Homemade Apple Muffins are a fall staple and they couldn’t be easier or more delicious! This fantastic apple muffin recipe is perfectly spiced with chunks of apple throughout and topped with a sugar pecan crumb topping! Divine!
Looking for more muffin recipes? Make sure to try my Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Muffins and Blueberry Corn Muffins!
Apple Muffins
Absolutely nothing better than a generously spiced apple cinnamon muffin in the fall! Chunks of apples and a sugar pecan crumb topping makes these the best apple muffins you’ve ever tried!
We are obsessed with apple recipes around here. We are lucky enough to live just about 40 minutes away from Apple Hill and make several trips up there each fall to pick apples, eat apple donuts and drink apple cider until we’re sick.
It’s amazing.
Every time we return home, we take a look at all the apples we picked and have debates over what we should make with them. There is no wrong answer but these muffins are definitely RIGHT. Check out all my muffin recipes!
Apple Recipes
If you happen to have extra apples, make these apple muffin recipe and then tackle one of these fall favorites:
- Caramel Apple Monkey Bread
- Baked Apple Pie Dip
- Caramel Apple Dip– Just 3 Ingredients!
- Caramel Apple Oat Bars
These recipes will definitely get you in the mood for fall!
Let’s Talk About the Crumb Topping
One of the things that sets this apple muffin recipe apart from the rest is the sensational crumb topping that takes just a minute or two to make. It’s a simple combination of pecans, butter, sugar and flour.
The crumb topping not only adds amazing flavor and texture to these apple muffins but gives them a bakery style appearance as well that makes them extra appealing.
What You’ll Need For This Apple Muffin Recipe
There are two components to these muffins: the muffin itself and the crumb topping.
For the muffins you will need the following ingredients:
- Vegetable oil
- Granulated sugar and brown sugar – a combination of sugar gives the best flavor and texture
- Egg – room temperature
- Buttermilk – makes these muffins extra tender and moist.
If you don’t have buttermilk available, feel free to add 2 teaspoons of either distilled white vinegar or lemon juice to ¾ cup whole or 2% milk. The vinegar or lemon juice will sour the milk and take on a similar effect as store-bought buttermilk.
- All-purpose flour – spooned and leveled into your measuring cup, not scooped
- Pecans – the pecans can be substituted with walnuts if you prefer
- Spices – I used cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves but one tablespoon of my homemade Apple Pie Spice would also be delicious
- Salt
- Baking powder
- Apples – see notes on ideal cooking apples below.
And for the sugar pecan topping you’ll need:
- pecans – chopped
- all-purpose flour
- salted butter – melted
- granulated sugar
How To Make Apple Cinnamon Muffins
- Preheat the oven and line muffin pans or spray with nonstick spray. I do recommend parchment liners for easy removal.
- Whisk together vegetable oil, granulated sugar, and brown sugar.
- Whisk in egg and buttermilk until incorporated.
- In a separate bowl stir together flour, pecans, spices salt, baking powder, and apples. Make sure apples are fully coated in mixture.
- Add the dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir until combined.
- Scoop batter into muffin pan.
- Make sugar pecan topping by stirring together pecans, flour, melted butter, and granulated sugar
- Sprinkle topping over apple cinnamon muffins.
- Bake in oven for 25 to30 minutes or until a tester comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Transfer muffins to a separate cooling rack to finish cooling.
FAQs
What are the best apples to use?
I recommend using a cooking apple for this recipe in order for the apples to stay intact during the baking process. Cooking apples tend to be tart when eaten raw, but able to develop an ideal texture and flavor when cooked.
I used Granny Smith apples for this recipe, but you can also use Honeycrisp, Jonagold, Gala, Cortland, or Braeburn as well.
How do I store my apple muffins?
You can store your muffins at room temperature for an additional three to four days as long as it is stored in an airtight container. Your muffins can be frozen for an additional three to six months.
Follow along on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest for more great recipes!
More Apple Recipes
- Caramel Apple Empanadas
- Apple Strudel
- Deep Dish Dutch Apple Pie
- Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls
- Apple Pie Filling
How To Make Apple Muffins
Apple Muffins with Crumb Topping
Ingredients
Apple Muffins:
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar lightly packed
- 1 egg
- ¾ cup buttermilk
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup pecans chopped
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 2 cups cooking apples chopped (about 2 apples)
Sugar Pecan Topping:
- ½ cup pecans chopped
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup salted butter melted
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two muffin pans with liners for 16 muffins and set aside.
Apple Muffins:
- In a large bowl, whisk together vegetable oil, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until combined. Whisk in egg and buttermilk until incorporated.
- In a separate bowl, combine flour, pecans, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, salt, baking powder, and apples. Stir until combined making sure apples are fully coated in flour mixture.
- Add the dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Don’t overmix.
- Scoop batter into lined muffin tins until two thirds full.
Sugar Pecan Topping:
- Make sugar pecan topping by stirring together pecans, flour, melted butter, and granulated sugar. Sprinkle topping over muffins.
- Bake in oven for 25 to 30 minute or until a tester comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Transfer muffins to a separate cooling rack to finish cooling.
Suzi says
These were the best Apple Muffins I’ve had and so easy to make. The grandkids loved them! Thank you Trish for a keeper.
LPerry says
If you leave out the pecans in both the muffin and topping, do you need to change the remaining recipe at all? Have you ever tried without?
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
I haven’t tried it without but I wouldn’t change the recipe if I was omitting the pecans.
Diane says
Could these be made with 2 % milk?
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Yes, definitely!
Paulette Kitner says
The recipe says 1 Tablespoon of baking powder. Is that the correct amount?
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
The recipe is correct, thanks!