The BEST Apple Crumble Muffins (with Cinnamon Streusel Topping)

Imagine wonderfully tender muffins packed with sweet, spiced apples and finished with a perfectly crunchy streusel topping. These treats are everything I love about apple desserts, wrapped up in a portable, easy-to-make package. They remind me of cozy autumn days and baking simple, comforting things for friends and family.

What Goes Into These Delicious Apple Crumble Muffins

Crafting these delightful muffins requires a few key components, layered together for the best flavor and texture experience. Each part plays an important role, from the crumbly topping to the moist base.

Here are the main ingredients you’ll need:

• Flour: This forms the base for both the crunchy streusel topping and the soft muffin batter.
• Sugar: We use sugar in all three parts of the recipe. Brown sugar adds a lovely depth of flavor to the streusel and the apple layer, but granulated sugar works well too. For the muffin batter, granulated sugar blends smoothly into the dry ingredients, which helps create a tender crumb.
• Cinnamon: A touch of warm cinnamon goes into every single layer. This ensures that wonderful spiced apple flavor is present in every bite.
• Butter: Essential for creating richness in the muffin batter and that perfect, crumbly texture in the streusel.
• Apples: Fresh apples are diced and spiced to create the sweet and slightly tart filling tucked inside each muffin.
• Baking Powder: This is the leavening agent that helps the muffin batter rise beautifully in the oven, giving them a nice dome.
• Salt: Just a pinch enhances all the other flavors in the batter.
• Eggs: Eggs provide structure and moisture to the muffin batter, helping everything bind together.
• Milk: Liquid helps bring the muffin batter together and keeps it from being too dense.
• Oil: Using a neutral oil like vegetable oil adds extra moisture to the muffins, ensuring they stay tender. Other options like canola or corn oil also work well.
• Vanilla Extract: A splash of vanilla enhances the overall sweetness and warmth of the muffins.

How to Prepare Your Apple Crumble Muffins

Making these muffins is quite straightforward, following a simple process of preparing each layer and then assembling them before baking. You’ll start by getting your oven ready and lining your muffin tin.

Follow these steps to create your muffins:

1. Combine the ingredients for the streusel topping in a bowl. Work the cold butter into the dry ingredients using a fork or pastry blender until the mixture is crumbly. Place this bowl in the refrigerator to chill while you continue.
2. In a separate bowl, mix together the diced apples, brown sugar, and cinnamon for the filling. Set this aside for the moment.
3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients for the muffin batter: flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
4. Add the cool, cubed butter to the dry ingredients. Use your pastry blender or fork to cut the butter into the flour mixture until it looks like coarse crumbs.
5. Pour the wet ingredients (eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla extract) into the bowl with the dry and butter mixture.
6. Whisk everything gently until just combined. Don’t overmix; a few small lumps are fine.
7. Now it’s time to assemble the muffins in your prepared tin. Spoon the muffin batter into each cup, filling them a little more than halfway.
8. Spoon some of the apple filling mixture over the batter in each cup. If the apples have released liquid, drain it off before adding the fruit.
9. Take your chilled streusel topping from the fridge and sprinkle it generously and evenly over the apple layer in each muffin cup.
10. Bake the muffins until they are golden and a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean (it might look damp from the apples, but shouldn’t have wet batter clinging to it).
11. Let the muffins cool in the tin for about 10 minutes before carefully transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
12. If you like, you can finish them with a simple drizzle of powdered sugar icing once they are cool.

Storing Apple Crumble Muffins

Once your delicious muffins have cooled, proper storage will help keep them fresh and tasty for as long as possible.

Here are some tips for keeping your muffins:

• Store leftover muffins in an airtight container or a sealed plastic bag.
• They will keep well at room temperature for about 3 days.
• You can extend their freshness by storing them in the refrigerator for up to one week.
• For longer storage, you can freeze them for up to 3 months.
• To thaw frozen muffins, you can leave them at room temperature for a few hours. Alternatively, pop them into a preheated 350°F (175°C) oven for about 5 minutes.
• If the streusel topping softens during storage, you can crisp it back up by placing the muffins in a 350°F (175°C) oven for just a few minutes until the topping is crunchy again.

Frequently Asked Questions About Apple Crumble Muffins

Baking can sometimes bring up questions. Here are answers to some common inquiries about making these apple crumble muffins.

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