Go Back

Apple Cinnamon Crumble Muffins

Apple cinnamon crumble muffins with tender apple chunks and a buttery brown sugar crumb topping. Baked until golden and finished with an easy vanilla glaze for a bakery-style muffin texture.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 22 minutes
Total Time 42 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Course: Breakfast, Snack
Cuisine: American
Calories: 330
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the Muffins
  • 2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 0.25 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 0.5 cup unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled
  • 0.75 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs large
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 0.5 cup whole milk
  • 1.5 cup apples peeled and diced Honeycrisp or Granny Smith
For the Crumble Topping
  • 0.5 cup all-purpose flour
  • 0.3333 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 0.25 cup unsalted butter cold, cubed
Optional Vanilla Glaze
  • 0.5 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tbsp milk
  • 0.5 tsp vanilla extract

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Preheat and prep pan
  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners or lightly grease the cups with oil or butter to prevent sticking.
Mix dry ingredients
  1. In a large bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, and salt. Whisk until the spices are evenly distributed and no lumps remain.
Mix wet ingredients
  1. In another bowl, whisk melted unsalted butter, granulated sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, and whole milk until smooth. Stop when the mixture looks glossy and fully combined.
Combine batter
  1. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Do not overmix; the batter should be thick with a few streaks of flour.
  2. Fold in diced apples gently to keep the pieces from breaking. Mix only until the apple chunks are coated in batter.
Make the crumble topping
  1. In a bowl, combine all-purpose flour, light brown sugar, and ground cinnamon. Stir until the dry topping looks uniform.
  2. Cut in cold unsalted butter with a pastry cutter or fork until coarse crumbs form. The mixture should look sandy with some pea-size butter bits.
Fill and top muffins
  1. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups, filling each about three-quarters full. Aim for similar heights so they bake evenly.
  2. Sprinkle the crumble generously over each muffin. Press lightly so the topping adheres to the batter.
Bake
  1. Bake at 375°F for 20–24 minutes, or until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Use the center check to avoid underbaking the apples.
Cool and glaze
  1. Cool the muffins in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack. Let them rest until warm, not hot, so the glaze won’t melt off.
  2. If desired, whisk powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled muffins before serving.

Notes

For best bakery-style domes, measure flour by spooning into the cup and leveling, then stop stirring as soon as the batter comes together. Store muffins in an airtight container at room temperature up to 2 days or refrigerate up to 5 days; rewarm 10–15 seconds in the microwave if chilled. Freeze baked muffins (without glaze) up to 2 months, then thaw and glaze after thawing. For a lighter option, replace whole milk with buttermilk or an equal amount of low-fat milk for a slightly tangier crumb.