These ultra soft, cake-like muffins are filled with warm apple pie spices, tender hunks of apple, and crunchy walnuts; topped with a sweet buttery crumble; and finished with a heavenly reduced apple cider glaze.
There’s no better way to kick off fall than with a big Gator football win and apple pie spices in the oven. These mouthwatering apple walnut crumble muffins are everything that’s good and wonderful about fall baking. They’re…
- spiced with warm & aromatic cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and allspice
- super soft and moist, with the texture of dense cake
- hearty and satisfying, complete with tender hunks of apple and crunchy walnuts
- buttery, crumbly, sweet and glazed
- convenient to transport and share
With the glaze and crumble, these definitely read sweet bakery-style muffins, which are glorious for special occasions when you want something a little more decadent (while still filled with whole grains, fruit, and nuts). Make them for a lazy weekend, holiday brunch, Thanksgiving breakfast, gameday watch party or tailgate. Your friends will thank you.
The Muffin Batter
If mixing the batter feels more like you’re making a cake than muffins, that’s not an accident. We’re going for a tender, spongy yet dense, moist, super soft crumb like that of apple cake. The best way to achieve this texture is by creaming together softened butter with a combination of white and brown sugars. We also add sour cream for extra moisture and a thick batter, and a splash of buttermilk for added rise.
I use whole wheat pastry flour in this recipe, so the muffins happen to be 100% whole grain with fiber and protein, though they taste like soft cake. You can sub white whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour if needed.
When choosing the type of apple, the main requirement is that you use a firm, crisp variety. I prefer the sweeter end of the spectrum like Fuji or Honeycrisp, but you can also opt for Granny Smith if you want a burst of tartness. The hunks of raw apple cook inside the muffins during baking, and they come out perfectly tender and moist with a slight chew, like the texture of apple pie.
The walnuts are theoretically optional, but I love the satisfying crunch they add in the end. Pecans are another great option.
The Crumble
The crumble topping is a deceptively easy way to elevate your muffins from yummy to decadent with a sweet, buttery crunch and professional, bakery-style presentation. You just mix flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and a pinch of sea salt with melted butter to make moist crumbs, then spoon the crumbs on top of each muffin before baking. The crumble will get crisp and toasty in the same time it takes the muffins to bake, so there are no other special steps!
The Cider Glaze
The cider glaze may be my favorite thing about this recipe. Rather than using a basic icing made with powdered sugar and milk, we add reduced apple cider to make a simple yet sophisticated, flavorful glaze that complements the apples and spices in the muffins. For the apple cider reduction, you just boil down apple cider until reduced to 1/4 of its initial volume. It will thicken slightly and become extra concentrated with delicious apple cidery flavor.
After cooling, simply whisk the reduced apple cider with cream or half & half and powdered sugar, and it’s ready to go!
Vanilla Bean Maple Mascarpone Topping
In addition to the apple cider glaze, I can’t help but mention the vanilla bean maple mascarpone topping (not pictured), which is heavenly slathered over a sliced, toasted muffin. It’s simply a mixture of mascarpone, maple syrup, and vanilla bean paste, and it literally tastes like melted vanilla gelato. If you have the ingredients on-hand, I highly recommend it. The recipe is included below.
Apple Walnut Crumble Muffins with Apple Cider Glaze
These ultra soft, cake-like muffins are filled with warm apple pie spices, tender hunks of apple, and crunchy walnuts; topped with a sweet buttery crumble; and finished with a heavenly reduced apple cider glaze.
Notes
The muffin batter recipe is loosely adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction.
*For the apple cider reduction, you will need 1/4 cup apple cider to make 1 Tbsp reduction for this glaze, but you may want to make a larger batch to save for other uses. It will take longer to reduce with larger volumes.
Ingredients
For the crumble topping:
- 2 Tbsp packed brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup (30g) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- Pinch salt
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
For the muffins:
- 164g (~1-1/3 cups) whole wheat pastry flour (may sub white whole wheat or all-purpose)
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground allspice
- 3/8 tsp salt
- 6 Tbsp (85g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 6 Tbsp packed brown sugar
- 3 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 1.5 large eggs, at room temperature
- 6 Tbsp sour cream, at room temperature
- 1.5 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 Tbsp buttermilk, at room temperature
- 1 large firm apple (such as Fuji or Honeycrisp), peeled and chopped into 1/2-inch hunks (1.5 cups or 175g chopped)
- 50g walnuts, roughly chopped
For the cider glaze:
- 1/4 cup apple cider reduced to 1 Tbsp (see note*)
- 1 Tbsp half & half or cream
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
For the vanilla bean maple mascarpone (optional):
- 5 Tbsp mascarpone cheese
- 2.5 Tbsp maple syrup
- 1/2 - 1 tsp vanilla bean paste (may sub vanilla extract, but will have less vanilla flavor)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Spray 10 cups of a muffin pan with nonstick spray or line with cupcake liners.
Make the crumble topping:
- In a small bowl, whisk together the sugars, flour, cinnamon, and salt until evenly combined. Drizzle the melted butter over the dry mixture, and use a fork to incorporate until moist crumbs and small clumps form throughout. (Don’t over-mix into a paste).
Make the muffins:
- Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl (or bowl of a stand mixer), combine the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Using a handheld electric mixer (or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment), beat the butter and sugars together on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- Bean in the eggs, sour cream, and vanilla on medium speed until combined, then increase to high speed for another 1 minute, until mostly creamy. (It may appear curdled—that’s ok!) Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- Use a rubber spatula to mix in half of the dry mixture, then half of the milk, then the remaining dry mixture and milk. Stir just until incorporated and no pockets of flour remain. (Don’t over-mix.)
- Lastly, fold the chopped apples and walnuts into the batter.
- Spoon the batter evenly into each cup or liner, filling each nearly to the top. Spoon the crumb topping over each muffin cup, and gently press down to help it stick.
- Bake for 5 minutes at 425°F, then, without opening the oven, reduce the temperature to 350°F. Bake for an additional 15-17 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Allow the muffins to cool for 5 minutes in the muffin pan, then transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling.
Make the glaze:
- To reduce the cider, add apple cider to a small saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil and cook until reduced to 1 Tbsp (or 1/4 the initial volume; see note*). It should be thickened to the consistency of a loose syrup. Time will vay depending on the initial volume and surface area of the saucepan. 10-15 minutes for 1/4 cup to 20-25 muntes for 1 cup. Transfer to a heat-proof container to cool completely, then store covered in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- Combine 1 Tbsp cooled cider redcution, 1 Tbsp half & half or cream, and 1/2 cup powdered sugar in a small bowl and whisk until smooth. Drizzle over muffins while still slightly warm or after cooling.
- To store leftover muffins: Wrap muffins (glazed or unglazed) in plastic wrap individually and/or place in an air-sealed container. Store at room temperature up to 3 days, refrigerated up to 1 week, or frozen (in a freezer baggy or air-sealed container) up to 3 months.
Optional mascarpone topping:
- Combine the mascarpone, maple syrup, and vanilla bean paste in a small bowl and whisk until smooth.
- Just before serving, I like to slice each muffin down the center, place on a piece of foil cut-side-up, and toast in the toaster oven 1-3 minutes, until warm and lightly toasted. Top with extra cider glaze and maple mascarpone.
Nutrition information is calculated for 1 baked muffin (with the crumble) before topping with cider glaze or mascarpone.
