Apple Muffins

star rating (37) rate this recipe »
Recipe photo

Apple Muffins

star rating (37) rate this recipe »
Published prior to 2008

These dark, moist muffins will keep well for several days. You don't even need to heat them up to enjoy them, which makes them a perfect after-school snack. The brown sugar sprinkled on top adds a crunchy touch, for all you muffin top lovers out there.

1 cup (4 ounces) King Arthur 100% White Whole Wheat Flour
1 cup (4 1/4 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 cup (1 stick, 4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar
3/4 cup (5 5/8 ounces) dark brown sugar, divided
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 cup (8 ounces) buttermilk
2 large apples, peeled, cored, and coarsely chopped, or 1 1/2 cups dried apple nuggets

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease and flour a 12-cup muffin tin, or line with papers and grease the insides of the papers.

Mix together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon, and set aside. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and add the granulated sugar and 1/4 cup of the brown sugar Beat until fluffy. Add the egg and mix well; stop once to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. Mix in the buttermilk gently. (If you over-mix, the buttermilk will cause the mixture to curdle.) Stir in the dry ingredients and fold in the apple chunks.

Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, sprinkling the remaining 1/2 cup brown sugar on top. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Remove from the oven, cool the muffins for 5 minutes in the tin, then turn them out onto a rack to finish cooling completely. Yield: 12 muffins.

Reviews

1 234  All  
  • star rating 05/12/2012
  • feltmaker from KAF Community
  • Ok, I know some people don't like when substitutions are used when reviewing, but I often find it helpful. I used 3/4 C rye flour, plus 1/4 C whole wheat because I had forgotten I was out of whole wheat! I also used some apple cider vinegar in milk, because no buttermilk on hand and frankly who keeps buttermilk on hand? Everything else was as the recipe stated and they came out beautiful. I was afraid they might overflow, but they were perfect. I just spray oiled my tins, next time I'll make sure to pay more attention to the rims so there won't be any sticking issues.
  • star rating 03/19/2012
  • Mom39 from
  • I had a couple of apples to use up and so this recipe came in handy to use them up. The muffins were tender and had just the right amount of sweetness (although I actually forgot to sprinkle the sugar on top!) and my kids loved them. I love the fact that this is 1/2 whole wheat! The only thing I'll do differently next time is, I'll make 18 muffins instead of 12 - because my muffins were gigantic and they were (the tops were) touching each other when they were done baking!
  • star rating 12/01/2011
  • springwaterkid from KAF Community
  • Just tasting these warm from my first batch (definitely not my last), so light, moist and delicious. How does one flour a muffin pan? I tried but still had a problem with sticking even after 10" cooling. Though my toothpick test was clean after 25", several muffins broke apart during removal. I'm eating the still delicious broken pieces. I used buttermilk powder and water and light brown sugar. I'm sure my next batch will be improved if I use the spray with flour added, cut back a bit on apples (I used one x-large and a medium) and give them a few extra minutes to bake. Since I rarely have any problems with KAF recipes and since others didn't have same problems, I'll just look forward to correcting my mistakes very soon.
    I am happy you are pleased with this recipe, but I am sorry they fell apart! There is no reason to flour the pan. Just be sure to use a good pan spray! Older recipes (like this one) may say to flour, but, for the most part this step can me skipped. Elisabeth
  • 11/05/2011
  • from NJ
  • These muffins are amazingly good. I did not have buttlermilk, I read that you can add 1T of vinegar to milk and let sit 5 minutes. I don't think I put as much sugar on top. They were done in 23 1/2 minutes. They are addictive.
  • star rating 10/08/2011
  • srkalback from KAF Community
  • Taste- amazing. Preparation- similar to other baked goods-- but the recipe is VERY forgiving! I didn't have enough buttermilk, so improvised as others said with a portion of yogurt, but I didn't have plain, so I used greek-style peach yogurt. Also added an extra apple and kept them relatively chunky. Made 2 doz. mini-muffins (375 convection bake for about 10 min.) and then another dozen reg. size! So glad the recipe made so many!
  • star rating 10/02/2011
  • lbutcher27 from KAF Community
  • These muffins taste great, but is there any way to make them less moist the next day? They seem wet and sticky! Thanks!
    Well, if it is humid in your area, this can be tough to overcome. Do not add any extra sugar on muffins tops before baking such as the sparkling sugar or cinnamon sugar. The extra sugar draws in moisture from the air over night. Try switching to the dried apple nuggets. Try reheating in the oven the next day to dry them out. Elisabeth
  • star rating 09/30/2011
  • DavidSweetie from KAF Community
  • The perfect muffin? Almost! I baked a batch for the first time this morning, following the directions closely. However, I love "crumb" toppings so I made about half the crumb topping recipe from the "Cherry, Berry, Apple Crumble" on the KAF site (I added about 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts and about a 1/4 teaspoon of pumpin pie spice instead of more cinnamon) then lightly pressed crumb topping on top of each uncooked muffin. I was a little concerned that the topping might inhibit the baking of the muffin but it did not. I baked the muffins for exactly 30 minutes at 350 degrees (turning the muffin tin after 15 minutes). The muffins came out golden brown, perfectly cooked, with a crunchy granola-like topping. Why "almost" perfect? For my tastes, I'd add a bit of flavoring to the batter--like vanilla or a little orange rind--for a little zing to bring out the other flavors in the muffin mix. Meanwhile, I LOVE these muffins and look forward to baking them again. Thanks KAF!
  • star rating 04/12/2011
  • Heidi Leah from KAF Community
  • These were incredibly easy to make and were so delicious. I followed the recipe to the letter with the exception of using light brown sugar instead of dark. My mom even said these were the "best muffins she has eaten." I really enjoy the apple chunks and their texture after the baking process! This one's a keeper.
  • star rating 03/28/2011
  • kpervatt from KAF Community
  • This recipe is fantastic. Today I used it to make muffins instead of bread, and it works equally well. I'm not a big applesauce fan, but I always have apple butter in the fridge, so that's what I use. Since the apple butter is already spiced, I tone the spices down a bit, but I like to add some grated ginger root to the batter. You won't be disappointed in this recipe.
1 234  All  

Community & education:

Online baking resources:

Ingredient guides: