Spiced Apple Crumble Muffins; soft and fluffy cinnamon-spiked muffins full of soft chunks of apple, with a buttery granola crumble topping and vanilla drizzle.
If you guys have the (dis)pleasure of following me on any social media platforms, you may have already heard me waxing lyrical about apple crumble, apple pie, or pretty much any apple-and-pastry based dessert.
The apple crumble is a classic humble British pud, that I feel is often forgotten in these times of salted caramel and matcha powder. Nonetheless, it is my absolute favourite.
Soft stewed apples, with spice scented steam twirling into the air, underneath a thick layer of part-soft and part-crisp brown sugar dressed buttery crumble topping. Waiting patiently to be drowned in creamy vanilla custard, and spooned into every willing mouth. I’m hungry just thinking about it.
Basically, I want it all the time, so having a Spiced Apple Crumble Muffins recipe that carries all the flavour of this perfect Autumn/Winter dessert is just deliciously exciting. Especially for us lazier folks who don’t want to wait more than 25 minutes for something to bake!
These have everything you’d want in a muffin; soft, fluffy and rich with flavour without being too sweet or heavy. Chunks of soft apple keep the cinnamon-laced crumb moist, while the crumble topping adds an ideal mixture of buttery flavour and toasted nutty crunch. Don’t forget that perfectly sweet little vanilla drizzle either, it’s an ideal stand-in for the usual vanilla custard! Beats a packet of instant porridge or dry coffee shop muffin for breakfast, right? Right.
They are super easy to adjust for a dairy or gluten free diet too!
To add even more delicious flavour and crumbly texture to these muffins, I added some nutty granola to both the actual muffin mix and the crumble topping. Full of chunky rolled oats, toasted nuts and cinnamon, it made a perfect addition to these Spiced Apple Crumble Muffins!
To make these lovely Spiced Apple Crumble Muffins, you’ll need to start by preheating your oven and popping 12 muffin cases into a 12-hole muffin/cupcake baking tin.
In a large bowl, stir apple sauce and eggs together until fairly smooth.
Add vegetable oil and sugar and whisk again until combined, breaking up any stiff lumps in the sugar as you go.
In a separate large bowl, stir together chopped apple chunks, flour, granola, spices and salt.
Coating the apple in flour helps stop it from sinking to the bottom of the muffin cases.
Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and use a spoon or spatula to gently stir it in until just incorporated.
Use a spoon or ice cream scoop to fill the 12 muffin cases evenly.
To make the crumble topping for you muffins, use your fingers to rub butter into flour, granola/cereal and sugar until it resembles breadcrumbs.
Sprinkle some crumble over each muffin, pressing it down slightly to help it stick. You may not need it all!
Bake the muffins in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes until firm, a cocktail stick inserted in the centre of a muffin should come out clean once they are baked. Don’t worry if it takes an extra few minutes, every oven is different!
Once baked, allow the muffins to cool in the tin for 5-10 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack, or in the chilly breeze of a windowsill.
While the muffins cool, you can make the vanilla drizzle, if you like!
Mix together the sugar, water/milk/juice and vanilla extract until you achieve a fairly thick white icing. Feel free to add more sugar or liquid to reach your desired consistency.
Use a spoon, knife or a filled piping bag to drizzle and splatter the icing all over the tops of the muffins.
You can leave the icing to set a little or just bite straight in. I won’t tell you which option I chose…
I hope you guys like these little babies, they were a winner for us!
Scroll down to find the full recipe to make these Spiced Apple Crumble Muffins.
Spiced Apple Crumble Muffins
Spiced Apple Crumble Muffins; soft and fluffy cinnamon-spiked muffins full of soft chunks of apple, with a buttery granola crumble topping and vanilla drizzle.
Notes
BE A MAVERICK: why stop at apples? Try this recipe out with pears or blackberries!
MAKE IT GLUTEN FREE: Simply replace the flour with a gluten free flour blend.
Ingredients
For the spiced apple crumble muffins:
- 150g (scant ⅔ cup) apple puree or apple sauce (you can substitute yoghurt here if you like)
- 2 large eggs
- 120g (½ cup, packed) soft dark brown sugar
- 120ml (½ cup) vegetable oil, olive oil or melted coconut oil
- 2 regular eating apples, peeled and chopped into small cubes/chunks (about 250g)
- 300g (2 ⅓ cups) self-raising flour (wholemeal or white)
- 50g (⅓ cup) nutty granola or cereal
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp mixed spice
- Pinch of salt
For the crumble topping:
- 50g (3 tbsp) cold butter
- 75g (½ cup) plain or self-raising flour
- 50g (⅓ cup) nutty granola or cereal
- 50g (¼ cup) soft dark brown sugar
For the drizzle (optional):
- 150 (1 ⅓ cups) icing sugar
- 2-3 tbsp water, milk or apple juice
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
For the muffins:
- Preheat your oven – 180 C / 160 C fan / 350 F / gas mark 4 – and pop 12 muffin cases into a 12-hole muffin/cupcake baking tin.
- In a large bowl, stir your apple sauce and eggs together until fairly smooth.
- Add the vegetable oil and sugar and whisk again until combined, breaking up any stiff lumps in the sugar as you go.
- In a separate large bowl, stir together the chopped apple chunks, flour, granola, spices and salt. Coating the apple in flour helps stop it from sinking to the bottom of the muffin cases.
- Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and use a spoon or spatula to gently stir it in until just incorporated.
- Use a spoon or ice cream scoop to fill the 12 muffin cases evenly.
For the crumble topping:
- Use your fingers to rub the butter into the flour, granola/cereal and sugar until it resembles breadcrumbs.
- Sprinkle some crumble over each muffin, pressing it down slightly to help it stick. You may not need it all!
- Bake the muffins in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes until firm, a cocktail stick inserted in the centre of a muffin should come out clean once they are baked. Don’t worry if it takes an extra few minutes, every oven is different!
- Once baked, allow the muffins to cool in the tin for 5-10 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack, or in the chilly breeze of a windowsill.
For the drizzle or glaze (optional):
- Mix together the sugar, water/milk/juice and vanilla extract until you achieve a fairly thick white icing. Feel free to add more sugar or liquid to reach your desired consistency.
- Use a spoon, knife or a filled piping bag to drizzle and splatter the icing all over the tops of the muffins.
- You can leave the icing to set a little or just bite straight in.
- Enjoy
