Apple Cinnamon Muffins with Crumb Cake Topping

Homemade Apple Cinnamon Muffins with a Crumb Cake Topping are soft and fluffy, full of sweet cinnamon apples, and have a cinnamon glaze drizzled on top.

It’s supposed to be very warm with “brilliant sunshine” in a few days (as my weather app so eloquently put it) and here I am posting about apples and cinnamon and things that probably feel more fall like than spring-like. But, apples are year around favorites, aren’t they?? 

Considering everything feels a little weird and surreal right now (did Stranger Things actually happen and we’re all in the upside down?!), I opted for comfort food. As simple as they are, muffins are one of my ultimate comfort foods (much like Buttermilk Biscuits), and I’ve been meaning to update this recipe for some time now.

I first posted this recipe back in the early stages of my blog, and while I was SO proud of my photos back then, I’ve come a long way since. I’ve been wanting to give the photos a much needed makeover, bringing some life back to this Cinnamon Apple Muffin Recipe, one of my all time favorites!

If you love all things brown sugar and apple, hopefully these Crumb Cake Topped Apple Muffins will soon be one of your favorites too!

What makes these homemade apple muffins so special?

• Oat Crumb Cake Topping: First things first, I L-O-V-E these muffins because of the oat crumble on top. The slight crunch from the brown sugar topping in combination with the toasty oats adds so much flavor and texture to these muffins (hence my other Strawberry Crumb Cake Muffins and Lemon Blueberry Crumb Cake Muffins recipes).
• Fluffy: Next, these muffins are ultra fluffy and are such moist apple muffins. The batter seems super thick when you’re scooping it into the muffin cups, but trust me—it’s supposed be that thick, and the muffins are going to be light and fluffy and perfect.
• Apple Pie: Lastly, the cinnamon apples remind me of apple pie, and apple pie will forever and always remind me of summer trips at the lake, eating apple pie and apple cobbler after long days of family, sunshine and relaxation.
• Glaze: Do muffins need a glaze? Probably not, but I’m a big believer in glazing everything possible. It always adds a little something extra, and in this case, the cinnamon glaze enhances the overall cinnamon flavor.

Apple Cinnamon Muffins Ingredients:

Batter:

• all purpose flour, baking soda and baking powder
• salt, cinnamon, allspice and cloves
• canola oil (or vegetable oil)
• egg
• granulated sugar and brown sugar
• lemon zest (optional)
• buttermilk (but whole milk, 2% or 1% will work just fine)
• chopped apples
• vanilla extract

Oat Crumb Cake Topping:

• butter
• rolled oats
• all purpose flour
• brown sugar

Glaze (totally optional)

• milk
• powdered sugar
• cinnamon

Let’s Talk About How To Make These Apple Cinnamon Muffins From Scratch:

• Topping: Mix butter, oats, flour, and brown sugar together. Once they resemble coarse crumbs, set aside. 
• Apples: Mix chopped apples with cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and lemon zest. Set aside.
• Dry Ingredients:  Mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon together. Once combined, make a well in the center. 
• Wet Ingredients: Whisk canola oil, egg, buttermilk, and vanilla together. Pour in the well of the dry ingredients, and mix until just combined. Next, add in the spiced apples and mix until just combined. 
• Assemble: Fill each muffin cup 2/3 of the way full, then add the brown sugar crumb cake topping. 
• Bake: Bake for 14-15 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean.
• Glaze: Whisk powdered sugar, cinnamon, and milk together. Drizzle over each muffin.
• Storage Tips: Let the muffins cool completely before storing in an airtight container. 

Can I make these apple muffins without crumb topping?

Absolutely! You can just skip that step altogether. The cinnamon apple muffins will not be as sweet, but they will still bake up perfectly.

Do I have to use rolled oats if I make these Apple Cinnamon Muffins with the Crumb Topping?

In terms of using instant oats and rolled oats (aka, old fashioned oats), rolled oats are definitely the preferential choice. However, you can use instant oats if that’s all you have.

If you don’t have oats at all, you can leave them out. However, make sure to add 2-3 additional Tablespoons of flour to the topping.

I don’t have buttermilk. Can I make my own buttermilk?

Yes! Pour milk into a measuring cup, squeeze about 1 Tbsp lemon juice (or white vinegar) on top, and allow the mixture to sit for about 10 minutes (until the milk begins to curdle). Stir together and you’re good to go.

What does it mean to “make a well in the center of the dry ingredients” in the recipe down below? Is it important?

Making a well in the center of the dry ingredients means to make scoop the dry ingredients to the sides of the bowl, in essence making a hole in the center of the ingredients.

This is important because it allows you to mix the batter more evenly, which means you won’t have to mix the batter as much. This is key in making sure you don’t over mix the batter. Over mixing makes for really tough and dense baked goods.

Tips and Tricks to making these the best Apple Cinnamon Muffins ever!

• Peel Apples: I did not peel the apples in this recipe…because I’m lazy. Feel free to peel them if you want to, but it’s not necessary.
• Apple Size: Chop the apples into pretty small pieces (additionally, you could grate the apple if you wanted to).
• Thick Batter: I mentioned this above, but the batter is very thick. I use a cookie scoop to scoop the batter into the muffin tins.
• Muffin Cups: Fill the each muffin cup with about 2/3 full (this recipe makes 12-13 muffins).
• Crumb Topping: Be really generous with the crumb topping. You might feel like you put too much in, but as the apple muffins bake and expand, the crumb topping really spreads out.

I’ll take a dozen.

5 from 1 vote

Print

Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Prep Time

25 mins

Cook Time

16 mins

Total Time

41 mins

 

Homemade Apple Cinnamon Muffins with a Crumb Cake Topping are soft and fluffy, full of sweet cinnamon apples, and have a cinnamon glaze drizzled on top.

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Servings: 12 muffins

Author: Michelle

Ingredients

Oat Crumb Topping

• 5 Tbsp butter, cold and cubed
• 6 Tbsp brown sugar
• 5 Tbsp all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats

Apples

• 1 1/4 cups apples, finely chopped
• 2 tsp lemon zest
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp cloves
• 1/8 tsp all spice

Batter

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp cinnamon
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 6 Tbsp canola oil (or vegetable)
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Cinnamon Glaze

• 3/4 - 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 - 2 Tbsp milk
• 1/4 - 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a 12-cup muffin tin with muffin liners. Set aside.

Topping

1. Mix brown sugar, flour and rolled oats together. With a pastry cutter, fork or masher, cut butter into mixture and work together until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.

Apples

1. Mix apples with cinnamon, cloves, allspice and zest. Set aside.

Muffins

1. In a large bowl, mix flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and ground cinnamon together.

2. Make a well in the center of the ingredients, and add in the buttermilk, egg, canola oil and vanilla extract.* Mix until just combined.

3. Fold in the chopped apples, mixing until just combined.

4. Fill muffin cups with about 2/3 cup batter (this should make about 12-13 standard size muffins).

5. Generously sprinkle the oat topping into each muffin cup, pressing the crumb down into the batter.

6. Bake for about 15-16 minutes, or until muffins are lightly golden and a toothpick (or cake tester) comes out clean. 

7. While the muffins are cooling, make the glaze. 

Glaze

1. Whisk powdered sugar and milk together, beginning with 3/4 cup of powdered sugar and 1 Tbsp of milk. If the glaze is too thin, add in the remaining 1/4 cup of powdered sugar (1 Tbsp at a time). If the glaze is too thick, drizzle in the remaining Tbsp of milk. Whisk in cinnamon (use a 1/4 tsp for a subtle cinnamon flavor; use 1/2 tsp for a robust cinnamon flavor).

2. Drizzle the glaze over each muffin.

3. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

*It's easy to over mix batter, which creates tough and dry muffins. By making a well in the dry ingredients and pouring the liquid into it, you minimize the amount of mixing because you are maximizing the contact of wet to dry ingredients.

Here are some other recipes you might love:

Apple Cinnamon Crumb Cake

Cinnamon Roll Cake

Double Chocolate Muffins

Posted in 2014. Updated 2022.