Apple Crumble Muffins (with Pie Filling)

Inspired by classic apple-pie flavors, Muffins with Apple Pie Filling are soft and tender with a sweet apple center, crumbly streusel top, and light vanilla glaze. They’re an easy choice for breakfast, a snack, or afternoon coffee. My Cinnamon Muffins are another option for a sweet breakfast bake.

Best Apples for Apple Pie Filling

• Firm and tart: Granny Smith, Northern Spy, and Braeburn hold their shape well during cooking and give the filling some tartness.
• Sweet and firm: Honeycrisp, Golden Delicious, and Jonagold add sweetness and keep some structure as they cook.
• Sweet-tart: Pink Lady has a good balance of sweetness and tartness and stays fairly firm when cooked.
• Softer apples: McIntosh and Cortland soften more during cooking. They work better when combined with firmer apples rather than used for all of the filling.
• Sweeter, softer options: Gala and Red Delicious are sweeter but tend to soften considerably when cooked, especially Red Delicious. Pair them with a firmer apple when using them for filling.

Ingredients

• Apple pie filling – 1 ½ cups, chopped. Chop large apple pieces into bite-size pieces to help them fit evenly between the layers of batter. You can use store-bought or homemade apple pie filling.
• Full-fat Greek yogurt – 1 cup. It adds moisture and richness to the batter and helps keep the muffins soft and tender.
• Ground cinnamon – 1 teaspoon in the batter plus 1 teaspoon in the crumble. Cinnamon adds warm spice to the muffin batter and crumble topping and pairs naturally with the apple filling.
• Ground nutmeg – ¼ teaspoon. A small amount complements the cinnamon and apple filling without making the muffins heavily spiced.
• Light brown sugar – ¼ cup. It sweetens the crumble topping and adds a deeper flavor that pairs well with the apples and cinnamon.
• Unsalted butter – 6 tablespoons, cold and cut into small pieces. Cold butter helps form separate crumbs in the streusel topping instead of melting into the flour and sugar mixture.

How to Make Apple Crumble Muffins

For the Optional Apple Pie Filling from Scratch

1. Prepare the apples: Add the sliced Gala and Granny Smith apples to a Dutch oven or pan. Toss with the lemon juice, then add the water.
2. Mix the cornstarch: Remove a small amount of water from the pan and stir it with the cornstarch until smooth. Pour the mixture back into the pan and stir.
3. Add the sugar and spices: Stir in the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
4. Cook the filling: Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 4–8 minutes, until the apples soften and the sauce thickens.
5. Cool and chop: Let the filling cool, then chop the apples into bite-size pieces before using them in the muffins.

Make the Crumble Topping

1. Preheat the oven: Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C). Line a standard muffin pan with paper liners and set it aside.
2. Make the crumble topping: Stir the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Add the cold butter and mix with your hands until pea-sized crumbs form. Cover and chill until ready to use. PIC. 1

Make the Muffins

1. Mix the dry ingredients: Stir the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Set aside.
2. Mix the wet ingredients: Beat the eggs and granulated sugar in a stand mixer until combined. Add the Greek yogurt, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract. Mix until the batter becomes pale yellow. PIC. 2
3. Finish the batter: Add the flour mixture and mix until combined. Avoid overmixing, as the batter will be thick.
4. Fill the muffin cups: Fill each muffin cup halfway with batter. Tap the pan on the countertop to settle the batter. PIC. 3
5. Add the filling and crumble: Spoon a heaping tablespoon of chopped apple pie filling into each cup. Gently press the filling into the batter with the back of a spoon. Cover with about 1 tablespoon of batter, then top with the chilled crumble. PIC. 4

Bake and Glaze

1. Bake the muffins: Place the muffin pan on the middle oven rack and reduce the temperature to 375°F (190°C). Bake for 19–22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
2. Cool the muffins: Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the muffins cool for 5 minutes.
3. Make the vanilla glaze: Whisk the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth. Drizzle the glaze over the warm muffins and let it set. PICS. 5–6
   Note: Add more powdered sugar if the glaze is too thin. If it is too thick, thin it with a little more milk.

FAQ About Apple Crumble Muffins

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Apple Crumble Muffins with Apple Pie Filling

Perfect with morning coffee, Apple Crumble Muffins combine a soft cinnamon-spiced batter, apple pie filling, buttery streusel, and vanilla glaze in an easy homemade muffin recipe.

Course:Breakfast

Cuisine:American

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Resting time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 55 minutes minutes

Servings 12 muffins

Calories486.6 kcal

Author Valentina Dimitrova

Cost $ 0.50 per muffin

Equipment

• mixer
• muffin tin
• bowls
• oven

Ingredients

For the Apple Pie Muffins

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 large eggs – at room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup Greek yogurt – full-fat
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cups apple pie filling – homemade or store-bought, chopped

For the Crumble Topping

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup light brown sugar
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter – cold and cut into small pieces
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the Glaze

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon whole milk
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Homemade Apple Pie Filling

• 1 Gala apple – peeled, cored, and sliced
• 1 Granny Smith apple – peeled, cored, and sliced
• ½ teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 ¼ cups water
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

For the Optional Apple Pie Filling from Scratch

• Prepare the apples: Add the sliced Gala and Granny Smith apples to a Dutch oven or pan. Toss with the lemon juice, then add the water.
• Mix the cornstarch: Remove a small amount of water from the pan and stir it with the cornstarch until smooth. Pour the mixture back into the pan and stir.
• Add the sugar and spices: Stir in the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
• Cook the filling: Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 4–8 minutes, until the apples soften and the sauce thickens.
• Cool and chop: Let the filling cool, then chop the apples into bite-size pieces before using them in the muffins.

Make the Crumble Topping

• Preheat the oven: Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C). Line a standard muffin pan with paper liners and set it aside.
• Make the crumble topping: Stir the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Add the cold butter and mix with your hands until pea-sized crumbs form. Cover and chill until ready to use.

Make the Muffins

• Mix the dry ingredients: Stir the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Set aside.
• Mix the wet ingredients: Beat the eggs and granulated sugar in a stand mixer until combined. Add the Greek yogurt, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract. Mix until the batter becomes pale yellow.
• Finish the batter: Add the flour mixture and mix until combined. Avoid overmixing, as the batter will be thick.
• Fill the muffin cups: Fill each muffin cup halfway with batter. Tap the pan on the countertop to settle the batter.
• Add the filling and crumble: Spoon a heaping tablespoon of chopped apple pie filling into each cup. Gently press the filling into the batter with the back of a spoon. Cover with about 1 tablespoon of batter, then top with the chilled crumble.

Bake and Glaze

• Bake the muffins: Place the muffin pan on the middle oven rack and reduce the temperature to 375°F (190°C). Bake for 19–22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
• Cool the muffins: Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the muffins cool for 5 minutes.
• Make the vanilla glaze: Whisk the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth. Drizzle the glaze over the warm muffins and let it set.

  Note: Add more powdered sugar if the glaze is too thin. If it is too thick, thin it with a little more milk.

Recipe Notes

Storage and Reheating

Room temperature: Let the muffins cool completely, then store them at room temperature for up to 3 days. Loosely cover the tops with plastic wrap to prevent trapped moisture from softening the crumble. You can also leave the muffins in the pan and loosely cover the pan.

Refrigerator: Store cooled muffins in an airtight container or zip-top bag in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. Bring them to room temperature or reheat them before serving.

Freezer: Freeze the muffins without the glaze for up to 2 months. Wrap them well and place them in a freezer-safe container or bag.

Thawing: Thaw frozen muffins overnight in the refrigerator or at room temperature for about 60–90 minutes.

Reheating: Warm the muffins in a 350°F (175°C) oven for 5–10 minutes. Reheating them in the oven also warms the crumble topping without adding extra moisture.

Nutrition

Calories: 486.6kcal | Carbohydrates: 81.6g | Protein: 6.1g | Fat: 16.1g | Saturated Fat: 5.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5.7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3.9g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 43.3mg | Sodium: 237.3mg | Potassium: 126.4mg | Fiber: 2.1g | Sugar: 51.4g | Vitamin A: 242IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 100.9mg | Iron: 1.9mg

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