Apple butter muffins

October 23, 2023

Every Fall, I make a vat of apple butter because I’m a basic autumn girlie. And after I make jars of apple butter, I tell myself I’m going to put it on everything, but eventually, I forget about it and the apple butter is left at the corner of my refrigerator. This apple butter muffin recipe is the perfect way to use up your apple butter and while adding more fiber and flavor to your breakfast muffins. It takes less than an hour to make, and you can enjoy them right away for breakfast, as a snack, or for dessert.

This recipe makes 12 muffins, and I often share them with friends and coworkers because they are so tasty and satisfying. I like to serve them warm, slice them in half and smear some softened butter on them. But you can also eat them on the go, as is, and they are just as delicious. I hope you enjoy making these muffins, and eating them, as much as I do.

Apple butter muffin overhead shot

About the ingredients

Apple butter: I recommend using homemade apple butter because it typically has a lot less sugar and usually a deeper apple flavor. You can use my 2-hour apple butter recipe to make your own.

Flour: I use a combination of all-purpose flour and white whole wheat flour because I like the texture both flours give this muffin recipe. Also, whole wheat flour adds more fiber to the muffin, which makes the muffins more substantive.

Butter: Using softened butter instead of melted butter is preferred for this recipe. It helps give the muffin a light texture, especially when you whip it with sugar and eggs.

Almond sugar topping: To give the muffins texture, I add a mixture of sugar and almonds to the top of the muffins. While the muffins bake, the almonds, sugar, and maple syrup create a shiny, crunchy, sweet crust on top of the muffins.

Apple cider vinegar: I use apple cider vinegar to help curdle the milk for this recipe. If you don’t have those two ingredients, you can use buttermilk. The acidity of the mixture helps make the batter more airy.

Benefits of adding apple butter to muffins

Apple butter in jar

The first benefit is obvious, it adds a lot of flavor. Apple butter, much like apple sauce, makes muffins moist and tender as well because of its added liquid and fiber. It also helps you add less fat into your recipe. For example, it’s common for recipes to replace some butter or oil with apple sauce. Apple butter added natural sweetness to your baked goods too, which can help you cut back on the amount of sugar.

Using whole wheat flour for baking

Whole wheat white flour and all-purpose flour are different types of flour. Whole wheat flour, even if it is white, adds more texture to your baked goods because it has more fiber. It can also darken your baked goods as they cook. Using too much whole wheat flour in baked goods like muffins can cause a grainy mouthfeel, so I like to use about ¾ cup in this recipe. But if you don’t mind a more grainy texture or you want more fiber in your muffins, you can replace all the flour in this recipe with whole wheat flour. When baking with whole wheat flour, substitute by volume and not by weight. This is because whole wheat flour actually ways less than white flour and it has the ability to absorb more liquid, hence you may need to add a bit more milk or apple butter if you replace all the flour in this recipe with whole wheat flour.

How to store your muffins after you bake them

These apple butter muffins last for about 2 to 3 days on the counter. But you can refrigerate them and they will last a week. You can also freeze them and they will last about 3 months. You can reheat them by thawing them on the counter and then warming them up in the microwave or toaster oven for 30 seconds to a minute, depending on the strength of your machine.

Recipe: Apple butter muffins with crunchy almond topping

Yields: 12 muffins
Baking temperature: 350 degrees Fahrenheit
Active cooking time: 30 minutes | Baking time 25 minutes | Total cook time: 55 minutes

Ingredients

Batter

1 cup all-purpose flour
¾ cup of whole wheat flour (if you don’t have this, you can use all-purpose)
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon of baking soda
¼ salt (if using unsalted butter)
1 cup sugar
½ cup of butter (1 stick of butter)
1 egg
1 cup of apple butter (homemade is preferred)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar
½ cup of milk (about 5 ounces)

Almond topping (optional)

1 tablespoon of maple syrup
¼ cup of sugar
½ cup of slivered almonds

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Combine the apple cider vinegar with the milk and set aside.

Apple cider vinegar and milk

3. Add the softened stick of butter to a large bowl. With either a stand mixer or handheld mixer, cream the butter until light and airy.

Creamed butter

4. Next, add your sugar to the creamed butter and whip it until it is well combined.

Butter and sugar

5. Crack your egg into a separate dish and then add it to your creamed butter and sugar mixture. Whip everything together.

Creamed butter, eggs, and sugar

6. Add your vanilla and apple butter to the mixture and combine everything.

Apple butter creamed with butter, eggs, sugar, and vanilla

7. In a separate bowl, mix your dry ingredients together. Next, sift your dry ingredients into your wet batter.

Dry ingredients sifted into wet ingredients

8. Mix partially with a spoon or on very low speed with your mixer, and then add half your curdled milk (milk and apple cider vinegar) to the batter.

Partially mixed dry ingredients

9. Mix lightly, and then add the rest of the milk mixture to the batter and stir everything together. Don’t over-mix the batter or it will become tough.

Mixed apple butter muffin batter

10. This batter makes 12 muffins. Divide the batter evenly into lined muffin tins. I coat the muffin times in a baking spray to ensure they don’t stick. As you fill the muffins with batter, be mindful to fill about ⅔ full so that the batter doesn’t overflow while baking.

Filled muffin tins