Caramel Apple Muffins

Our caramel apple muffins taste as if you’re eating fall itself. Freshly chopped apples and sticky pieces of caramel are suspended in a tender, cinnamon-scented muffin crumb, with a knobbly brown-sugar streusel baked right on top. They’re divine when slightly warm from the oven: The apples taste extra sweet, the streusel melts in your mouth and the caramel oozes in sticky trails. You can even double the amount of apples if you just came back from the orchard.

Ingredients for Caramel Apple Muffins

• All-purpose flour: Measure the flour properly so you don’t accidentally pack too much into the measuring cup. You don’t want to end up with dry, dense muffins!
• Sugar: Granulated sugar sweetens the muffins. For a deeper sweetness reminiscent of caramel and molasses, use light or dark brown sugar instead.
• Baking powder: A little baking powder will help the muffins fluff up and rise nicely.
• Cinnamon: If you bake a lot of fall desserts, you should invest in different types of cinnamon for a variety of nuanced flavors.
• Egg: You’ll only need one egg to bind the ingredients for a nice muffin structure.
• Milk: While we suggest 2% milk, feel free to use whole milk, heavy whipping cream or nondairy milk alternatives. This recipe is forgiving, so I just use up whatever milk is in my fridge.
• Butter: Melt the butter and let it cool ever so slightly. You could also make brown butter for a deeper, nuttier flavor.
• Apples: Always peel the apples first before coring and chopping them. If you like a lot of apples in your baked goods, double the amount of chopped apples.
• Caramels: Look for individually wrapped soft caramels for these muffins. No need to go for an expensive brand here if you can’t swing it. You could use Kraft Caramel Bits instead.
• Streusel: If you’re anything like me, you love it when your desserts have texture. Crumbly brown sugar streusel provides just that, with oats for added chew and cinnamon for added fall flavor.

Directions

Step 1: Mix the batter

In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.

In another bowl, whisk together the egg, 2% milk, melted butter and vanilla extract.

Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients just until they’re moistened.

Editor’s Tip: One of our best muffin tips is to not overmix the batter. Mixing too much will overdevelop the gluten, which will make the muffins dense.

Step 2: Add the apples and caramels

Switch to a rubber spatula and fold in the chopped apple and caramels.

Step 3: Portion the batter into muffin tins

Evenly fill 12 paper-lined muffin cups three-fourths full of the batter.

Editor’s Tip: I like to use a cookie scoop to evenly and consistently fill the muffin cups.

Step 4: Make the streusel

Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the brown sugar, quick-cooking oats, melted butter and cinnamon until the mixture is crumbly.

Evenly sprinkle the streusel all over the batter.

Step 5: Bake the muffins

Bake the muffins until a toothpick inserted in the cake portion comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Let the muffins cool in the pan for five minutes, then remove the muffins from the pan and transfer them to a wire rack. Serve the apple and caramel muffins warm.

Recipe Variations

• Substitute pears for apples: For those who prefer pears over apples, reach for Anjou, Bosc, Concorde or Asian pears.
• Add more fall spices: Whenever I bake fall desserts, I add a few more fall spices to make them extra cozy and warm. For a more complex flavor profile, add nutmeg, ground ginger and cloves to the cinnamon or replace the entire cinnamon measurement with apple pie spice.
• Finish them with caramel: If you prefer, omit the caramel candies and simply top each warm muffin with salted caramel sauce.

How to Store Caramel Apple Muffins

Allow caramel apple muffins to cool completely to room temperature, then store them in an airtight container. They’ll keep at room temperature for three to seven days. Warm them in the microwave slightly before enjoying them to reawaken the caramel candies.

Can you freeze caramel apple muffins?

Yes, you can freeze caramel apple muffins. Let the muffins cool completely to room temperature, then transfer them to an airtight container. Freeze them for two to three months. Thaw them overnight on the countertop before enjoying them.

Caramel Apple Muffins Tips

What are the best apples for caramel apple muffins?

The best apples for caramel apple muffins are tart, firm apples like Honeycrisp, Granny Smith and Pink Lady apples. Stay away from mealy, bland apples—they’ll ruin the texture of the muffins and won’t add very much apple flavor.

Can you make caramel apple muffins gluten free?

We haven’t yet tried making a gluten-free version of our recipe for caramel apple muffins, but if you want to try, we suggest starting with one of the best gluten-free flour blends. I always have a ton of luck with King Arthur Flour’s Measure-for-Measure Gluten-Free Flour as a direct one-to-one replacement. Double-check that the oats are certified gluten free, too.

How do you serve caramel apple muffins?

Serve caramel apple muffins warm from the oven or at room temperature. When I’m feeling extra indulgent, I’ll place half of a warm muffin in a bowl and put a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.