Apple Muffins With Applesauce

Apple muffins with applesauce are the epitome of fall baking: sweet, crunchy apples baked into a cinnamon-spiced muffin with a crumbly brown sugar streusel topping. 

There’s a reason that apple picking is such a popular outdoor activity in the fall. Apple orchards are not only beautiful, but they also offer a bounty of fruit that’s perfect for baking.

From apple pies to doughnuts to scones to pancakes, there are countless ways to make the most of a good apple harvest. 

Apple muffins might be one of the best ways to use your haul of fruit. These apple muffins are spiced with warming cinnamon and topped with brown sugar for a crumbly, streusel-like topping.

Plus, the addition of applesauce ensures that your muffins are incredibly moist and bursting with pure apple flavor. 

Ingredients for Apple Muffins with Applesauce

If you have a jar of store-bought or homemade applesauce on hand, you’re well on your way towards a fresh batch of apple muffins. 

Here are the other ingredients for these fall-flavored pastries:

• All-purpose flour – which you can substitute with gluten-free measure-for-measure all-purpose flour blend. 
• Baking soda – the necessary chemical leavener to make light and bouncy apple muffins. 
• White granulated sugar – for sweetness.
• Eggs and oil – which ensure your muffins are super moist. 
• Applesauce – choose high-quality, unsweetened applesauce, which allows you to taste all the apple flavor and control the sweetness of your muffins. If you only have sweetened applesauce, reduce the amount of sugar added to the muffin batter. 
• Cinnamon and vanilla extract – the two important flavor enhancers to highlight the warming fall flavor. 
• Granny smith apples – which you’ll dice into small pieces and fold into the muffin batter for delightful pops of softened baked apples throughout your muffins. 
• Dark brown sugar – which adds just the right amount of sweetness and texture to the tops of your muffins. Of course, you can omit the dark brown sugar on top of the muffins if you don’t have any or want to cut back on some of the sugar in this recipe. 

What Kind of Apple is Best?

Granny Smith apples are the best for baking recipes like this. Instead of turning to mush as they cook, granny smiths hold up well.

The result is that your muffins are flecked with delicious pops of tender, caramelized apples throughout. 

While granny smiths are a little more tart than other red-skinned apples when they’re raw, fear not. The green apples bake down into a naturally sweet, almost syrupy flavor that permeates your muffins. 

Can I Double the Recipe?

Yes, this recipe makes 15 regular-sized muffins. However, you can easily double the ingredients to make a larger batch of muffins. 

Can I Make Mini or Large Apple Muffins?

You can also make mini or larger muffins if you have the right tins.

For mini apple muffins with applesauce, I’d cut the baking time in half. The small ones cook quickly, so to avoid burning, check them early. 

For larger muffins, on the other hand, you’ll need a longer baking time. Start by adding 5 minutes to the regular baking time.

Check them by performing the toothpick test, and add another 5-10 minutes if your toothpick doesn’t come out clean. 

How To Store Apple Muffins

I recommend enjoying these homemade muffins as soon as they cool down enough to handle!

There’s no question that your kitchen will be full of the smell of warm cinnamon, baking apples, and sweet applesauce, so it’s going to be hard not to dig into a freshly baked muffin. 

However, you can also store leftovers (once they’ve cooled completely) in an airtight container on the counter for about 3 days.

Any longer than that and the muffins may start to stale, so I would transfer them to the freezer, where they’ll stay fresh for up to 3 months. 

To reheat frozen applesauce muffins, allow the muffins to come to room temperature on the counter overnight. Then warm in the microwave in 15-second intervals until hot. 

For a quick thaw, you can also place one muffin straight from the freezer into the microwave and heat in 30-second intervals until warmed through.

You might find that the defrosted muffins don’t have quite the same moisture as when you pulled them fresh from the oven. Of course, that’s nothing that can’t be fixed with a generous pat of butter or cream cheese!

How To Make Apple Muffins With Applesauce

Check out these step-by-step instructions for making apple muffins with applesauce. You can also find these same instructions in the recipe card below. Enjoy!

Step 1: Gather your ingredients. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two muffin pans with 15 liners.

Step 2: In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon. 

Step 3: In a mixing bowl, beat the sugar, oil, and vanilla extract. 

Step 4: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the oil and sugar mixture and mix until combined.

Step 5: Add in the eggs and applesauce, mixing well between each addition.

Step 6: Fold in the diced apples. 

Step 7: Divide the batter between the muffin liners and sprinkle with brown sugar. 

Step 8: Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

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