Apple crumble muffins are an easy fall treat of moist apple cake with buttery crumble and a drizzle of sweet icing! Make this recipe with fresh apples and pantry staples and your home will smell like fall!!
Nothing says fall like freshly picked apples and the scent of warm spices like cinnamon and nutmeg!
Caramel Apple Poke Cake combines all flavor of this apple muffin recipe with caramel pudding and whipped brown sugar cream cheese icing.
For fall flavor in cocktail form, try a Caramel Apple Pie Martini. It has a silky texture with just a little kick to keep you warm.
Or make the best stuffing recipe ever, my Sausage Cranberry Apple Stuffing. Sweet, savory, and tart flavors combine with a delicious sauce made right in the same pan.
Apple Crumble Muffins
Apple Cinnamon Muffin Recipe Tips
- With or without liners
If you’ll be enjoying these yourself, feel free to skip the paper liners and just grease the muffin pan. However, paper liners make it easier and more sanitary to serve these to guests or at a bake sale.
- Don’t over mix the crumble topping
If you apply too much pressure or mix for too long, everything will form into a thick paste. The goal is for the mixture to be crumbly with larger chunks throughout.
That way, you’ll get little pockets of sugar and spice when you bite into the muffins.
- Making the powdered sugar glaze
Start with about half of the liquid to see what the consistency is like. Then, slowly add a little more at a time to thin out the icing as needed.
It should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, but thin enough to drizzle smoothly over the muffins.
- Muffin pan - Silicone is a great non-stick option, but a standard metal pan helps muffins to brown evenly all the way around.
- Grater - Use a box grater or any shape that has larger sized holes on it.
- Mixing bowls - It’s good to have a variety of mixing bowls and prep bowls, and this set has them all!
- Electric mixer - Use a handheld or stand mixer to make the muffin batter, specifically to cream the butter, sugar, and eggs. Mix in the dry ingredients as well to save time, or use a large spoon instead.
- Whisk - I’ve had this set for over 10 years, and it is still as good as the day I bought it. With 3 different sizes, there is a whisk for every job.
Apple Crumble Muffins FAQ
While frosting and icing made with milk typically needs to be kept chilled, this glaze is perfectly safe to keep at room temperature after it completely dries onto the crumble..
So, no, the cinnamon apple muffins do not need to be kept in the refrigerator. Store covered or in an airtight container on the counter for 3-4 days.
PRO TIP:
Lining the container with a paper towel can help delay the muffins from becoming soggy for a few days.
Sure! Allow the muffins to cool completely before wrapping individually in plastic wrap. Then, place in a freezer-safe ziptop bag or container and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Thaw in the refrigerator, then remove the plastic wrap before eating. The texture of the crumble topping may become softer, but it will still be delicious.
Warm in the microwave or heat in the oven to crisp up the topping if you’d like.
These can be stored with or without the powdered sugar glaze. You can always make a fresh batch to drizzle over the muffins once thawed.
Any variety of baking apple will work well in this recipe, depending on how sweet or tart of a flavor you prefer.
Or, try something completely different by replacing some or all of the apples with pears instead!
The following are some of the most popular varieties because they are firmer and hold their shape better when baked:
- Jonagold
- Honeycrisp
- Gala
- Braeburn
- Pink Lady
Apple Crumble Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 Cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract (or vanilla bean paste)
- 2 Granny Smith apples - 1 grated and 1 diced (about 1 cup of each)
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2-4 tablespoons milk or heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a 12 cup muffin pan or line it with muffin wrappers.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat together butter, sugar and eggs until smooth with an electric mixer. Mix in vanilla. Pour half of the dry mixture into the wet mixture and mix until combined. Pour the remaining dry mixture in and continue mixing until combined. Fold in the apples with a spatula or spoon.
- Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin pan or use a cookie scoop, filling the muffin wells about 3/4 of the way full. Set aside.
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, both sugars and cinnamon. Using a fork, mix in the melted butter until large crumbs start to form. Don’t over mix. Spoon the crumbles on top of the batter and lightly stress down to make them stick.
- Bake 20-22 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Allow to sit 5 minutes before removing muffins from pan. Cool on a wire rack.
- Make the icing: Whisk the powdered sugar and 2 tbsp. of milk together until combined and smooth, if the icing needs to be thinner then add the remaining 1-2 tbsp. and mix until the desired consistency is reached. Drizzle over muffins and serve warm.
- Store covered at room temperature.
Copyright ©2020 The Slow Roasted Italian – All rights reserved.
Originally published October 2020
Disclosure: Posts may contain affiliate links. If you purchase a product through an affiliate link your price will remain the same and The Slow Roasted Italian will automatically receive a small commission. Thank you for supporting us, it helps us keep creating new recipes.