Description
These Apple Cinnamon Streusel Muffins are warm, cozy, and loaded with tender apple pieces and a buttery crumble on top — basically apple pie in handheld form.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1½ cups (190 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup (120 ml) milk
- ¼ cup (60 g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup peeled and diced apples (about 1 medium apple; see tip)
Streusel:
- ½ cup (65 g) all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup (55 g) packed light brown sugar
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ cup (56 g) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and line a 12-cup muffin tin with liners or grease the cups.
- Whisk the dry batter ingredients — flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt — in a large bowl until evenly combined.
- In a separate bowl, beat the egg with the milk, melted butter, and vanilla until smooth.
- Pour the wet mix into the dry mix and fold gently with a spatula just until the flour disappears. A few small lumps are fine — do not overmix.
- Fold in the chopped apples carefully so they don’t release too much juice.
- Divide the batter evenly among the muffin wells, filling each cup nearly to the top for nice domes.
- Make the streusel: combine the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Cut in the cold butter with a pastry cutter or your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Sprinkle a generous amount of streusel over each filled muffin cup.
- Bake for 18–22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the tops are golden.
- Let the muffins rest in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Best apples: choose firm varieties such as Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, or Fuji — they keep their shape during baking.
- Do not overmix the batter; overworking develops gluten and yields tough muffins. Fold gently.
- Cold butter for streusel gives the crumbly texture you want — keep it chilled until you’re ready to cut it in.
- Storage: keep cooled muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Freeze individually wrapped for longer storage.
- Make-ahead: you can mix the dry and wet ingredients separately the night before; combine and add apples just before baking.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 muffin
- Calories: 250
- Sugar: 20g
- Sodium: 150mg
- Fat: 10g
- Saturated Fat: 6g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 35g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 40mg