Description
Simple apple spice muffins recipe with crumb topping that actually works every time, using regular ingredients and real family-tested tips
Ingredients
For the Muffins:
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar, plus a pinch for the apples
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus a pinch for the apples
- ⅛ teaspoon ground allspice
- 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups diced apples (about 2 medium apples)
For the Crumb Topping:
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
Set it to 375°F and put paper liners in your muffin pan. I always forget this step and then have to wait around.
Cut them into small pieces, maybe quarter-inch bits. Toss with a little cinnamon and sugar. Don’t skip this – learned that lesson already.
Dump flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and allspice in a big bowl. Whisk it around until it looks even.
Make a little crater in the middle of the flour mix. Pour in the beaten eggs, oil, and vanilla. Stir until it’s smooth but don’t go crazy with the mixing.
Fold the apple pieces in gently. The batter gets pretty thick but that’s normal.
Scoop batter into muffin cups about two-thirds full. I use an ice cream scoop because it’s easier than a spoon.
Mix melted butter, brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon with a fork until it looks like crumbs. Sprinkle on top of each muffin.
Put them in for 18-20 minutes until they’re golden and a toothpick comes out mostly clean.
Let them sit in the pan for maybe five minutes, then move to a rack so they don’t get soggy.
Notes
Apple trick: Squeeze a tiny bit of lemon on the apples if you’re slow at cutting like me. Stops them from getting brown.
Better crumbs: Let the melted butter cool down a little or you get paste instead of crumbs. I learned this after making several batches of weird paste-topped muffins.
Even cooking: Turn the pan around halfway through. My oven cooks weird on one side.
Don’t peek: I used to open the oven constantly and they’d sink in the middle. Wait at least 15 minutes.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking