Apple and Cinnamon Muffins

With their cinnamon sugar topping & delicious chunks of apples these easy to make & really moist Apple and Cinnamon Muffins make for truly autumnal treat!

This recipe is a perfect one to add to your muffin repertoire and I can confidently say you will love it! My Apple and Cinnamon Muffins are beautifully moist, soft and light, with lots of mini apple bites throughout and subtle flavour of cinnamon and then there is the topping… Perhaps not what you would expect on apple muffins but I can assure you, it really makes them special. Cinnamon sugar topping adds yet another layer of sweetness flavoured with cinnamon, so so good! It goes on your muffins once they are baked yet still warm… Heaven!

These delicious apple muffins make great little breakfast treat on a chilly autumn morning accompanied by tea, coffee or hot cocoa. They will also make perfect contribution to any coffee morning or school bake sale. My youngest loves these in his lunch box as an occasional treat too!

How to make cinnamon sugar for Apple and Cinnamon Muffins?

Cinnamon sugar is super easy to make and it requires 2 simple ingredients – caster (fine) sugar and ground cinnamon and mere seconds of your time! There are so many different ratios of sugar to cinnamon suggested on the web and you can adjust it according to your preference and how much you like cinnamon! I went for 90g (6.5tbsp) of sugar to 1 tbsp of cinnamon. I found that it gave me a nice balance of flavour, not too overpowering with cinnamon (considering the spice is also in the muffin itself). Simply pop both in a bowl or a jar and give it a mix or a shake until well combined, that’s it!

The amount of cinnamon sugar in this recipe will give you more than you need for the muffins but you can store leftovers in a small glass jar and use on other things. You can add it to crumbles, sprinkle on pancakes or French toast or once you fall in love with these Apple and Cinnamon Muffins, simply make more of them!

What apples should I use to make Apple & Cinnamon Muffins?

You can use any apples you’ve got both cooking type (Bramley, Granny Smith etc.) and eating ones. Depending on the type of apples you use you might want to adjust the amount of sugar. The sweeter the apples the less sugar you will need.

I have used Bramley apples in my muffins and went for 150g (3/4cup) of brown sugar considering their tartness. I must say muffins were not overly sweet despite cinnamon sugar topping. If I was using sweeter, eating apples I would reduce the sugar down to 120g (1/2cup). Feel free to play around with the amount of sugar though and what suits your tastebuds.

Don’t get hang up on the exact amount of apple either. Any amount will do with 250-300g in the recipe provided as a rough guide (this is the weight of actual apple chunks going into the muffin batter).

Few muffin baking tips!

• I like to use mixture of flours when baking these muffins. I mix plain (all-purpose) flour with wholegrain spelt flour* as not only is it healthier but also gives the muffins more nutty and wholesome flavour. Feel free to use any wholegrain flour of your choice. Remember, the more wholegrain flour the denser crumb. For this particular recipe I used 180g/6.5oz plain (all-purpose) flour and 70g/2.5oz wholegrain spelt flour but I’ve made these before with just spelt flour and loved them!
• Don’t overmix your batter! Mix only to incorporate and some lumps are fine! Less mixing equals lighter muffins!
• Don’t overfill your cupcake cases. For this recipe I’ve crafted my own tulip shaped muffin cases out of the baking paper squares which allowed me to fill them a little higher. If you’re using regular cases make sure to fill them only 3/4 way up.
• These muffins can be kept in the airtight container on the kitchen counter for up to 2-3 days. Anything longer than that, I would suggest popping them in the fridge or freezing. They freeze really well but freeze them without cinnamon sugar topping. Add the topping after defrosting and gently warming the muffins up in the oven.

How to make Apple and Cinnamon Muffins – Step-By-Step Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/ Gas Mark 4.
• Put all your dry ingredients (flour(s), sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon) into a large bowl and give them a whisk. Alternatively, sieve all the ingredients into the bowl. Set it aside.
• In a large jug (or another bowl) combine together all your wet ingredients (milk, oil, yogurt and eggs) and mix them together until incorporated. Set aside.
• Peel, core and cut your apples into small chunks.

• Add the chopped apples into the bowl with your dry ingredients and mix until they are well covered in flour mixture.
• Make a small well in the centre and pour in your wet ingredients. Mix everything in with a spoon or spatula only until incorporated. Try not to overmix the batter.
• Divide the batter between 12 muffin cases and bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until skewer inserted into cetre of the muffin comes out clean.
• Take the muffins out of the oven and let them cool in the muffin tin for a few minutes before you take them out onto the cooling rack. Prepare cinnamon sugar topping.

Cinnamon sugar topping – step-by-step instructions!

• In a small bowl mix caster sugar with cinnamon and melt some unsalted butter.
• When muffins are still warm brush little butter on top of each muffin and sprinkle or spoon over some cinnamon sugar, shaking off the excess. Pop onto cooling rack to cool completely and repeat with all the muffins!
• If you are using standard muffin cases and not homemade tulip shape ones as I did here. You can simply dredge your buttered muffin top in the sugar which will be a bit quicker. My tulip cases (as much as I love the look of them) would make that a bit difficult.
• Now it’s time to enjoy your muffins! Responsibly of course!

Print Pin

5 from 10 votes

Apple and Cinnamon Muffins

With their cinnamon sugar topping & delicious chunks of apples these easy to make & really moist Apple and Cinnamon Muffins make for truly autumnal treat!

Course Baking, Breakfast, Snack

Cuisine American, British

Keyword apple muffins, cinnamon and apple muffins

Equipment

• Large Glass Bowl*
• Whisk*
• Glass Measuring Jug 1ltr*
• Silicone Spatula*
• Silicone Muffin Tins*

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Servings 12 muffins

Calories 252kcal

Author Jo Allison

Ingredients

Metric - US Customary

• 250 g plain (all-purpose) flour or mixture of plain and wholegrain flour (see notes)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon see notes
• 120-150 g light brown sugar see notes
• 2 large eggs lightly beaten
• 150 ml milk
• 60 ml rapeseed or olive oil
• 60 ml natural yogurt
• 250-300 g apple chunks (cooking or eating apples) peeled and cored apples cut into small chunks

Cinnamon Sugar Topping

• 50 g unsalted butter melted
• 90 g caster sugar
• 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/ Gas Mark 4.
• Put all your dry ingredients (flour(s), sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon) into a large bowl and give them a whisk. Alternatively, sieve all the ingredients into the bowl. Set it aside.
• In a large jug (or another bowl) combine together all your wet ingredients (milk, oil, yogurt and eggs) and mix them together until incorporated. Set aside.
• Peel, core and cut your apples into small chunks.
• Add the chopped apples into the bowl with your dry ingredients and mix until they are well covered in flour mixture.
• Make a small well in the centre and pour in your wet ingredients. Mix everything in with a spoon or spatula only until incorporated, some lumps are fine. Try not to overmix the batter as it will result in heavy and dense muffin.
• Divide the batter between 12 muffin cases and bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until skewer inserted into cetre of the muffin comes out clean.
• Take the muffins out of the oven and let them cool in the muffin tin for a few minutes before you take them out onto the cooling rack. Prepare cinnamon sugar topping.

Cinnamon sugar topping

• In a small bowl mix caster sugar with cinnamon and melt some unsalted butter.
• When muffins are still warm brush little butter on top of each muffin and sprinkle or spoon over some cinnamon sugar, shaking off the excess. Pop onto cooling rack to cool completely and repeat with all the muffins!
• If you are using standard muffin cases and not homemade tulip shape ones as I did here. You can simply dredge your buttered muffin top in the sugar which will be a bit quicker. My tulip cases (as much as I love the look of them) would make that a bit difficult.
• Now it's time to enjoy your muffins! Responsibly of course!

Notes

• Nutritional information is approximate, per muffin with the topping and should be treated as a guideline only. 
• Depending on how much you love cinnamon use either level or heaped teaspoons. You can also reduce the amount to 1 tsp if preferred.
• Instead of plain flour only try to mix it with some wholegrain ones. I have made my muffins using 180g/6.5oz plain (all-purpose) flour and 70g/2.5oz wholegrain spelt flour but any wholegrain flour will do. 
• If you are using eating apples 120g brown sugar will be sufficient as apples will also provide some sweetness. If, however, you are using very tart cooking apples (Bramley) , feel free to up the sugar to 150g. Cinnamon sugar topping will add that extra sweetness too.
• These muffins can be kept in the airtight container on the kitchen counter for up to 2-3 days. Anything longer than that, I would suggest popping them in the fridge or freezing. They freeze really well but freeze them without cinnamon sugar topping. Add the topping after defrosting and gently warming the muffins up in the oven.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Apple and Cinnamon Muffins

Amount Per Serving

Calories 252 Calories from Fat 90

% Daily Value*

Fat 10g15%

Saturated Fat 3g15%

Cholesterol 38mg13%

Sodium 75mg3%

Potassium 176mg5%

Carbohydrates 38g13%

Fiber 2g8%

Sugar 20g22%

Protein 4g8%

Vitamin A 180IU4%

Vitamin C 1mg1%

Calcium 85mg9%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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Some more delicious muffin recipes you might enjoy!

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Healthy Banana Muffins

Vegan Pumpkin Muffins

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Cheesy Carrot & Courgette Savoury Muffins

Few fruity bakes you might like!

Dorset Apple Cake (Traybake)

Healthy Banana Flapjacks

Easy Rhubarb Crumble

Pumpkin Steamed Sponge Pudding

Easy Pear & Ginger Cake

Easy Rhubarb Cake

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