These apple muffins are soft and fluffy, tender and buttery, perfectly spiced and packed with fresh apple. Easy and delicious and made in 1-bowl.
Muffins are a lot of fun to bake. They are quick and no fuss and so rewarding. These apple muffins are also made in 1-bowl so there’s an easy clean up process too.
They are also so flavorful and really keep well! So if you are wanting to make a batch of muffins that will stay good for a few days then these muffins are your best friend.
Of course if you love baking with apples then also check out our apple cake and our apple crisp recipes!
How To Make Apple Muffins
Full instructions and measurements can always be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.
- Add melted butter to a bowl and add in light brown sugar, buttermilk, vanilla extract and an egg and whisk to combine.
- Sift in all purpose flour and add baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and stir it into a batter.
- Add peeled and chopped apples and fold them in.
- Spray a muffin tray with non-stick spray and then divide the batter evenly between the muffin partitions.
- Sprinkle the tops with a little raw sugar or brown sugar and bake at 375°F for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the muffins comes out clean.
- Let the muffins cool in the pan for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack.
Recipe Tips
Buttermilk. You can use store-bought buttermilk or you can use a homemade buttermilk substitute. You can make the homemade buttermilk by adding 1 Tbsp of lemon juice (or vinegar) to a measuring jug and then adding room temperature milk up to the ¾ cup (180ml) line. Leave it for a few minutes to curdle.
Measure the flour properly. The correct way to measure flour if you’re not using a food scale is to use the spoon and level method. Spoon the flour into your measuring cup and then level off the top with a knife. Don’t scoop the flour and don’t pack it into your cup. Alternatively if you do have a food scale then just weigh it out for perfect accuracy.
Granny Smith Apples. The best apples to use in these muffins is peeled and chopped Granny Smith apples. They have a lovely tart yet sweet flavor and they hold up really well when baked.
Raw Sugar. We sprinkled these muffins with a little raw sugar (also called turbinado sugar or demerara sugar) before baking. If you don’t have raw sugar on hand then just sprinkle the tops with some regular light brown sugar instead. Alternatively coarse sugar is also a good option.
Recipe Q&A
Granny Smith apples are the best for muffins. They are crisp and firm and have a perfect balance between tart and sweet. They also hold their shape really well when baked.
Yes, it is best to peel the apples first when making these delicious apple muffins.
Storing and Freezing
These muffins actually store really well! If the weather is cool then keep them in an airtight container at room temperature and enjoy within 3-4 days. If the weather is hot or humid then they are best stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Let them come to room temperature on the countertop before serving.
They also freeze really well. Let them cool completely before freezing. Thaw them in the fridge and bring to room temperature before serving.
More Muffin Recipes
Apple Muffins
Ingredients
- ½ cup Butter Melted
- 1 cup Light Brown Sugar
- ¾ cup Buttermilk or Homemade Buttermilk*
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 Large Egg
- 2 and ½ cups All Purpose Flour Measured Correctly*
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 1 tsp Cinnamon
- ¼ tsp Nutmeg
- ¼ tsp Salt
- 2 cups Granny Smith Apples Peeled and Chopped*
Topping:
- Sprinkle Raw Sugar (Turbinado) or Brown Sugar, Optional*
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Spray a muffin tray with non-stick spray.
- Add melted butter to a mixing bowl and add the light brown sugar, buttermilk, vanilla extract and egg and whisk to combine.
- Sift in the all purpose flour and add the baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and stir it into a batter.
- Add the peeled and chopped apples and fold them in.
- Divide the batter evenly between the muffin partitions of your prepared muffin tray.
- Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with raw sugar.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the muffins comes out clean.
- Let the muffins cool in the pan for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack.
Video
Notes
- Buttermilk. You can use store-bought buttermilk or you can use a homemade buttermilk substitute. You can make the homemade buttermilk by adding 1 Tbsp of lemon juice (or vinegar) to a measuring jug and then adding room temperature milk up to the ¾ cup (180ml) line. Leave it for a few minutes to curdle.
- Measure the flour properly. The correct way to measure flour if you’re not using a food scale is to use the spoon and level method. Spoon the flour into your measuring cup and then level off the top with a knife. Don’t scoop the flour and don’t pack it into your cup. Alternatively if you do have a food scale then just weigh it out for perfect accuracy. Click ‘metric’ below the list of ingredients to get the ingredient weights in grams.
- Granny Smith Apples. The best apples to use in these muffins is peeled and chopped Granny Smith apples. They have a lovely tart yet sweet flavor and they hold up really well when baked.
- Raw Sugar. We sprinkled these muffins with a little raw sugar (also called demerara sugar) before baking. If you don’t have raw sugar on hand then just sprinkle the tops with some regular light brown sugar instead. Alternatively coarse sugar is also a good option. Or you can omit it entirely.
- Storage. These muffins store really well. If the weather is cool then keep them in an airtight container at room temperature and enjoy within 3-4 days. If the weather is hot or humid then they are best stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Let them come to room temperature on the countertop before serving.
- Freezing. They freeze really well. Let them cool completely before freezing. Thaw them in the fridge and bring to room temperature before serving.
Hello 🙂
I tried these muffins once and now I cant count the number of times I have made them!! They are simply yummy and indeed so easy to make!!! They have become my favorite muffins now. Thank you so much Alison for your recipes!!
So glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for sharing Sudha!
These are divine! I can’t believe how soft and moist they are. My family (who usually say they don’t like fruit in things) were scoffing these down at a heck of a rate and loving every bite too!
Hahaha, that sounds awesome! Thanks for the great review Layla!