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There’s nothing I love more than a cozy fall breakfast, and these brown butter apple crumb muffins make the best breakfast! Filled with the flavors of warming spices, sweet apples, and one irresistible brown butter crumb topping, you absolutely need these muffins in your life!
For the best apple crumb muffins, use a firm and sweet apple. I usually like to mix apple varieties for the best flavor – try a sweet apple like Honeycrisp mixed with a tart apple like Granny Smith.
A blend of cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg add plenty of spice to these apple muffins, and a mix of white and brown sugar provides the best flavor and texture.
Topped with an easy brown butter crumb topping and the most delicious vanilla glaze, breakfast has never looked better than brown butter apple crumb muffins!
Perfect Brown Butter Apple Crumb Muffins
Make crumb topping – Combine sugars, oats, flour, cinnamon, and salt in a small bowl. Cook butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly until it foams, turns clear, and then turns a medium brown, about 5 minutes.
Add browned butter to bowl and toss mixture with a fork until completely incorporated and mixture is crumbly. Chill topping in the freezer until needed.
Make muffin batter – For the muffins, whisk together flour, sugars, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the mixture. Combine buttermilk, yogurt, melted butter, egg, and vanilla in a medium bowl; add to flour mixture and fold in just until incorporated. Fold in apples.
Bake muffins – Fill each baking cup 3/4 full of batter and sprinkle evenly with crumb topping. Bake until muffins are golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few crumbs attached, 15 to 17 minutes. Let muffins cool in pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes before removing from pan to cool completely.
Make glaze – Whisk together melted butter, salt, vanilla, powdered sugar, and milk in a small bowl. Drizzle glaze over cooled muffins and let set before serving.
The Secret to Bakery-Style Muffins
For tall, bakery-style muffins start with high heat: Fill baking cups 3/4 full of batter and sprinkle evenly with crumb topping. Place your muffin pan in the oven and bake for 5 minutes at 425°F for a quick burst of heat to give the muffins a nice lift, then reduce oven temperature to 350°F and bake another 10 to 12 minutes or until tops are set.
Brown Butter Apple Crumb Muffins
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 17 minutes
- Total Time: 42 minutes
- Yield: 14 muffins
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
Brown butter apple crumb muffins make the BEST fall breakfast!
Ingredients
Crumb Topping
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1/3 cup rolled oats
- 1/3 cup flour
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- pinch of salt
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
Muffins
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ginger
- 1/8 tsp cloves
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2/3 cup low-fat buttermilk, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups apple, peeled and finely chopped
Glaze
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- pinch of salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 1/2 Tbsp milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F and line a 12-cup standard muffin pan with baking cups; spray baking cups lightly with cooking spray.
- For the crumb topping, combine sugars, oats, flour, cinnamon, and salt in a small bowl. Cook butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly until it foams, turns clear, and then turns a medium brown, about 5 minutes. Add browned butter to bowl and toss mixture with a fork until completely incorporated and mixture is crumbly. Chill topping in the freezer until needed.
- For the muffins, whisk together flour, sugars, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the mixture. Combine buttermilk, yogurt, melted butter, egg, and vanilla in a medium bowl; add to flour mixture and fold in just until incorporated. Fold in apples.
- Fill each baking cup 3/4 full of batter and sprinkle evenly with crumb topping.
- Place muffin pan in the oven and bake for 5 minutes at 425°F. Reduce temperature to 350°F and continue baking 10 to 12 minutes (for a total baking time of 15 to 17 minutes), until muffins are golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few crumbs attached. Let muffins cool in pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes before removing from pan to cool completely.
- For the glaze, whisk together melted butter, salt, vanilla, powdered sugar, and milk in a small bowl. Drizzle glaze over cooled muffins and let set before serving.
More apple recipes you’ll love:
Apple Praline Bundt Cake
Baked Apple Cider Doughnuts
Apple Crumble Loaf Cake
Apple Cider Bundt Cake
