These mini apple muffins are the perfect bite-sized treat! They’re soft, fluffy, and packed with cinnamon apple flavor!
After testing these mini apple muffins no less than 8x this Fall, I’m so excited to share the final result! This baller batch of muffins was a hit with friends, neighbors, and my helpful husband, who took one for the team and sampled each and every batch.
Rough job, eh? How does he do it!? 😉
These marvelous mini muffins are gloriously tender and flavorful with a perfect little dome on top, much like the kind you’d find at the bakery.
In place of a heavy streusel, I opted for an (optional) kiss of cinnamon sugar sprinkled on top. They’re light, fluffy, and absolutely delicious!
Or should I say APPLE-loutley delicious?
Nope! I should not say that. Cringe!
Muffin Ingredients
- 3/4-1 cup finely diced apple
- 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1/2 cup avocado oil
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
Since apples come in so many various sizes, I kept things simply by measuring out the apples after finely dicing them into small cubes. Anywhere from 3/4 to 1 cup of apples will work great here!
Q: What type of apple should I use?
Any apple that has a sweet yet crisp consistency will work great for this recipe. I like using Fuji apples for muffins. The flavor and consistency is perfection! You can also use Granny Smith, Pink Lady, Honeycrisp, or Gala apples.
Q: Can I use a different oil?
If needed you can replace the avocado oil with any mild baking oil such as canola oil or vegetable oil. Olive oil or coconut oil will both change the taste of the muffins.
Can i make larger muffins?
If you don’t have a mini muffin tray but would still like a fluffy batch of cinnamon apple muffins in your face, you can absolutely use a regular sized muffin tin! I already have a recipe for a dozen delicious Apple Cinnamon Muffins you can use *OR* if you would like to make a smaller batch, the recipe in this post will make a small batch of 5-6 regular muffins. Simply adjust the bake time to 22-24 minutes at 350℉.
mINI aPPLE mUFFINS
I opted for a super small dice of the apples, which worked best for these tiny muffins. This way you have the perfect apple-to-muffin ratio!
Since they bake fast (for sure a mini muffin perk!) a quick saute of the apples with a portion of cinnamon and sugar gives them the tenderness of a slower baked muffin while infusing them with extra flavor. This speedy step is SO worth it!
Mini Apple Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup finely diced apple (fuji, honey crisp, pink lady, etc…)
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar
- ½ cup avocado oil
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- optional cinnamon sugar for topping
Instructions
PREP THE INGREDIENTS
- Peel, core, and finely dice apple into small cubes. Aim for ¾-1 cup.
- Measure out all remaining ingredients. For the flour: first fluff the flour in its container so it's aerated, then gently add spoonfuls of the flour to the measuring cup until full. Avoid packing the flour in. Use a straight edge knife/spatula to level the flour with the top of the cup.
- Add flour to a medium mixing bowl along with baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix well and set aside.
SAUTE THE APPLES
- Bring a small skillet to medium-high heat and add a ½ tsp of the measured oil. Add apples and saute for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Reduce heat to medium-low. Add 1 TBSP of the measured brown sugar and a hearty sprinkle of the cinnamon and allow to cook for an additional minute until thickened and bubbly.
- Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
MAKE THE MUFFIN BATTER
- To the bowl with the cinnamon apples, add the remainder of the brown sugar and cinnamon and mix well with a metal whisk.
- Add the flour mixture to the bowl. Use a large spoon to mix until flour is incorporated, taking care not to overmix. The batter will be thick.
- Next add applesauce, oil, and vanilla and whisk to combine. The mixture should now be cooled down enough to whisk in the egg.
- For extra fluffy muffins, rest the batter for 10 minutes.
- While the batter rests, preheat oven to 350℉. Line a large mini muffin tin with 16 parchment paper liners *OR* lightly grease with butter or oil.
LET'S BAKE SOME MUFFINS!
- Divide batter between 16 muffin cups, adding 1.5 TBSP batter to each.
- Add an optional sprinkle of cinnamon sugar on top of each muffin.
- Bake on the center rack for 13-15 minutes. Mine are always perfect at the 14 min mark but times can vary a smidge based on oven temperament and pan color/material.
- Let muffins sit in the pan for 5-10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to fully cool. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
No brown sugar? No problem!
You can absolutely use regular granulated sugar for this recipe. I like these as a breakfast muffin so I always opt for unsweetened applesauce and just 1/3 cup sugar. They have a light sweetness to them but aren’t overly sweet. If you would like a sweeter muffin you can use regular applesauce (it usually has a small amount of added sugar)*OR* increase the sugar to 1/2 cup.
More Marvelous Muffins
- Banana Pumpkin Muffins
- Apple Cinnamon Banana Nut Muffins
- Chocolate Pumpkin Muffins
- Sweet Potato Cornbread Muffins
If you get a chance to try these mini apple muffins, let me know! Leave me a comment here (LOVE checking those daily!) and tag @PEASandCRAYONS on Instagram so I can happy dance over your tasty creations. I can’t wait to see what you whip up!
Questions & Reviews
My whole family loved these! Such a great fall snack and my kitchen smells amazing!
Ahhhh yay! Happy to hear it Claire!
So gooood!! Muffins tasted like fall and were fantastic. Moist and the little chunks of apple were wonderful.
Would recommend!
Thank you Chloe! So stoked you enjoyed them!