Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Muffins are some of the most fun recipes to bake because they are so customizable. These apple cinnamon muffins are so tasty and make a great breakfast pastry. Like with all of my muffin recipes, these use the same ‘best muffin batter’ also seen in my blueberry, raspberry, and other varieties.

Of course, using the same base batter means these muffins also use my ‘secret ingredient’! What is this magical ingredient that makes the best muffins ever? Well, that would be smetana, and extra rich type of sour cream. Of course you can also use regular sour cream or even creme fraiche as a substitute.

Ingredients

The ingredients for these apple cinnamon muffins are pretty standard. In fact, if you bake often then you are likely to have all the ingredients already! Well, the smetana is something you might have to look for, but as mentioned earlier the substitutes work quite well.

• 2 Apples – I am using semi-sweet ones because I find the balance to be quite nice. If you use too sweet or too sour apples you might want to adjust the added sugar levels.
• 240 grams Flour – this is about 2 cups of loosely packed flour. I suggest using AP flour as it works well here, but you can also use cake or pastry flour if you want.
• 200 grams Sugar – this is about 1 cup of regular white sugar.
• 100 grams Egg – two large eggs, room temperature. If your eggs are VERY small then you might have to use half of another one. In this case just beat a few eggs together and measure out 100 grams. If you are between 96 and 104 grams then you are fine.
• 5 grams Baking Powder – about 1 tsp
• 2 grams Baking Soda – about 1/3 of a tsp
• 120 ml Oil – I suggest using a neutral oil like vegetable, soybean, or sunflower oil. A stronger oil like Olive will impart a lot of flavor into the final muffin
• 3 grams Salt – half a teaspoon
• 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon – If you can find authentic Ceylon cinnamon imported from Sri Lanka then absolutely use that. If not then you can sub for the regular cassia cinnamon powder.
• 250 grams Sour Cream – about 1 cup. If you can find actual smetana then definitely use it. If not then use the highest milkfat sour cream you can get your hands on.

How To Make Delicious Apple Cinnamon Muffins

In the bowl of a stand mixer beat together the eggs and sugar on high speed. Let it run for about 5 minutes until the mix is a frothy pale yellow. Then add in the sour cream, salt, and oil. Reduce speed to the lowest setting and mix until just combined.

In a bowl mix together the dry ingredients. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon powder together. Then add to the wet ingredients in the stand mixer a tablespoon at a time until combined. Do not overmix, once the dry ingredients are added turn off the mixer.

There are two different ways to cut the apples for these apple cinnamon muffins. I prefer to cut them very small so they sort of melt into the batter as the muffins bake. If you want to cut the apples into large pieces you can also do that.

Add the apple pieces directly to the batter and fold them in with a rubber spatula. Again, don’t overmix. Once the apple pieces are all mixed in then stop folding the batter.

How To Make The Muffin Crumb Topping

In a bowl add a half cup of brown sugar and a half cup of flour, as well as a teaspoon of powdered cinnamon. Then trickle in 3 tablespoons of melted butter. Use your hands to mix everything together and try to form a crumbly, clumpy combination.

Fill the muffin cups about 3/4 of the way with the batter. Then sprinkle over the crumb topping and gently press it into the batter. This will prevent the topping from falling off once you take these apple cinnamon muffins out of the oven.

Place your tray in the oven and bake for 21 minutes at 180°C or 355°F on fan forced convection setting. If your oven does not have convection than cook them at 190°C or 395°F for 23 minutes.

I cooked these tasty muffins in reusable silicone cups, but you can use paper cups, or no cups at all if you like. I like using silicone muffin cups when I cook for myself at home, but if you are making these as gifts then paper is the way to go.