Deliciously moist with tender bits of apple, these muffins are sure to become a breakfast or snack favorite!
It was a typical day. It began just as it always does…”What would you like for breakfast?” Although, I expected a MUCH different answer that day. Apparently, the girls were completely over scrambled eggs, Maple and Brown Sugar Oatmeal, Dutch Baby and Fluffy Sourdough Pancakes and Waffles. Everything else I mentioned was a big ole’ “no” UNTIL I mentioned… Apple Muffins. They squealed with excitement. I, on the other hand, wrinkled my nose and was suddenly regretting even asking. I don’t even like baked or cooked apples!
What i love about these Muffins
Chop your apples as big or small as you’d like. I went with a small chop (1/8″) to avoid big chunks of apples. Then I roughly went through the apples again, leaving some apples an 1/8″ but some smaller, more like a mince.
Add pecans and they taste like Apple Crisp. The original recipe did not call for pecans. But, I love them and thought it would be a great addition to the recipe and they were! If you don’t like pecans, you can omit them and your muffins will still be amazing!
prepare your supplies
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Glass Measuring Cup
- Small Mixing Bowl
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Whisk
- Muffin Tin
- Muffins Cups – optional
- Silicone Spatula or Wooden Spoon
- Cooling Rack
Gather your Ingredients
- Lemon Juice – bottled or freshly squeezed
- Milk – 2% or whole, lactose free works, too!
- All-Purpose Flour
- Light Brown Sugar
- Granulated Sugar
- Ground Cinnamon
- Salt – table salt or pink Himalayan salt are perfect!
- Unsalted Butter
- Coconut Oil
- Eggs
- Vanilla Extract
- Baking Powder
- Apple – I used Pink Lady because it’s my family’s favorite to eat and it’s what I had on hand, but you could use (and I would recommend) a sweeter apple like Red Delicious, Honeycrisp, Gala or Fuji.
- Pecans – optional
Let’s get to it: How to make Apple Pecan Crumble Muffins
I always start a recipe by taking time to prepare my ingredients because it allows me to move smoothly and efficiently in the kitchen or garden. For this recipe, there are three different sections: Homemade Buttermilk, Crumble Topping and Muffins. So, let’s get to preparing!
Homemade Buttermilk
In a glass measuring cup, add lemon juice. Then, pour milk to meet the 1 cup line. Stir well and set aside until ready to use.
Crumble Topping
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together dry ingredients: all-purpose flour, light brown sugar, granulated sugar, ground cinnamon and salt.
Then, drizzle melted unsalted butter over the dry ingredients and mix together until well combined and crumbles appear.
Muffins
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together light brown sugar, granulated sugar, coconut oil, homemade buttermilk, eggs and vanilla extract. Then, with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon, stir baking powder, ground cinnamon and salt into the wet mixture. Next, fold in chopped apples and chopped pecans. Add flour to the mixture and stir gently until combined. Then, evenly divide the muffin mixture among 12 muffin cups. Next, distribute the crumble topping onto muffins, equally. Bake muffins on the center rack for 25 minutes at 375Β°F. Lastly, let your muffins cool in the muffin tin for 10-15 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.
top recipe questions
Q: How long can I store them?
A: These didn’t last more than 24 hours in our home. But, they will store for up to two days at room temperature in an airtight container. If you’d like to freeze them, you can wrap them individually with plastic wrap and store them in a freezer bag for up to one month.
Q: Do I have to make buttermilk?
A: No. I don’t have buttermilk on hand, ever. But, if you do, you can certainly use it instead.
Apple Pecan Crumble Muffins
Ingredients
Homemade Buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice fresh or bottled
- A little shy of 1 cup 2% milk or whole milk
Crumb Topping
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
Muffins
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup homemade buttermilk
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 large apple peeled and chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375Β°F. Grease 12 count muffin tin with melted butter or coconut oil. If you have muffin cups, you can line your muffin tin instead.
- Prepare your Homemade Buttermilk. In a glass measuring cup, add lemon juice. Then, pour milk to meet the 1 cup line. Stir well and set aside until ready to use.
- Prepare your Crumble Topping. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together dry ingredients for your Crumb Topping, all-purpose flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, ground cinnamon and salt. – Drizzle melted butter over the dry ingredients and mix together until well combined and crumbles appear.
- Mix and bake your Muffins. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together these Muffin ingredients: light brown sugar, granulated sugar, coconut oil, buttermilk, eggs and vanilla extract. Then, with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon, stir all-purpose flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon and salt into the wet mixture. Fold in chopped apples and chopped pecans. Evenly divide muffin mixture among 12 muffin cups. Distribute the crumble topping onto muffins, equally. Bake on center rack for 25 minutes.Tip!Stick a toothpick in the center of an inner muffin. If it comes out with crumbles, your muffins are done.
- Cool and store. Let your muffins cool in the muffin tin for 10-15 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. Store at room temperature, in an airtight container, for up to 3 days.
Notes
- You can freeze muffins for up to 1 month by wrapping them in plastic wrap and storing in a freezer bag.
- Recipe adapted from Sugar Spun Run’s Apple Muffin recipe.
