These apple muffins with streusel are the perfect sweet breakfast option with a secret ingredient that makes them perfect for spring!
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In these times of quarantine strangeness, baking has been a major source of entertainment to me. I may regret it when the time comes to put pants back on, but so far I’m loving it. 😉 One thing I made at least three times were apple muffins!
The secret to these apple muffins is the lemon zest. It brings a freshness, a zing to every bite that tastes like spring! Seriously, you can’t skip this part. It makes the flavor.
Plus, the streusel topping that makes them positively decadent! They’re on of those perfect “dessert for breakfast” thing that I love.
I like using red apples that I already keep on hand for this recipe – Fuji or Gala are great here. It’s a perfect recipe to use up an apple that’s past it’s prime! The sweetness of the apple balances with the tartness of the lemon zest. You can also use a green apple here, but may want to add a bit more sugar to the batter.
Don’t miss the weird milk measurement! The full amount I recommend to use in this recipe is 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon, all added at once. It’s technically 100 ml. I’m experimenting with using (and sharing) both metric and US measurements. Living in Italy means metric measurements have a bit more salience, and weighing is always better for baking. You get more precise amounts and therefore better treats!
Kitchen scales are REALLY cheap y’all, and it will 100% make your baking tastier. Anything that uses flour, really: depending on how you spoon it, you can pack in almost twice as much flour in one cup measure! So worth it to weigh it out and get the perfect amount. I have this one and love it, so no need to buy something overly expensive!
Tools you’ll need: kitchen scale, muffin tin, mixing bowl.
Apple Muffins with Streusel Topping
Ingredients
For Muffins
- 11 Tbsp butter unsalted (150 grams)
- 1 ⅔ cups flour (250 grams)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 apple red
- 3/4 cup sugar (150 grams)
- 2 eggs at room temperature
- 1 lemon
- ⅓ cup milk plus an additional tablespoon (100 ml total)
- ¼ cup rolled oats (25 grams)
For Streusel Topping
- ¼ cup flour (30 grams)
- ¼ cup brown sugar (66 grams)
- ¼ cup sugar (49 grams)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- pinch salt
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter very cold (26 grams)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a muffin tin with liners.
- Make the streusel topping first: combine the flour, both sugars, salt, and cinnamon. Cut the butter into chunks and rub together (either with your hands, a pastry cutter, or a fork) until the texture is sandy. Set aside.
- Now make the muffins. In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, oats, baking powder, and sugar. Zest the entire lemon into the bowl and stir well.
- Melt the butter and set aside to cool a bit. Peel the apple and slice into very small bits – think raisin-sized or smaller.
- Beat the eggs & milk together and then add the mixture to the dry ingredients. Stir gently until just combined. Add butter and apples and stir again until just combined.
- Spoon the mixture into the tin evenly. Top with a spoonful of streusel topping and gently press a bit into the top of the muffins.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool in the muffin tin for five minutes, then remove to a cooling rack.
What have you been making during the coronavirus isolation? I’d love to see your quarantine baking!!
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