Description
Fluffy Apple Cinnamon Muffins packed with warm spices and tender apple bits. This recipe brings a comforting breakfast to your table, a real morning hug.
Ingredients
Scale
- The Muffin Base:
- 2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Wet Wonders & Flavor Boosters:
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 cup (240ml) whole milk, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (120ml) vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- The Star of the Show:
- 2 medium apples (like Honeycrisp or Granny Smith), peeled, cored, and diced into 1/4-inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon (plus extra for sprinkling, if desired)
Instructions
- Prep Your Gear & Dry Bits:: First things first, get that oven preheating to 400°F (200°C). Then, line your 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or, if you’re like me and sometimes forget, grease it really, really well. In a big bowl, whisk together your flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. I always give it a good whisk for about 30 seconds, making sure there are no lumpy bits. You want everything super combined here before the wet stuff comes in, otherwise, you’ll be overmixing later, and nobody wants tough muffins!
- Combine Wet Ingredients:: In a separate, smaller bowl, crack your egg and give it a quick whisk. Then, pour in your milk, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract. Whisk these wet ingredients until they’re just combined. This is where I sometimes get a little too eager and over-whisk, but honestly, just a few seconds until it’s uniform is plenty. You’re not trying to make a meringue, just getting the liquids ready to join the dry party. It smells kinda sweet already, even without the apples!
- Mix Wet into Dry (Gently!):: Now, pour your wet mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Grab a spatula – this is important! Gently fold everything together until *just* combined. Seriously, stop mixing as soon as you don’t see any streaks of dry flour. A few lumps are totally okay, even desirable! Overmixing is the enemy of fluffy muffins; it develops the gluten too much, and we want tender, not chewy, muffins. I once mixed until it was perfectly smooth and my muffins came out like rocks, oops!
- Fold in the Apples & Cinnamon:: Time for the stars! Gently fold in your diced apples and ground cinnamon. Make sure those apple bits are evenly distributed throughout the batter. You want a little bit of apple in every bite, right? The smell of the cinnamon hitting the wet batter is just divine, filling the kitchen with that warm, comforting aroma. This is the part where I always feel a little thrill, knowing these are about to become those amazing Apple Cinnamon Muffins.
- Fill ‘Em Up:: Divide the batter evenly among your 12 muffin cups. I usually use an ice cream scoop for this, it makes things so much neater and ensures consistent sizing. Fill them about two-thirds full. Don’t overfill, or you’ll have muffin tops that run all over the pan, creating a sticky mess you’ll regret later. Trust me, I’ve cleaned enough burnt sugar off my oven floor to know!
- Bake & Enjoy Your Apple Cinnamon Muffins:: Pop that muffin tin into your preheated oven. Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. The tops should be golden brown and look beautifully domed. When they’re done, let them cool in the tin for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack. Don’t skip that cooling time in the tin; it helps them set up and prevents them from sticking. The smell? Oh, it’s heavenly, pure baked apple and cinnamon bliss!