Apple Pie Muffins (Easy Recipe for Breakfast or Anytime)

My homemade Apple Pie Muffins are super simple to prepare and taste incredible. They combine all the cozy flavors of a classic apple pie in a portable, bite-sized treat. I’ve been making this recipe for over 20 years!

Apple Pie Muffins

Have you seen the muffin man? Well, which way did he go? He just stole my apple pie muffins!

I don’t blame him though, they are absolutely delicious.

I’ve been making this muffin recipe for well over 20 years now. This recipe is certainly tried and true.

My Apple Pie Muffins are so super simple to prepare too. With tender apple chunks, a hint of spice, and a moist, fluffy texture, they’re perfect for breakfast, a snack, or even dessert.

Each muffin is like a mini apple pie wrapped in a soft, delicious hug. You’re going to just love them, I promise!

Why You’ll Love My Apple Pie Muffins Recipe

• Simple Ingredients: My muffins use simple ingredients that you can easily find at grocery stores or maybe even in your kitchen right now.
• Quick Preparation: You can prepare these delicious muffins quickly and have them popped into the oven in no-time.
• Dutch Apple Topping: The crumb topping adds a crunchy texture to the tops of the muffins, reminding me of a good old-fashonied Dutch apple pie!
• Enjoy Anytime: Not just for breakfast, these muffins are a perfect snack or dessert too.

More Apple Recipes to Love

• Crockpot Apple Butter
• Crock Pot Apple Cobbler
• Apple Tres Leches Cake
• Apple Pecan Pie
• Caramel Apple Trifle
• Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars

Ingredients for Apple Pie Muffins

These apple pie muffins, with their simple ingredients and easy steps, pair wonderfully with your morning cup of coffee and homemade coffee creamer.

Here’s your cast of ingredients!

For the muffins, you will need:

• Self-Rising Flour: I like to keep it simple and use self-rising flour. If you don’t have that, you can mix all-purpose flour with 1 tsp of baking soda and 1/2 tsp of salt.
• Egg: One large egg helps bind all the ingredients together.
• Buttermilk: Adds moisture and a slight tanginess to balance the sweetness. If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make a quick substitute by adding a TBSP of lemon juice or vinegar to a cup of regular milk and let it sit for a few minutes. Or, you can use Greek yogurt or sour cream in place of the buttermilk.
• Melted Butter: This gives the muffins a rich flavor and tender crumb.
• Vanilla Extract: Using pure vanilla extract adds great flavor to your muffins.
• Brown Sugar: Packed brown sugar adds sweetness and a hint of molasses flavor. It’s also used to create the delicious crumb topping.
• Apples: Sweet apples like Pink Lady or tart ones like Granny Smith work well. You’ll peel and dice them all up.

For the streusel topping, you will need:

• Brown Sugar & All-Purpose Flour: You’ll mix brown sugar with flour to make the crumb topping.
• Ground Cinnamon: Cinnamon goes with apples like peanut butter goes with jelly.
• Melted Butter: Melted butter helps to bind the topping together so it bakes up nice and crumbly.

There is a printable version of this recipe at the bottom of this post. There is also a video tutorial of Mrs Happy Homemaker making this recipe right above the printable recipe.

How to Make Apple Pie Muffins

Prepare your oven: Begin by setting your oven temperature to 350 degrees F.

Ready the muffin pan: Grease your muffin cups, or spray them with Baker’s Joy like I do – or line with muffin liners if you wish.

Mix dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt.

Combine wet ingredients: To the dry ingredients, add one egg at room temperature, buttermilk, melted butter, and pure vanilla extract. Add brown sugar. Beat these ingredients until they are well combined.

Fold in apples: Stir diced apples into the batter. For the best muffins, use sweet apples or a mix of sweet and tart apples like Granny Smith. Mix just until the apple pieces are distributed throughout the batter. (Don’t overmix!)

Fill muffin cups: Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin. Fill the cups to the top so you get that nice muffin top.

Prepare the crumb topping: In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, all-purpose flour, ground cinnamon, and melted butter. Sprinkle this over the tops of the muffins.

Bake the muffins: Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the tops of the muffins spring back when lightly pressed.

Cool and serve: Once baked, remove the muffin pan from the oven. Let the muffins cool in the pan for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe Variations

• Add Pears: These muffins are also really good with pears or a mixture of apples and pears. They have such a wonderful ‘pie’ flavor to them either way you decide to make them.
• Sour Cream Muffins: Replace buttermilk with equal parts sour cream to make the muffins even more moist and tender. The sour cream adds richness and a slight tanginess, complementing the sweet apples and brown sugar perfectly.
• High Protein Apple Muffins: Add a scoop of vanilla protein powder to the dry ingredients and use plain Greek yogurt instead of buttermilk. These adjustments boost the protein content, making the muffins a more filling snack or breakfast option.

Recipe Tips

• Room Temperature Ingredients: Make sure your egg and buttermilk are at room temperature before starting. This will help you get nice and fluffy muffins!
• Mixing the Batter: When combining the wet and dry ingredients, stir just until they’re mixed. Overmixing the batter can lead to tough muffins. A few lumps in the batter are perfectly fine.
• Filling Muffin Cups: Fill the muffin cups to the top with batter. This will result in a nice “muffin top.”

How to Store Apple Pie Muffins

1. Cool Muffins: After baking your apple pie muffins, let them cool on a wire rack. This prevents moisture from building up, which could make the muffins soggy.
2. Room Temperature Storage: Once cooled, place the muffins in an airtight container. Keep them at room temperature for up to two days. Storing them this way works well only if you plan to eat them quickly.
3. Refrigerate for Longer Freshness: For keeping your muffins fresh longer, refrigerate them. They can last up to a week this way.
4. Freezing for Long-Term Storage: They also freeze great – perfect for meal prep and make ahead meals! Wrap each muffin individually in plastic wrap and then place them in a freezer bag or container. They can be frozen for up to three months. To eat, simply thaw at room temperature or warm up in the microwave for a few seconds.

Print Pin

Apple Pie Muffins

Author Mrs Happy Homemaker

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups self rising flour or all purpose flour+1 tsp baking soda & 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 egg
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1.5 cups packed brown sugar
• 2.5 cups apples peeled & diced

For the topping

• 1/2 Cup brown sugar
• 1/3 Cup all purpose flour
• 1 Tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 Tbsp melted butter

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 12 cup muffin tin or line with paper muffin cups.
• In a large bowl, combine 2 1/4 cups flour, baking soda, & salt (or use self rising flour).Beat in the egg, buttermilk, melted butter, vanilla and 1 1/2 cups of brown sugar until well combined. Stir in the diced apples. Stir just until everything is blended. Spoon into the prepared muffin tin, filling the cups to the top.
• In a small bowl, stir together 1/2 cup of brown sugar, 1/3 cup flour, cinnamon, and melted butter.. Sprinkle this over the tops of the muffins.
• Bake for 25-30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the tops of the muffins spring back when lightly pressed.