.

Tips for the Best Muffins

Make sure your muffins are as tasty as possible with these tips and tricks.

• Avoid Over-Measuring the Flour: Instead of scooping up the flour directly, spoon it into your measuring cup and level it off at the top, fluffing up the flour in the bag between each spoonful. Even better is to use a food scale, if you have one.
• Use Cold Butter For the Streusel: If you make your streusel topping with room-temperature butter, it’s going to be hard to cut into the dry ingredients, which is what makes it crumbly and gives you that lovely streusel. Use it cold and cut/mash it into the dry ingredients.
• Don’t Over-Mix the Batter: Over-mixed batter will bake into overly dense muffins. Put that spatula down as soon as everything is well combined, then fold in the apples gently. This ensures that the texture of the muffins will be just right.
• Don’t Overfill the Muffin Tin: This can cause the muffins to overflow the pan and they may actually end up sinking in the middle.

Variations

Everyone has different preferences, so here are a few options for changes.

• Skip the Streusel: These muffins are incredible even without the streusel topping. If you’d like, you can leave it off or top each muffin with 1 1/2 teaspoons of turbinado sugar instead.
• No Applesauce? If you don’t have applesauce and really don’t want to have to use it, you can substitute it for substitute it for 1/4 cup vegetable oil and 6 tablespoons of sour cream. You will lose a little bit of apple flavor though.

How to Store Homemade Apple Cinnamon Streusel Muffins

Extra Apple Cinnamon Streusel Muffins should be kept in an airtight container at room temperature after they’ve cooled. They will last for up to 3 days. You can transfer them to the fridge for an extra day or two.

Can I Freeze These?

You sure can! I like to freeze the cooled muffins on a baking sheet for 15-30 minutes before I wrap each one in cling wrap to prevent the streusel from sticking to the plastic. Once each muffin is tightly wrapped, freeze them in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Unwrap them and thaw them out in the fridge or on the counter before you enjoy them.

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More Great Apple Recipes

• Easy Apple Crisp
• Homemade Apple Bread
• Caramel Apple Trifles
• Apple Snickerdoodle Cookies