Description
A dozen perfectly baked apple cinnamon muffins cooling on a wire rack, showing their golden-brown color and generous cinnamon-sugar in center, with visible apple pieces throughout the muffins
Ingredients
For the Muffins:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour (for coating apples)
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon (for coating apples)
- 2 cups diced apples (about 2-3 medium apples)
- ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup milk
For the Cinnamon-Sugar Topping:
- ½ cup melted butter
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup ground cinnamon
Instructions
Heat the oven to 375°F and grease your muffin tin. I forgot this step once and spent twenty minutes prying stuck muffins out with a butter knife.
Dump the 2 cups flour, baking powder, salt, and 2 teaspoons cinnamon in a bowl and whisk it around until it looks uniform.
Take your diced apples and toss them with the 2 teaspoons flour and ½ teaspoon cinnamon in another bowl. This stops them from sinking to the bottom like little apple rocks.
Beat the butter and sugar in your big bowl for about 3 minutes until it gets fluffy and pale. My kids always want to lick the beaters at this point.
Crack in those eggs one by one, then pour in the vanilla. The batter should look smooth and smell amazing.
Add the flour mixture and milk in turns, mixing just until you can’t see white flour streaks anymore. Don’t go crazy here – lumpy batter makes better muffins.
Gently stir in those flour-coated apples. I use a wooden spoon for this part because it’s gentler than the mixer.
Scoop the batter into your muffin cups until they’re about ¾ full. I use an ice cream scoop because I’m terrible at making them even otherwise. Bake for 30 minutes until a toothpick comes out mostly clean.
While they’re still hot, dip each muffin top in the melted butter, then roll it around in the cinnamon-sugar mix. This part gets messy but it’s so worth it.
Put them on a rack to cool, though my family usually steals half of them while they’re still warm.
Notes
Cut your apples small – like really small. Quarter-inch pieces work best. Bigger chunks create weird air pockets and smaller ones just disappear. I learned to peel them after my brother-in-law complained about tough apple skins ruining his perfect bite. Also, if your muffin tops are getting too brown before they’re done inside, just throw a piece of foil over the tin for the last ten minutes.
Let them sit in the pan for five minutes before you move them or they’ll fall apart in your hands. I’ve lost many good muffins to impatience.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American