Apple Muffins with Cinnamon-Sugar Topping

These apple-cinnamon muffins are packed with huge apple flavor thanks to apple cider and chopped, cooked apples, with a fabulous cinnamon-sugar crunch on top. You’ll want to make an extra batch or two to keep in the freezer!

Aside from the robust apple flavor, the topping on these muffins is absolutely TO DIE FOR… a combination of granulated and brown sugar, along with cinnamon – it’s a wonderfully sweet, crunchy coating and will make you want to save the top for last (at least, I did!).

Whether you go apple picking at a local orchard or just grab your favorites from the grocery store, these apple-cinnamon muffins NEED to go on your fall baking list. They’re not as quick to come together as most, but they are well worth every single second of prep time. We are obsessed with them!

How to make them from scratch

This recipe is a little bit of an exception to quick one-bowl muffin recipes since you cook the apples down with some butter and brown sugar first, but it is 100% worth the extra time. This is how we make them:

1. Cook the apples with butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon until the moisture has evaporated. Set aside to cool.
2. Prep the pan.
3. Whisk together the dry ingredients.
4. Whisk the wet ingredients.
5. Add the apple cider, yogurt, and vanilla to the wet ingredients.
6. Fold the wet ingredients and cooked apples with the dry ingredients.
7. Divide between the muffin cups.
8. Sprinkle with the cinnamon-sugar topping.
9. Bake until golden brown and there are a few moist crumbs on a toothpick.

Prepping the apples

The Best Apples to Use

The types of apples most preferred for baking need to be firm enough to hold their shape during the baking process and not turn to mush. While Granny Smith is a natural first choice, all of these other apples are fantastic (and delicious!) substitutes:

• Honeycrisp
• Jonagold
• Golden Delicious
• Pink Lady
• Braeburn
• Cortland

Chopped vs shredded

Cooking down chopped apples helps remove the excess moisture that would otherwise seep out if you were to stir uncooked apples into the batter, which would create dense and mushy muffins. We don’t want those!

If you prefer the texture of shredded apples throughout the muffins, I would recommend shredding on the large holes of a box grater and then cooking as directed in the recipe below, but you will not need to cook the shredded apples as long as the chopped apples.

P.S. I use my favorite swivel peeler to peel apples!

Mix-in ideas

If you want to change up the recipe a bit to suit your tastes or just want to try something different, here are a few ideas:

• Chopped Nuts: Walnuts or pecans would be delicious! Use ½ to 1 cup in the recipe.
• Raisins or other dried fruit: Chopped dates or cranberries would be delicious! Add ½ to 1 cup in the recipe.

Topping ideas

If you’d like to skip the cinnamon-sugar topping and try something different, here are a few ideas:

• Crumble topping: Use the topping from my New York crumb cake and sprinkle over the top of these muffins for something extra special!
• Chopped Nuts: Toss in a couple of tablespoons of finely chopped walnuts with the cinnamon and sugars for extra crunch.
• Drizzle with glaze: You can use this in addition to the cinnamon-sugar topping, or on its own. Whisk together 1 cup powdered sugar + 1 tablespoon milk + 1 teaspoon vanilla and drizzle over cooled muffins. You can replace the milk with apple cider or apple juice.

Muffin pans and liners

Any standard 12-cup muffin pan will work for these muffins. I’ve had the Wilton Everglide Avanti muffin pan for ages, but it is not readily available in most places anymore. If you can’t get your hands on one, my next recommendation is the USA Muffin Pan.

You can spray the pan with non-stick cooking spray or use liners. I’ve used tons of different types of liners over the years, and I absolutely prefer the basic white paper liners. You can find them at just about any grocery store or craft store, but they are incredibly inexpensive if you buy them in bulk online (and they last forever!).

Storing and freezing instructions

There are a few different options for storing these muffins:

• Room Temperature – Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
• Refrigerator – Kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator, these muffins will stay fresh for up to 1 week.
• Freezer – Once completely cooled, wrap each muffin in plastic wrap and place in an airtight container or ziplock freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
• To Reheat – Reheat in the oven (or toaster oven) at 350 degrees F, wrapped in foil, for 15 to 25 minutes. Reheat in a microwave – place on a plate, cover with a damp paper towel and heat for 15 to 30 seconds. In both cases, use the longer time if the muffins were cold or frozen; shorter time if they were at room temperature.

More of my favorite muffins:

• The Best Blueberry Muffins
• Morning Glory Muffins
• Triple Chocolate Chunk Muffins
• Chocolate Chip Muffins
• Banana Muffins
• Pumpkin and Cream Cheese Muffins with Pecan Streusel
• Zucchini-Chocolate Chip Muffins

If you make the apple muffins and love them, I would so appreciate it if you would take a moment to leave a rating below. Thank you so much! ❤️️

[Photography by Ari of Well Seasoned]