Apple Cinnamon Nut Muffins
Moist, dense apple muffins packed with fresh fruit, cinnamon, and crunchy walnuts or pecans.
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
Prepare the Apples
- Peel if desired. Peeling gives the softest, most traditional texture, but leaving the peel on is also acceptable.
- Core and dice. Cut the apples into small 1/4-inch / 6 mm pieces.
- Measure by appearance. Aim for about 2-2 1/2 cups diced apple. The recipe should look very apple-heavy.
Make the Batter
- Preheat the oven. Heat to 350°F / 175°C. Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. Lightly grease the liners if they tend to stick.
- Mix the wet ingredients. In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, oil, sugar, cinnamon, and almond extract until evenly combined.
- Mix the dry ingredients. In a small bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Combine. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and stir gently only until no dry flour remains.
- Add the apples. Fold in the diced apples. The batter may look like there are almost too many apples for the amount of batter. That is correct.
- Add most of the nuts. Fold in about 1/3 cup of the chopped walnuts or pecans. Save the remainder for the tops.
Fill and Top
- Fill generously. Divide the mixture among the 12 muffin cups, filling about 3/4 full to almost full.
- Distribute the fruit. Make sure every muffin gets plenty of actual apple pieces.
- Make the topping. Mix the remaining chopped nuts with 1 Tbsp sugar and 1/4 tsp cinnamon.
- Sprinkle. Divide the cinnamon-nut mixture over the muffin tops. Do not press it down.
Bake
- Bake. Bake at 350°F / 175°C for about 20-28 minutes.
- Check at 20 minutes. The exact time can vary depending on whether you used 2 or 3 apples and how juicy they are.
- Look for doneness. The tops should look set, the edges lightly golden, and the centers should spring back slightly.
- Use the toothpick test carefully. Insert into a cake portion rather than directly through a soft apple piece. Look for raw wet batter, not moisture from the fruit.
Cool
- Let the muffins cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before moving them. Because they are extremely moist and fruit-heavy, they are more fragile while hot.
Notes
Apple Choices
Good choices include Honeycrisp, Gala, Pink Lady, Granny Smith, or Fuji. A mix of one sweeter apple and one tart apple gives especially nice flavor.
Muffin Shape
These muffins rise only modestly and have a moist, apple-heavy texture. A large bakery-style dome is not expected.
Walnuts or Pecans
- Walnuts are more traditional, slightly earthy, and less sweet.
- Pecans are a little sweeter and softer.
- Either works well.
- Room temperature: Store airtight for about 2 days.
- Refrigerator: Up to about 5 days.
- Freezer: Freeze completely cooled muffins airtight for up to 3 months.
- To serve: Let come to room temperature or warm for about 10-15 seconds in the microwave.
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