:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/20241108-SEA-ApplePieMuffins-RobbyLozano-Hero1-21-5191b2e0d1d0498092902fae3d67cdd2.jpg?w=1200&resize=1200,0&ssl=1 "Meet the Muffin That Tastes Simply Like Apple Pie")
Why It Works
- Sautéing the chopped apples in butter with brown sugar and cinnamon concentrates the sweet apple style and evaporates additional moisture, stopping the muffins from turning moist and gummy.
- A combination of bitter cream and apple cider throughout the batter enhances the muffin’s shiny apple style.
- Layering a cinnamon-sugar mixture into the muffins and topping them with a crumbly oat mixture creates a welcome distinction of textures in each chew.
Every fall I seem to go on an all-out apple bender, inserting them in all of the issues and one thing I can contemplate. This fall is not any completely completely different. Nevertheless as quickly as I’ve had my fill of do-it-yourself applesauce, apple pies, and tarts galore, what I would like is a calmly spiced, apple-heavy breakfast sweet, and these apple muffins match the bill utterly. Studded with sweet-tart apple objects and topped with a cinnamon-spiked crumble, these tender muffins ship all of the flavour of an apple pie packed proper right into a muffin. They’re equally good as a formidable Sunday brunch cope with for guests or served alongside a scorching cup of espresso as a day snack.
It’s a simple thought—muffins with shiny apple style—nevertheless it could be surprisingly exhausting to get correct. Variations usually lack assertive apple style, or have a gummy and dense texture from additional moisture from the apples. Lucky for us, our Birmingham, Alabama-based test kitchen colleague Tricia Manzanero Stuedeman baked batch after batch of muffins to develop this recipe, which employs a lot of tricks to maximise apple style and produce the right moist and tender texture.
Extreme Eats / Robby Lozano
The essential factor to establishing manhattan style in a younger muffin begins with the apples themselves. We advocate using two types of apple for the most effective style and texture—one sweet, equal to Honeycrisp, and one tart, equal to Granny Smith.
One different key to the world monetary middle style lies throughout the technique used to arrange dinner the apples. In her testing, Tricia found that sautéing chopped apples in butter with brown sugar and cinnamon concentrated the flavour and evaporated the excess moisture that may have made the muffins moist and gummy if she merely tossed raw apples into the batter.
As quickly as cooked and cooled the apples are folded proper right into a batter that’s enhanced with apple cider and bitter cream. The apple cider amplifies the sweet apple style throughout the muffins and the acidic bitter cream prompts the baking soda throughout the muffins to offer a younger texture—every parts moreover add a welcome tangy style that pairs properly with the apples and cinnamon.
Extreme Eats / Robby Lozano
To offer these muffins a primary apple pie style, Tricia turned to the spice cabinet, nevertheless the spice she picked may shock you: Instead of using apple pie spice, she incorporates pumpkin pie spice, which she explains usually accommodates additional spices than its apple pie spice counterpart, so she finds it tastes additional balanced and robust. Together with the spice throughout the batter, each muffin is striated with a cinnamon sugar mixture and topped with a buttery oat crumble that creates a welcome distinction of textures and flavors in every chew. The last word flourish is a simple glaze, which is just the leftover butter mixture from cooking the apples—it is so simple as pie, and easily as delicious.
This recipe was developed by Tricia Manzanero Stuedeman; the headnote was written by Leah Colins.
Meet the Muffin That Tastes Merely Like Apple Pie
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For the Spiced Apples:
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3 tablespoons (42g) unsalted butter
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1 medium sweet apple equal to Honeycrisp (about 6 ounces; 160g), scale back into 1/4-inch objects (1 1/4 cups chopped)
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1 small tart apple equal to Granny Smith (about 4 ounces; 120g), scale back into 1/4 inch objects (1 cup chopped)
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1/4 cup packed light brown sugar ( 2 ounces; 55g)
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3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
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1/4 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for desk salt use half as lots by amount
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1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (see notes)
For the Muffins:
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1/2 cup (4 ounces; 113g) packed light brown sugar
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3/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (see notes)
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2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided (10.12 ounces; 287g)
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2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided
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2/3 cup (150g)plus 4 tablespoons (57g) unsalted butter, softened, divided
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3/4 cup granulated sugar (5.5 ounces; 155g)
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2 large eggs, at room temperature
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1/2 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for desk salt use half as lots by amount
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1/2 teaspoon baking powder
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1/2 teaspoon baking soda
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1/2 cup (120ml) bitter creamat room temperature
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1/3 cup (80ml) apple cider, at room temperature
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1/4 cup previous model oats (0.9 ounces; 26g)
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For the Spiced Apples: In a 10-inch skillet, soften butter over medium heat. As quickly as melted, add apple objects, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and pie spice and put together dinner, stirring commonly, until apples are tender, about 10 minutes.
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Change apple mixture to a implausible mesh strainer set over a medium bowl. Completely strain, gently stirring to remove as lots additional moisture from apples as doable; put apart to let apples strain until they attain room temperature, about quarter-hour. Unfold strained apples in a superb layer on a giant plate and refrigerate uncovered until cooled, 15 to twenty minutes. Reserve strained sauce for use as a glaze.
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For the Muffins: Alter oven rack to middle place and preheat oven to 400°F (205℃). Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. Stir collectively brown sugar, pie spice, 1/2 cup (2.25 ounces; 64g) of the flour, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of the cinnamon in a medium bowl until properly combined. Work in 4 tablespoons (2 ounces; 57g) of the butter using fingertips until mixture is properly combined and resembles moist sand. Put apart.
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In a giant bowl with {an electrical} mixer, beat granulated sugar and remaining 2/3 cup butter on medium velocity until fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, stopping to scrape down sides as wished. Add eggs, one after the opposite, beating until combined after each addition, about 30 seconds.
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In a medium bowl, whisk collectively salt, baking powder, baking soda, remaining 1 3/4 cups flour, and remaining 1 teaspoon cinnamon in a medium bowl. In a small measuring cup with a spout, whisk collectively bitter cream and cider until properly combined.
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Stir flour mixture into butter mixture in 3 additions, alternating with bitter cream mixture, until flour mixture is moistened nevertheless large flour streaks keep. Fold cooled apples into batter until evenly dispersed and batter is just combined. (Do not overmix.)
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Spoon 2 tablespoons batter into bottom of each paper liner. Sprinkle 1 packed teaspoon brown sugar mixture evenly over batter in each muffin liner; excessive with remaining batter (about 3 tablespoons per properly) spreading into a superb layer. (Liners will possible be very full.)
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Stir oats into remaining brown sugar mixture; sprinkle evenly over batter (about 2 packed teaspoons per muffin), and press gently to stay.
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Bake for 5 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F and proceed baking until a wooden resolve inserted in center comes out clear, 12 to 18 minutes, rotating pan halfway. Let cool in pan 10 minutes.
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Fastidiously take away from pan and serve warmth or at room temperature, drizzling with reserved strained apple juices from step 2 merely sooner than serving.
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Specific Gear
10-inch skillet, One 12-cup muffin tin
Notes
Must you’d want to mix your private pumpkin pie spice, in a small bowl combine 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice, and 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves. Use immediately or retailer in an airtight container in a cool, darkish place for as a lot as 6 months. Yields about 2 teaspoons spice mix.
Make-Ahead and Storage
The muffins will likely be baked, cooled, and saved in an airtight container at room temperature for as a lot as 5 days or they’re typically wrapped individually in plastic and aluminum foil and frozen for as a lot as 2 months.