If you’ve ever been disappointed by dry day-after muffins, these Apple Muffins are going to blow your mind. They stay 100% fresh for 4 to 5 days!
Made with fresh apples, in one bowl, this magic muffin recipe is super quick to prepare and I’m guessing you have everything you need to make this!!
Stay-moist Apple Muffins!
If you’ve ever been disappointed / annoyed at stale, dry muffins the day after making them, these Apple Muffins are going to blow your mind!! They’re super moist on the day and they stay moist for 4 to 5 days!!
Here’s the secret to keep muffins moist…
The secret to these stay-moist Apple Muffins are:
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Brown sugar instead of white – brown sugar retains moisture far better in baked goods; and
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Only 1 egg – Eggs dry out baked goods. Well, the egg white part does. That’s why you’ll find some baking recipes only call for egg yolks – because it binds without drying out the batter.
And that’s the only difference between the batter for these muffins and the usual muffin mixes!
Miracle stay-moist muffin recipe
This magic stay-moist muffin recipe is a great master muffin mix because it’s made with pantry staples:
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flour – wholewheat OR white
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butter
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egg
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milk
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brown sugar
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baking soda
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vinegar*
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cinnamon (or other spice mix)
No buttermilk, no yoghurt, no sour cream.
I know there are muffin recipes out there that swear by them for moist muffins. But they aren’t required for this recipe. I promise you, these Apple Muffins are going to be super moist straight out of the oven – and they will stay moist for 4 to 5 days. No need to even warm them up!
Wondering what the vinegar is for?
Just a touch of vinegar gives baking soda a kick start, the same effect that buttermilk and yoghurt has when used in batters. Useful for muffins to give that dome a boost.
Customise to your hearts’ content
I’ve made Apple Muffins here, but this miracle muffin batter is just waiting for your own add ins! Just add 2 to 2.5 cups of diced fresh fruit, dried fruit, nuts, chocolate or other chips – go wild!
For the fresh fruit, just be sure it’s fruit that won’t bleed too much and become mushy when baked. Some fruits I’ve used that work very well include:
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Pears
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Mango
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Berries – blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, mulberries
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Strawberries (use small ones)
With the super long shelf life of these Apple Muffins, they are ideal for grab and go snacks, popping into lunch boxes, afternoon teas and just generally devouring on an as-needed basis.
With the sweet little dome, a sparkling sugar crust (if you so choose), tender pieces of apple and a hint of cinnamon fragrance, they look and smell as great as they taste! Enjoy! – Nagi x
Muffin Mania
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Cornbread Muffins (personal fave?)
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
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Stay-Moist Apple Muffins!
Ingredients
- 2 level cups apple pieces (peeled) , 0.7 cm / 1/3" cubes (2 large apples, I use red)
- 1 tbsp melted butter , for muffin tim (or use paper liners)
Wet:
- 115g / 0.5 cup unsalted butter , melted (1 stick)
- 1 cup (200g) brown sugar , packed
- 2/3 cup (165 ml) milk (low fat, full fat, non dairy also fine)
- 1 large egg (approx 60g / 2 oz)
- 1 tsp white vinegar (or any other clear vinegar)
Dry:
- 2 cups (300g) wholemeal flour (wholewheat flour)(white also ok, Note 1)
- 1 tsp baking soda (bi carb) (NOT baking powder)
- 1 tsp cinnamon powder
- Pinch salt
Topping (optional):
- 2 tbsp raw sugar (demerara sugar - large granules)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200C/390F.
- Brush a 12 hole, standard muffin tin with melted butter, or line with paper cases. (Note 3)
- Place butter and brown sugar in a bowl, whisk to combine.
- Add milk, then egg and vinegar. Whisk to combine.
- Scatter flour across batter surface, followed by baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Whisk 10 times until the flour is incorporated - some lumps is fine.
- Stir through apple -minimum stirs just to disperse.
- Scoop batter into muffin tin - I use an ice cream scoop - filling it all the way to the top. If using a scooper, leave it the slight ball shape (see video) - don't smooth the top. You should get 12 (see Note 3).
- Sprinkle with sugar (if using - makes surface slightly crispy), place muffins in the oven.
- Immediately turn down to 180C/350F.
- Bake for 20 minutes (standard) or 18 minutes (fan / convection) , or until a skewer comes out clean.
- Rest in the muffin tin for 5 minutes then transfer to a rack to cool.
- Once fully cooled, store in an airtight container - it will stay moist for up to 5 days. These also freeze very well.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
LIFE OF DOZER
Couldn’t decide which one to share. Both are classic Life-Of-Dozer moments.
I had a freezer full of apple puree to use up, and this recipe was absolutely perfect for it! I had to use white flour, but no regrets: these muffins are so moist (can I say ‘supple’?) and flavoursome. Considering we’re coming into apple season again, I see many more muffins in my future…
I make these for my breakfast friends at a senior residence where I live. I have tried many recipes but we all like this one the best. It is now my go to apple muffin. Thank you for sharing your cooking bc wisdom. Also, thank you for caring for others. You are blessdd!
Just made these with the help of my 5yo grandson. He wanted chocolate cup cakes so we compromised by adding white chocolate chips. He loves them! Thanks Nagi for giving us a great Nanna and grandson bonding time. Wonder if there will be any left when Mum and Dad get home? 🙂
These really are magic! Easy to make and absolutely delicious – thank you Nagi ✨
I tried substiuting oat flour for whole wheat, I doubled the recipe and forgot to double the eggs and milk. what a bne head I am. they batter smelled amazing, sadly my muffins fell apart. My mistake, will try again soon. lol
This is my muffin go-to recipe. They turn out moist every time. I like to add little chunks of cream cheese to the recipe. They taste like apple cheese cake.
Hi Nagi I made these muffins on the weekend and they were fabulous I even put a bit of blueberry on top. I think I would cut down on the brown sugar next time although Hubby loved them thank you 🙂
ABSOLUTELY the BEST apple
Muffins! I made a double
batch for a church meeting. 24 beautiful high top muffins. I used Granny Smith apples and white all-purpose flour and I added 1 cup chopped walnuts to the double batch.
Used a light sprinkle of sugar to the top. They were exceptional!
I sprayed my muffin tins with baking spray so the muffins popped right out.
YUM!!!! This is the only apple muffin I’ll
bake from here on! đź‘Ť
Another great recipe!
There are plenty of positive reviews here but what’s one more!? Don’t hesitate to make this recipe. Like all of Nagi’s recipes, this one is spot on. It’s not too dense, not too fluffy and full of flavour. The perfect amount of sweetness too. I actually didn’t have any apples on hand so I used pears instead and they still came out divine. Will try with apples next time!
Really easy to put together. The muffins are super moist and delicious. I sprinkled some hazelnut and pearl sugar on top to give it a little crunch. This recipe will be a staple at our home in autumn. We really enjoyed your strawberry bars during the summer. Thank you
Thank you for the most delicious Apple muffin recipe.
Instead of stewing the apples, I steamed them so there was less liquid. Just perfect!
Love these muffins, so easy to make and easier to eat – yum!!
Oh my, the most delicious apple
muffins I have ever made (or eaten). Easy and so tasty!
Made this today. I used Packham pears diced up very small. Muffins were absolutely delicious but I must say I will reduce the sugar next time. Nice only having one bowl to wash up too.
Could you use tinned apples?
Absolutely delicious recipe! I used oat milk and mine were too moist on the bottom – any advice?
I really hate to be one of those people : but have you tried replacing the milk with yoghurt? Does that cancel the need for vinegar ?
Nagi, you are a star! It is easy and quick to make, and the muffin is very tasty. I sprinkled walnut pieces instead of sugar on top. Lovely!
Super easy and delicious. The best looking muffins I’ve made in a long time. Ran out of butter so topped up the last 30g with olive oil which didn’t seem to be a problem.