Cinnamon Apple Muffins
Full of warmth and flavor, these Cinnamon Apple Muffins are perfect for the fall season and the holidays. They're a perfect start to brisk mornings or a cozy afternoon snack on a chilly day!
Cinnamon Apple Muffins recipe
The second best season of the year is here: Fall baking season! (Christmas is first!)
I am so ready to bake goodies like Pecan Pie Crumble Bars and Apple Crisp again. I've been waiting all year for this cozy season.
And as we know, baking at my house always involves muffins. There will for sure be Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Muffins soon, as well as Coffee Cake Muffins.
Right now I'm on an apple kick, so Cinnamon Apple Muffins were in order. These muffins are soft, spiced and slightly sweet. They're perfect for breakfast
Why you'll love this recipe
This is one of my new favorite fall recipes, that's for sure! Here are the reasons I know you'll fall in love with it, too:
- With flavors of cinnamon and apple, these muffins taste like apple pie in breakfast form.
- Muffins are wonderful, shareable foods. They make great welcome gifts for neighbors or a thank you for a friend or teacher.
- You can freeze any extra and enjoy them warmed up later!
These Cinnamon Apple Muffins are perfect for fall brunches or a fall baby shower.
They would be a great thing to serve to overnight guests, especially for Thanksgiving. A warm breakfast always makes people feel right at home!
Love cinnamon? Try our cinnamon cookies or this cinnamon syrup!
Ingredients
The recipe is similar to my delicious Caramel Apple Muffins, but without the crumble and caramel toppings. This recipe also uses brown sugar instead of white sugar.
Here is what you will need to make this recipe:
- all-purpose flour
- brown sugar
- salt
- baking soda
- baking powder
- ground cinnamon
- ground cloves
- ground nutmeg
- ground ginger
- eggs
- whole milk
- plain Greek yogurt
- coconut oil
- vanilla extract
- apples
Substitutions
If you need a gluten-free version of this recipe, you can use your favorite 1:1 baking blend in lieu of the all-purpose flour. My favorite is Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour.
Instead of the ground spices, you can also use apple pie spice. I like to my own apple pie spice from scratch and keep a bottle in my pantry for other seasonal treats like apple spice cake.
If you don't have coconut oil, you can use another type of oil such as avocado oil, olive oil or vegetable oil.
Looking for a sugar-free or muffin? You can use your favorite 1:1 sugar substitute or a natural sugar alternative like coconut sugar. See all my tips for how to make sugar-free muffins.
Best apples for muffins
You can use any type of apple in this recipe, but the best apples to bake with are Granny Smith Apples.
These bright green apples are sweet but they also have a tart, sour flavor to them, so they pair well with baked goods like Apple Spice Rum Cakes.
You can also use a mixture of red and green apples, which will provide a nice balance of flavor.
How to make Cinnamon Apple Muffins
Making Cinnamon Apple muffins is super easy! If you've ever made muffins from scratch before, you will be a pro.
Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a muffin pan with 12 liners.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and ginger.
In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, yogurt, oil and vanilla extract.
Gradually pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients bowl and gently whisk until almost fully incorporated.
In a small bowl, toss diced apples with tablespoon of flour to coat.
Add apples to the batter and gently mix with a spatula until evenly distributed. The batter will look chunky, like this:
Pour muffin batter into the lined muffin pan about ¾ way full. I like to use a cookie scoop for this.
Bake for 20-22 minutes, until muffin springs back when touched.
How to store muffins
Muffins are best fresh, but they can be just as good a day or two later — or even a month later — if stored properly.
I have a whole post about how to store and freeze muffins, but here’s the gist:
Store in an airtight container, lined with paper towels to help collect condensation from residual heat in the muffins. Make sure they are completely cooled for best results.
The best way to store muffins depends on how soon you want to eat them:
- Within 3 days of baking them: Store them on the countertop at room temperature.
- In the next few days: Store them in the fridge, but with the risk of a change in texture. Alternatively, store what you’ll eat in the next few days using the countertop method, then freeze the rest.
- Within the next 3 months: Store them in the freezer — reheat when you get a muffin craving!
Madison's Pro Sharing Tip:
Here are a few ways to make these Apple Cinnamon Muffins shareable:
- Double the batch and bring half to your neighbor or a friend.
- Enjoy them with your kiddos as an afternoon snack.
- Plan play date with a friend and bring these muffins to share.
- Serve them to friends and family who stay with you this season.
More fall muffin recipes
If you love muffins, you're in the right place. Check out some of these muffins that are perfect for this cozy time of year:
- Cranberry Orange Muffins
- Healthy Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Healthy Pumpkin Muffins
- Chai Streusel Muffins
- Cream Cheese Pumpkin Muffins
Cinnamon Apple Muffins
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon all purpose flour divided
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon cloves
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ginger
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup whole milk
- ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt
- ⅓ cup coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cup granny smith apples peeled, cored, and diced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375*F degrees. Line a muffin pan with 12 liners.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 ¼ cup flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and ginger.
- In another bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, yogurt, oil and vanilla extract.
- Gradually pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients bowl and gently whisk until almost fully incorporated.
- In a small bowl, toss diced apples with 1 tablespoon of flour to coat. Add apples to batter and gently mix into batter with a spatula.
- Pour muffin batter into lined muffin pan, filling each cavity about ¾-full.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes, until muffin springs back when touched.
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