I absolutely love breakfast muffins, but very rarely make them at home. They always seem to be more of an extra-special treat, saved for a trip to the bakery or a weekend breakfast. Or, in my case, a trip to the hospital. While I was in the hospital after I had Joseph, I made it a habit of ordering the blueberry muffin from the breakfast menu from “room service”. I’m about 98% sure that it was one of those prepackaged muffins from a box, but boy did it hit the spot at the time.
These muffins were another one of the items that I made while I was still pregnant and stashed in the freezer for quick and easy breakfasts once I got home from the hospital. I love that the muffins are packed with apples and tons of flavor… the perfect way to spice up a sleep-deprived, dreary winter morning.
While I really can’t tout most muffins as health food (and these are no exception), these do include fruit, so that counts for something, right?!  Vegetable oil and buttermilk combine to create supremely moist muffins. Throw in a sugary, crunchy topping, and you have almost every possible flavor and texture covered.
If you want to freeze these, simply let them cool to room temperature, then wrap individually in plastic wrap and place in a zip-top freezer bag for up to 2 months. They thaw pretty quickly at room temperature, or you can microwave them to warm them up.
I really need to start making muffins more of an everyday habit, and not wait for a special occasion!
1. Make the Muffins: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a standard muffin tin with paper liners; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and allspice; set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, oil, brown sugar, egg and vanilla extract until well combined and no lumps of brown sugar remain.
4. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and, using a rubber spatula, fold until mostly combined. Add the chopped apple and fold gently until the apple is evenly distributed and no flour pockets remain.
5. Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups.
6. Make the Cinnamon-Sugar Crunch Topping: Stir together the melted butter, sugar and cinnamon until thoroughly combined, then spoon evenly over the tops of each muffin.
7. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool for 10 minutes in the muffin pan, then remove to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature. Muffins can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
What did I do wrong there was not enough topping to even come close to enough for topping each muffin. Also did you use buttermilk blend , I did. Couldnt find anything else but blend also says adf1 cup of water to the to the buttermilk mix, .. is that wrong?
My sons loves apple spice muffins it’s his bday. Tryong to make em just as store does eith the topping perfect and crumbly…
Hi Sheree, The buttermilk should be liquid buttermilk (like you would buy a quart of milk, only it’s buttermilk). You can increase the topping if you need more!
I found these to be lacking in flavour and definitely needed more sugar. I’m by no means a sugar fiend or much of a dessert person, but it’s relatively tasteless as it is.
Just made these and they tasted great :) they didn’t look nearly as pretty as yours though! Only negative thing was that they stuck pretty badly to the paper. I just had one question – how far up did you fill each muffin cup with batter?
I made these today with my kids – big hit all around! Your blog has really been speaking to me lately, between these muffins, the tortellini and the garlic bread from last week! Yum!
Yum, I love muffins and these are not too bad in fat and sugar content plus they have the goodness of buttermilk and apple (says semi-healthy to me!). I would add some walnuts for crunch. I will make these.
Yum! These are pretty low sugar for a muffin. You could probably substitute whole grain flour for a lot of the all-purpose to make them a little healthier for every day. Muffins make such a convenient breakfast.
They look wonderful and love that you planned ahead and froze some! Such a great feeling to pull something out of the freezer stash especially when it just saves the day :)
welcome to brown eyed baker!
Hello and welcome! I'm Michelle and I believe anyone can learn to confidently make recipes worthy of celebration.
What did I do wrong there was not enough topping to even come close to enough for topping each muffin. Also did you use buttermilk blend , I did. Couldnt find anything else but blend also says adf1 cup of water to the to the buttermilk mix, .. is that wrong?
My sons loves apple spice muffins it’s his bday. Tryong to make em just as store does eith the topping perfect and crumbly…
Hi Sheree, The buttermilk should be liquid buttermilk (like you would buy a quart of milk, only it’s buttermilk). You can increase the topping if you need more!
I found these to be lacking in flavour and definitely needed more sugar. I’m by no means a sugar fiend or much of a dessert person, but it’s relatively tasteless as it is.
I just made this and I think it could have a bit more sugar in the batter. It tastes more salty than sweet.
I used to make muffins all the time, but I’ve gotten away from it lately. I need to get back into it with these!
Just made these and they tasted great :) they didn’t look nearly as pretty as yours though! Only negative thing was that they stuck pretty badly to the paper. I just had one question – how far up did you fill each muffin cup with batter?
Hi Shannon. They should be filled about two-thirds to three-quarters. I’m glad you enjoyed them!
substitue the oil for apple sauce and half the flour for whole wheat flour for a healthy breakfast muffin! No more guilt!
If you don’t have buttermilk handy, is there something else you can recommend to substitute? Looks delicious!
Hi Kelsey, You can actually make your own buttermilk, I have instructions here: https://www.browneyedbaker.com/substitutions/
I LOVE apple based sweet treats! these looks scrumptious…… will definitely try this out for Spring!
http://www.lifeofchi.co.uk
I made these today with my kids – big hit all around! Your blog has really been speaking to me lately, between these muffins, the tortellini and the garlic bread from last week! Yum!
YUM! These look so delicious!
Kari
http://www.sweetteasweetie.com
Yum, I love muffins and these are not too bad in fat and sugar content plus they have the goodness of buttermilk and apple (says semi-healthy to me!). I would add some walnuts for crunch. I will make these.
These look delicious! Apples and cinnamon is such a classic, delicious flavor combination.
Those muffins look fantastic, I love the cinnamon sugar topping. Muffins are such a great breakfast, and these look perfect!
Yum! These are pretty low sugar for a muffin. You could probably substitute whole grain flour for a lot of the all-purpose to make them a little healthier for every day. Muffins make such a convenient breakfast.
These do sound wonderful. I love that they are freezer friendly….not that there would be any left to put into the freezer!
These look great! Especially with the yummy topping! Mmmmm! ;)
Oh goodness, these look delicious! I am a fellow muffin lover, and I love a crunchy topping. I can’t wait to try these!
They look wonderful and love that you planned ahead and froze some! Such a great feeling to pull something out of the freezer stash especially when it just saves the day :)