These apple muffins are inspired by a memory of muffins I used to make back in the days of white flour and sugar. They were chock full of apple chunks, and had the perfect amount of cinnamon in them. Needless to say, they were pretty much my favorite way to welcome in the fall season.
So many years have passed since I use to make those muffins that I completely forgot about them. But for some reason this fall, I found myself daydreaming about them again. So I decided to give them a makeover with healthier ingredients. But don’t worry, I kept all the apple chunky goodness with the perfect balance of cinnamon.
I did add a streusel topping that’s perfect for soaking up all that lemony glaze though. And that turned out to be a great idea. The combination of a touch of citrus really enhances the apple flavor, and plays off the cinnamon perfectly.
These muffins are simple to make and you don’t even need a mixer. You start by whisking together the dry ingredients…
… then the apple are folded in.
And finally you mix in the wet ingredients until a thick batter forms. Don’t worry if it seems like a ton of apples, I promise it all works out in the end, and the apple chunks really make the muffins!
I portioned mine into a lightly greased muffin tin, but you could also use muffin tin liners. The streusel gets mixed together in a separate bowl, and portioned out evenly over the top of the muffins. It’s a lot of streusel, almost a 1/3 ratio to the muffins, and it’s really delicious this way.
After the muffins have cooled slightly, it’s time to glaze them. The glaze is based from coconut butter which seems to give me a slightly different result every single time. So when you’re making the glaze, if it seems too thick, just whisk in a bit more lemon juice and maple syrup until it looks right.
These muffins freeze really well, and can be reheated at a low oven temperature. If they’re coming straight from the freezer, it usually takes around 20 minutes at 250ºF to defrost them all the way into the middles. The glaze will also have a dull appearance after being reheated, but other than that, they’re just as good as fresh!
PrintGrain Free Glazed Cinnamon Apple Streusel Muffins
- Total Time: 40 mins
- Yield: 12 muffins 1x
Ingredients
Apple Cinnamon Muffins:
- 2 cups fine almond flour
- 1/2 cup tapioca starch
- 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon, I like to use Vietnamese cinnamon
- 1/2 Teaspoon sea salt
- 2 Teaspoons baking powder
- 3 cups finely chopped baking apples, from 2-3 medium, see notes
- 1 Tablespoon lemon zest, from a microplane grater
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted, or melted butter
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
Streusel:
- 1/2 cup fine almond flour
- 1 Teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup sliced almonds
- pinch of sea salt
- 3–4 Tablespoons maple syrup
Lemon Glaze:
- 3 Tablespoons coconut butter
- 1 Tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 Tablespoon maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and lightly grease a muffin tin, or line with muffin liners.
- For the Apple Cinnamon Muffins, mix together the almond flour, tapioca starch, cinnamon, sea salt, and baking powder until completely combined. Fold in the chopped apples and lemon zest, then add the maple syrup, eggs, coconut oil, and vanilla extract. Mix until the ingredients come together in a thick muffin batter.
- Portion the muffin batter equally into the 12 muffin slots of the prepared pan.
- For the streusel, mix together all the streusel ingredients starting with just 3 Tablespoons of maple syrup. If the streusel seems dry, add the additional tablespoon of maple syrup, and portion the streusel evenly over the tops of the muffins.
- Bake the muffins for 18-20 minutes, or until puffed in the middles and no longer gooey.
- When the muffins are done, remove them from the oven, and set them aside to cool.
- Let them cool completely before glazing for the best appearance. But you can also glaze them immediately to serve. The glaze tends to soak in a bit more of they’re hot, but the taste isn’t affected.
- Make the glaze by melting the coconut butter over low heat. When it’s melted, remove it from the heat and whisk in the lemon juice and maple syrup. If the glaze seems too thick or grainy, try whisking in a bit more lemon juice and maple syrup to taste, until the glaze is glossy and can be drizzled.
- Drizzle the glaze over the muffins with a spoon or pour the glaze into a squeeze bottle to drizzle over the muffin tops.
Notes
Baking apples like McIntosh or Granny Smith add so much more flavor to baked goods than eating apples. Baking enhances their flavors, where with an eating apple like a Gala, baking makes them taste quite bland.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
These came out great! My family devoured them But I will say nothing beats your pumpkin muffins! They literally are the best muffins I’ve ever made. everyone I share them with agrees! There has not been a single recipe of yours that I can’t give amazing stars to. Im making your butter chicken recipe next
Thanks so much, I love hearing how my recipes go! I’m so glad you all enjoyed these and I hope you love the Butter Chicken too! 🙂
Hi Kari, love all your receipts , do you have a receipt for a healthier pie crust? It’s that time of the year , pumpkin pie time. Thanks
Thanks so much, it’s always nice to hear you’re enjoying the recipes! I don’t have a pie crust that would be considered ‘healthy’ but my Gluten Free Caramel Apple Galette is the pie crust I’ve always used, and you can make it with regular all purpose flour which is how I used to make it before going gluten free, the substitution is 1:1. I hope this helps, and I’m sorry I don’t have anything healthier, but pie is one of those things it’s hard to change. I do have a healthier version of Pecan Pie Bars too that doesn’t use any refined sugar, and I’ll include some links below for my healthier holiday recipes.
https://getinspiredeveryday.com/gluten-free-caramel-apple-galette/
https://getinspiredeveryday.com/grain-free-pecan-pie-bars/
https://getinspiredeveryday.com/gooey-cranberry-orange-skillet-cookie/
https://getinspiredeveryday.com/apple-pie-skillet-cake/
https://getinspiredeveryday.com/cinnamon-cranberry-apple-crisp/
These photos are stunning, and I NEED these muffins in my life! Pinning!
Thanks so much, I really appreciate it!
Anything that makes life easier for me in terms of recipes is always welcome! These look superb!
Thank you, I’m always after easy recipes too!
Drool-worthy, as usual, Kari! YUM!!
Thanks so much, I really appreciate it!
Kari ! They are absolutely gorgeous and delicious. I love it !!
Thanks so much! 🙂