Cinnamon Apple Crisp Muffins are topped with a slightly crunchy cinnamon topping. It is like a cap of streusel, but it doesn't require any of the extra work.
I love when you can go and pick apples by the bushel. Truly! We used to live within a couple of miles of Apple Hill in California.
When apple season began, I would start picking up a bushel of this and a bushel of that.
By the end of the season, there were quite a few pints and quarts of apples all canned up for the year.
Countless pies, candies, cookies, and muffins had been served to others and myself.
This recipe didn't exist then, but it does now, and I hope you will add it to your collection. It really is that good!
Table of Contents
Helpful kitchen tools
- A pastry cutter will be used more than you know.
- Sometimes, all you need is a box grater. This is a nice stainless steel one.
- Are you looking for a certain measuring cup size? I love all the sizes these measuring spoons and measuring cups come in.
How to make amazing muffins
- This recipe makes 18 nice big muffins. I used muffin tin liners for neat and easy removal.
- To a large bowl, add the dry ingredients - flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Mix well.
- Cut in the shortening with a pastry cutter. I always use my fingers when I get close to the end - I pinch and roll with my fingers and thumb. This gets a great mixture that resembles crumbs. Set aside.
- Make your chia egg and set aside. You can also use flax seed for the egg substitute.
- Peel, core, and grate the apple and set aside.
- Mix the dairy-free milk and chia egg together.
- Add the liquid mixture to the dry ingredients, stirring until just combined.
- Fold in the grated apple.
- Evenly spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tins.
- Bake at 375° for 25 minutes.
- Take the muffins out of the oven and let cool for a few minutes.
- During this time, mix the cinnamon and sugar and set aside.
- Melt the butter and put it in a narrower, deeper bowl than a cereal bowl. This way, you can dunk the muffin top straight down into the butter and then lift.
- Dip each top into the butter and then roll the top in the cinnamon mixture.
- Set aside on a rack to cool completely.
I used Stone Ground Organic Whole Wheat Flour in this recipe, which worked great!
You can use whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour, too.
They are easy to make and as good as any specialty bakery goods out there.
Can you freeze apple crisp muffins
So easily!
Baked goods seem to be made for freezing.
IF FREEZING:
After they have cooled, you may freeze them in any of the methods shown in my article How to Prepare Food for the Freezer.
They defrost quickly, so it really doesn't take any planning.
Just take them out of the freezer and set them in the refrigerator. You can even set them on a platter if you serve them for breakfast or a treat in about an hour.
That was a great bite! After I finished my photography - I finished one of my Cinnamon Apple Crisp Muffins.
Now, you can make these beautiful muffins, and people will think you're a five-star baker.
📋 Recipe
Cinnamon Apple Crisp Muffins
Ingredients
Muffins:
- 3 cups Stone Ground Whole Wheat Flour
- 1 ½ cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup organic shortening
- 1 tablespoon chia egg which is 1 chia flour and 3 Tablespoons water, directions below
- 1 cup almond milk
- 1 granny smith apple, peeled and grated (at the last minute)
Topping used after the muffins are baked:
- ¼ cup dairy-free butter, melted
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
Instructions
- Add muffin liners to 18 muffin cups
- To a large bowl add the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Mix well.
- Cut in the shortening with a pastry cutter. I always use my fingers when I get close to the end - I pinch and roll with my fingers and thumb. This gets a great mixture that resembles crumbs. Set aside.
- Make your chia egg and set aside. - A chia egg is actually made with chia seed meal/flour not the bare seed. The way you make meal/flour is by grinding the chia seed in a processor such as one for your coffee beans or a spice grinder. I use mine to strictly grind seeds so that I do not mix flavors. Grind until it is a fine meal. I do about 4 ounces at a time and keep it in a little freezer safe canning jar - in the freezer. When I need a Tablespoon or so it is all ready to go.
- Peel and grate the apple and set aside.
- Add the almond milk and chia egg together.
- Add the liquid mixture to the dry ingredients stirring until just combined.
- Fold in the grated apple.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tins.
- Bake at 375° for 25 minutes.
- Take the muffins out of the oven and let cool for a few minutes.
- During this time mix the cinnamon and sugar and set aside.
- Melt the butter and put in a narrower deeper bowl than a cereal bowl. This way you can dunk the muffin top straight down into the butter and then lift.
- Dip each top into the butter and then roll the top in the cinnamon mixture.
- Set aside, on a rack, to cool completely.
Video
Notes
They defrost quickly so it really doesn't take any planning. Just take them out of the freezer and set in the refrigerator. You can even set them on a platter if you are serving them for breakfast or a treat in about an hour.
Shelley @ Two Healthy Kitchens
Yep - absolutely love Bob's Red Mill and their wonderful line of anything-I-need grains! And what a great way to use their fantastic whole-wheat flour ... the gorgeously craggy-sugary top of these muffins lured me in at just one glance! Looks so decadent, no one will ever guess how jam-crammed full of whole grain goodness these beauties are! Yum! Definitely pinning! 😀
Ginny McMeans
Thanks so much Shelly! I appreciate all of your support and their flour really is so good!
Melanie | Melanie Makes
Apple crisp in muffin form? Sold!
Sarah Averett
These photos are absolutely stunning! What a fabulous idea!
Beth @ The First Year
The cinnamon sugar on these babies looks swoon worthy, yummm!!
Kristine @ Kristine's Kitchen
I'm always making muffins with whole-wheat flour and I love Bob's Red Mill! I don't think I could resist one (or two) of these muffins, especially with that cinnamon topping!
Heather | girlichef
I love to go apple picking, too...and I would equally love these mouthwatering muffins. Lucky for me I have EVERYTHING I need to make them right this minute! 🙂
Amy @Very Culinary
Oh yes, my pantry resembles the Bob's Red Mill grocery store section. Love them - their grains are unmatched! Great use of their flour here in these muffins!
Sheena @ Hot Eats and Cool Reads
These muffins look fantastic! Love the flavors! Pinning!
Martha @ A Family Feast
Wow - those look delicious!! We're such fans of Bob's products - thanks for the coupon!
Erin @ Texanerin Baking
These look like they have the best muffin tops! I saw a lot of BRM posts last week but I think this is the first I saw that uses whole wheat. Yay! 🙂 And I also love Bob's Red Mill. So much that I brought over a dozen of their flours over here to Germany with me. 🙂
Brenda@Sugar-Free Mom
They look really pretty, I love Bob's Red Mill gluten free flour!
Angie
Apple muffins are the best! These look great!
Ashley @ Wishes & Dishes
I love Bob's Red Mill products! Everything comes out better when I use their stuff. Great looking muffins - they are making me especially hungry right now 🙂
Stephanie @ Back for Seconds
I wouldn't be able to stop at just one. Holy yum!
Jen @ Yummy Healthy Easy
I can tell you right now that these would be a HIT at my house! What beautiful muffins!
Kirsten/ComfortablyDomestic
I make muffins every week, and Whole wheat muffins are my absolute favorites. My boys would devour these apple crisp muffins!
Nikki @ NikSnacks
That's it. I'm making these. For Thanksgiving morning! I'm so excited! I love the way they look!
Ashlyn @ Belle of the Kitchen
These muffins are gorgeous and I LOVE Bob's Red Mill! When I needed Guar Gum for a recipe one time, they were the only ones I could find that made it. 🙂
Meg @ The Housewife in Training Files
I love everything about these muffins! The apple the crisp! I want em all 🙂
Kim (Feed Me, Seymour)
I absolutely love these muffins! I've been searching for some delicious breakfast recipes lately and this is definitely one of them.
Susan
I don't know which part of this muffin I'd dive into first the bottom or the top (mostly because the top looks so good)! Bob's Red Mill is great flour, I have a closet full of their almond meal!
Lauren @ Healthy Delicious
I love apple muffins - especially when they have a sugary topping like that!
Cookin Canuck
I've been looking for a place to pick apples for year...no luck! But that won't stop me from trying these muffins. Yum!
Melanie
Mmmm, these would be perfect with my morning coffee! Gorgeous!
Aly ~ Cooking In Stilettos
Bob's Red Mill has amazing products and these muffins look fantastic! I love how you used Whole Wheat Flour in this!
Laura O @PetiteAllergyTreats
Oh my, that topping looks incredible. I love apple crisp and these muffins are perfect to grab and go with whole some goodness of grains too!
glsgrl
Is the chia egg 1T of chia meal?
Ginny McMeans
Yes, 1 Tablespoon chia flour/meal and 3 Tablespoons water. Sorry, somehow I left that out but the recipe is fixed now. Thanks for the heads up.
Maureen
loved these! Just tried baking them with almond flour though and they did not rise at all.Still delicious though! Any gluten free version suggestions?
Kim
I have used Brown Rice Flour with added baking powder & baking soda, or a mix of the Brown Rice Flour & ground Flax seed for my GF muffins. They still rise & you would never know they were GF.
fabiola@notjustbaked
These look absolutely perfect! And I love Bobs!
Ginny McMeans
That is perfect good information Kim! Thanks for the GF help. 🙂
Ginny McMeans
Thanks Fabiola and don't we all! 🙂
Bethany
Wow, these are absolutely amazing!!!!!!!! Best muffins I have ever eaten and lately I have been on a muffin kick so that's really saying something. My daughter loved them too. I am going to serve then at a bridal shower tomorrow. I am certain they will be a huge hit! They are a but more time consuming than other muffin recipes but well worth it. I used a flax egg instead of chia because it's all I had but it worked perfectly. Thank you for the fabulous recipe. I will make these again!
Ginny McMeans
That is fantastic Bethany and you are very welcome. Thanks for all your kind words and they will be perfect for a bridal shower.
Traci @ The Kitchen Girl
Omgosh...these look so scrumptious I want one right now! I love the chia egg...I was a baker back in college and we used it for our vegan cookies. Great method! Thanks for sharing this gorgeous treat!
Anjali @ Vegetarian Gastronomy
I SO want one of these right now! That crispy topping seems mouthwatering!!
Amanda | Chew Town
Those muffins look and sound incredible! I love the sound of the sugary crunchy top - such a great contrast to the soft fluffy apple centre.
Brian Jones
They sound wonderful, we have 4 apple trees in our garden so we are never short of ingredients 😉
Emily
Omg, I'm drooling, the top of those muffins look amazing. I need to make these asap!
Tiffany
I want to make these but don’t currently have organic shortening! What else can I use to substitute?
Thank you!
Ginny McMeans
Any shortening will work Tiffany.
Sarah
I used vegan butter and they were fine. They probably crumbled more, but I hardly noticed bc they are so delicious.
Sarah
I also used oat milk.
Lindsay
I just made a batch of these and WOW they are absolutely delicious! Perfect texture and the flavor is amazing. This will definitely be a staple recipe for my family!