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Apple muffins with crumb cake topping
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5 from 1 vote

Apple Cinnamon Muffins

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.
Prep Time25 minutes
Cook Time16 minutes
Total Time41 minutes
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

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

Topping

  • 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

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

Muffins

  • In a large bowl, mix flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and ground cinnamon together.
  • Make a well in the center of the ingredients, and add in the buttermilk, egg, canola oil and vanilla extract.* Mix until just combined.
  • Fold in the chopped apples, mixing until just combined.
  • Fill muffin cups with about 2/3 cup batter (this should make about 12-13 standard size muffins).
  • Generously sprinkle the oat topping into each muffin cup, pressing the crumb down into the batter.
  • Bake for about 15-16 minutes, or until muffins are lightly golden and a toothpick (or cake tester) comes out clean. 
  • While the muffins are cooling, make the glaze. 

Glaze

  • 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).
  • Drizzle the glaze over each muffin.
  • Enjoy!

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.