These cozy apple oat muffins are made with a warm blend of ginger, cinnamon, and cloves, offering a perfect balance of spice and sweetness. A delicious breakfast treat packed with wholesome ingredients.
Why You’ll Love This
While catering brunches, the muffin basket was usually the first to empty. Creating the perfect muffin involves careful attention to flavor and texture. Over the years, through restaurant work, catering, and cooking for family, we believe we’ve found an ideal formula. From choosing the right flours and leavening agents to adding moisture and achieving just the right sweetness while keeping them healthy! Check out some of our other muffin recipes on the blog, like Morning Glory Muffins or Pumpkin Muffins, and read the comments! These apple oat muffins are great for fall and have homey flavors reminiscent of gingerbread.
Apple Oat Muffin Ingredients
- Apples: A bright-flavored apple, like Honeycrisp, granny smith, pink lady, or gala. No need to peel.
- Applesauce: Adds to the apple nature of the muffins, while creating a moist texture.
- Oats: For a wholesome and nourishing base, while adding rustic texture.
- Whole wheat pastry flour: Creates soft texture and enhances the flavor with nutty, earthy notes. Use all-purpose flour or half wheat flour & half white flour to substitute.
- Brown sugar: For the perfect balance of sweetness. I also love using coconut sugar.
- Cinnamon and cloves: For warm, cozy flavor.
- Baking powder and baking soda: These leavening agents result in light and fluffy texture.
- Avocado oil or olive oil: Keeps the muffins moist and tender.
- Eggs: A binding agent to prevent overly crumbly muffins.
- Molasses: You can use maple syrup for a milder flavor and sweetener, but I highly encourage the molasses!
- Vanilla extract: Adds subtle sweetness while enhancing the other flavors and spices.
- Fresh grated ginger: Adds a bright subtly sweet, zesty bite. Can use ground ginger.
- Walnuts (optional): Use toasted walnuts for a nutty crunch.
- Crumble topping (optional): Oats, flour, brown sugar or coconut sugar, unsalted butter, salt, and cinnamon. Adds a lovely crunchy topping for even more of a cinnamon apple flavor!
How to Make Apple Oat Muffins
Preheat oven to 400F and grease a 12-cup muffin pan with an oil spray or butter (or use muffin liners).
1. Prepare the crumble topping. Using a fork, mix the oats, whole wheat flour, sugar, butter, pinch of salt, and cinnamon in a small bowl until crumbles form.
2. Mix the dry ingredients. Gather a large mixing bowl and add the flour, oats, sugar, cinnamon, cloves, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir everything together.
3. Whisk the wet ingredients. Whisk oil, eggs, molasses, applesauce, vanilla, and ginger together in a medium bowl. Add diced apples and walnuts and mix.
4. Fold the batter. Pour wet ingredients into the flour mixture and fold gently, carefully mixing until just combined. Don’t over-mix!
5. Fill the muffin tin. Scoop batter into the greased muffin tin, filling each a 1/2 inch from the top. Top each muffin with a few teaspoons of crumble.
6. Bake. Bake at 400F for 5 minutes, then decrease the temp to 350F and bake 12 minutes. When done, the internal temp should be 205F. Or simply do a toothpick test.
Chef’s Tips
- Avoid over-mixing the batter. This can result in an overly dense, chewy texture. For light and moist muffins, fold the batter, don’t mix.
- Use diced apples. It is faster to grate apples but don’t do it! It can make the texture of the muffin mushy.
- Use a thermometer. An internal thermo pen should read 205F when the muffins are done. You can always do a toothpick test instead, but this is ideal for achieving optimal texture!
- Nuts are optional, but add delightfully crunchy texture! And when toasted, enhance the nutty, cozy flavor. You could try pecans too!
Storage
Store the Apple Oatmeal Muffins in an airtight container on the counter at room temperature for 4 days.
You can also meal prep these for an easy grab-and-go option during busy weeks. The muffins will freeze for 3 months. To reheat, pop in the toaster oven for 5 minutes.
Serving Suggestions
Enjoy as is, or serve warm with a little butter. These make a tasty breakfast, or can be warmed and served with Ice Cream for dessert!
FAQs
I’ve found that oil and sugar are two key ingredients to achieve moisture. I also use applesauce in this recipe for deliciously moist texture!
I prefer oil because butter solidifies when cooled and can result in a slightly denser texture. Sometimes I use both for flavor and texture.
Overmixing! This crushes the air bubbles in the batter and prevents fluffy texture.
I hope you enjoy this apple oat muffin recipe! Let us know what you think in the comments!
More Recipes You Might Like
Apple Oat Muffin Recipe
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 18 minutes
- Total Time: 38 minutes
- Yield: 12 muffins
- Category: desserts, baked, treats, breakfast
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Healthy Apple Oat Muffins with a warm blend of ginger, cinnamon and cloves, offering a perfect balance of spice and sweetness. A delicious breakfast treat or snack packed with wholesome ingredients.
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour -Use all-purpose flour or half wheat flour & half white flour to substitute
- 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 1/2 cup brown sugar or 3/4 cup coconut sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon cloves
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup avocado oil or olive oil
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons molasses (see notes)
- 1 cup applesauce, unsweetened
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger or 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 large apple, unpeeled and diced-equaling 1 cup (not grated)
- 1 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped (optional)
Crumble Top (optional)
- 1/4 cup oats
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1/4 cup brown sugar or coconut sugar
- 2 tablespoons butter, unsalted
- pinch of salt
- pinch of cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease a 12 cup muffin pan with spray or butter
- Mix the crumble topping– to a small bowl add oats, flour, sugar, butter, pinch of salt and cinnamon. Use a fork to mix until it is mixed well and crumbles form.
- Mix dry ingredients- In a large mixing bowl stir together flour, oats, sugar, cinnamon, cloves, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Whisk wet ingredients- In a medium bowl whisk together oil, eggs, molasses, applesauce, vanilla, and ginger. Add diced apples and walnuts.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry flour mixture. Fold the batter gently, mix until just combined. Avoid overmixing.
- Scoop into a greased (butter or oil) muffin tin or use muffin liners. For a standard muffin tin fill each tin a 1/2 inch from the top. Top each muffin with a few teaspoons of crumble.
- Bake at 400 for 5 minutes, decrease to 350F and bake 12-13 minutes until puffed and golden. An internal thermometer should register 205F when they are done. You can also test with a toothpick.
Notes
Pick an apple with a bright flavor like Honeycrisp, granny smith, pink lady, or gala apples.
Use diced apples. It is faster to grate apples but don’t do it! It can make the texture of the muffin mushy.
Can use maple syrup instead of molasses for a more mild flavor. (But I highly encourage the molasses!)
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 muffin (without walnuts)
- Calories: 232
- Sugar: 14.8 g
- Sodium: 121.9 mg
- Fat: 10.4 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 32.1 g
- Fiber: 3.2 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 31 mg
How long would you bake these if making as a loaf?
I haven’t tried this but I would bake at 350°F for 45-60 minutes.
Delicious! The ginger and molasses adds incredible flavor to these. Perfect snack and not too sweet.
Awesome Naila, so glad you gave them a try!
My dog loves the smell of these muffins 😂🐶❤️ I made the applesauce from extra apples a few days ago and then put it all together today. Excellent muffins, thank you!!
Cute, he (or she?) knows what is good! Glad you liked these! And yum homemade applesauce. 🙂
can you turn this into a banana/blueberry version by adding mashed bananas instead of applesauce and using blueberries?
Give it a try and let us know how it turns out!
What a delicious way to start the morning or enjoy an afternoon tea with these apple oat muffins! I can practically smell the comforting blend of apples and cinnamon through the screen. The crumble topping adds the perfect texture, and I love the mix of oats and molasses for extra richness. Can’t wait to try baking these soon—thank you for sharing this cozy recipe!
Thanks! Let us know what you think.
I made these yesterday and gave some to my brother and he said it was absolutely the best muffin he ever had. And he felt healthy eating it. I followed the recipe exactly as written and used the molasses and did half whole wheat and half all purpose flour. Thank you for an awesome recipe!!! You two are the best!!
Yay, So happy to hear this! Thanks for the kind review. 🙂
Very nice recipe chef 👍👌👏. Thank you for your effort 🌞😎
Thanks Jasson!
If don’t prefer diced apples can we add more applesauce? If so how much? Thx
I haven’t tried it without the diced apples. I would guess about 1/4 cup applesauce extra.
Is there an egg substitute you recommend to make these vegan?
I might try flax eggs to start with. Let us know if you give it a try!
I noticed the description includes nutmeg, but not the ingredients! Just a heads-up!
Oh! Thanks Cynthia. 😊
Tender, moist, nicely spiced- these muffins are divine!
I really love the hint of molasses. Will be making these for holiday gatherings!
Perfect, great to hear!
The recipe calls for a half cup oil but unfortunately it’s not listed in the instructions so I missed adding it to my wet ingredients. I’ll try again 😊
Oh shoot, sorry about that Jackie. It’s in there now!
Excellent muffins
Awesome Lydia!
Is the whole wheat pasty flour a Plain flour or a Self Raising flour pls.?
Whole wheat pastry flour is just a lighter form of wheat flour- perfect for muffins and quick breads, giving a little more nutrition. Not a self-rising flour. You can swap out for regular all purpose flour.
This sounds SO good! Do you think it would work with a flax egg? (egg white allergies…)
Hi Jodie, I think it would. Let us know if you give it a try!
Looks like a great mufffin. Can you make it gluten free using buckwheat flour or some other GF flour?
Hi Jean, we have not tried a gf version yet. I like the idea of buckwheat flour but it would need to be combined with light flours- maybe 1 part buckwheat to 3 parts gf flour blend? Just guessing here. Love to hear if you give it a try!
I just made with GF flour (Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1). Came out great. I upped the baking powder as I always do with GF baking (1/2 t).
Oh good tip Lara. Glad they worked out!
What can be used instead of pastry flour?
Hi Janet, I added notes to the recipe for flour suggestions.
No worries 😊. Strangely enough they were quite good right out of the oven….not so great once they cooled 😜. They have great flavour and texture and I’ll make them again today with the oil 😊 I’m thinking of ways to repurpose the oil-less ones. Maybe if I dry them they’d make a good addition to an apple crisp topping 🍎
Yes, I imagine a little rubbery? I bet with a little butter that would make a good topping! or Maybe slicing them in 3 or 4 slices brushing on some butter or oil and baking low (300°F?) – like little crouton muffin toasts?