Apple Fritter Muffins (Printable Version)

Tender muffins bursting with chunks of apple and a cinnamon hint, topped with a sweet glaze.

# Ingredient List:

→ Apples

01 - 2 large apples (Granny Smith or Honeycrisp), peeled, cored, and diced

→ Dry Ingredients

02 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
03 - 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
04 - 2 teaspoons baking powder
05 - 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
06 - 1/2 teaspoon salt

→ Wet Ingredients

07 - 2 large eggs
08 - 1/2 cup whole milk
09 - 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
10 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

→ Glaze

11 - 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
12 - 1 to 2 tablespoons whole milk

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 12-cup muffin tin or insert paper liners into each cup.
02 - In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt until evenly distributed.
03 - In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, melted butter, and vanilla extract until fully combined.
04 - Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and fold gently with a rubber spatula until just combined. Avoid overmixing to maintain tender crumb structure.
05 - Gently fold diced apples into batter until evenly distributed throughout.
06 - Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups, filling each approximately two-thirds full.
07 - Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center emerges clean with no wet batter.
08 - Allow muffins to cool in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack for complete cooling before glazing.
09 - Mix powdered sugar with 1 tablespoon milk, adding additional milk gradually until achieving a smooth drizzling consistency.
10 - Drizzle glaze over completely cooled muffins using a spoon or pastry bag, then serve.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • They taste like you spent hours frying donuts, but you spent maybe 40 minutes total and your kitchen doesn't smell like a deep fryer.
  • The moist crumb holds chunks of real apple that don't turn to mush, and that cinnamon-sugar combo hits every time you bite down.
  • You can make a dozen at once and eat them all week without guilt because technically they're not fried.
02 -
  • Overmixing is the silent killer of tender muffins—I learned this the hard way when I creamed the batter like I was making cake and ended up with rubbery disappointment that nobody wanted to eat.
  • Apple size matters more than you'd think; dicing them small means they distribute better and cook through, while leaving them chunky makes some muffins apple-heavy and others almost apples-free.
  • Your oven's temperature is probably lying to you—invest in an oven thermometer because even a 25-degree difference changes whether these bake perfectly or come out with gummy centers.
03 -
  • Room temperature eggs and milk mix more smoothly and incorporate better, while cold ingredients resist combining and can leave lumps in your batter.
  • Always taste your apples before using them—if they're mealy or flavorless, your whole batch suffers, so spring for good ones that taste like actual apples.
  • A cream-based glaze made with heavy cream instead of milk tastes richer and looks more indulgent, even though it takes the same amount of effort to drizzle.
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