Cinnamon Applesauce Muffins
These simple Applesauce Muffins make the perfect breakfast or snack idea. A fast and easy muffin recipe made with applesauce and cinnamon. Moist and delicious. Both kids and adults will love them!
I love muffins not only because they are fast and easy to make but because they are so good. From a Big Double Chocolate Chip Muffin to the perfect winter Orange Streusel Muffins to a family favorite Lemon Muffins with a Crumb topping.
Muffins are not only perfect for breakfast but also snack. Even here in Italy when I go to the local bakery or grocery store there are now a few different types of muffins for sale. But to tell the truth you can’t beat a homemade muffin in my opinion.
Recipe Ingredients
- Flour – all purpose flour
- Cinnamon – ground cinnamon
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Salt – if you use unsalted butter then add a bit more salt
- Butter – melted butter
- Applesauce – homemade or store bought applesauce
- Sugar – granulated and brown sugar
How to make an Applesauce Muffin Recipe
In a large bowl whisk until combined the melted cooled butter, eggs, applesauce and sugars.
In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, soda and salt.
Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix just until combined.
Spoon into the prepared muffin pan and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
Bake, let cool and serve.
What does mix just until combined mean?
When I make any recipe that states mix just until combined, I made sure I only stir 15-16 times. The mixture will be slightly lumpy but don’t worry it is suppose to be like that.
Over stirring makes a tough and dense finished product, which is what you definitely do not want.
How to make Cinnamon Sugar
In an airtight container or bag combine well, two tablespoons of granulated sugar and one teaspoon of ground cinnamon, (this can be doubled or tripled etc).
Store in a cool dry area. If stored properly it will last for up to three to four years.
Can I use store-bought applesauce?
Here in Italy I can’t buy applesauce so I always make my own Homemade Applesauce. It’s very easy and that way I also have control over the sugar content and the type of apples I want to use. If you want you can use store bought but I would probably select an unsweetened applesauce.
I love using applesauce in a few of my recipes such as Applesauce Bread or Homemade Applesauce Cake or this popular recipe on the blog – Cinnamon Applesauce Cookies.
I like to use Fuji apples but other good choices are Golden Delicious, McIntosh, Pink Lady and Cortland apples.
Recipe FAQs
How to prepare the muffin pan
You can either grease and flour the pan or spray it or even line the pan with muffin liners.
What can I add to the muffin batter?
If you like you could add some finely chopped nuts, such as pecans, walnuts or even hazelnuts, some semi sweet chocolate chips. Or if you prefer you could add some raisins or even dried cranberries. Be sure to soak the raisins or cranberries in boiling water for about 10-15 minutes, drain well then add to the batter.
Can I substitute with whole wheat flour?
If you like you could substitute part of the all purpose but it has always been recommended to me not to use more than 30% whole wheat. Using too much can sometimes dry out the baked good.
How to know when muffins are done
The best way to tell if muffins are done is to insert a toothpick into the centre of one of the muffins if it comes out clean or there are a few crumbs attached to the toothpick then the muffins are done.
How to store muffins
Place the cooled muffins in a well sealed airtight bag and keep at room temperature for up to three days.
Can you freeze them?
Place the cooled muffins in an airtight freezer safe bag or container they will keep for up to three months if stored properly. The frozen muffins can be thawed at room temperature or even heated in the microwave or oven.
More delicious recipes made with applesauce
So if you are like me and always looking for a new Muffin Recipe then I hope you give these Cinnamon Applesauce Muffins a try and let me know what you think! Enjoy.
Cinnamon Applesauce Muffins
Ingredients
FOR THE MUFFINS
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 pinch salt
- ½ cup salted butter (melted & cooled)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup applesauce (lightly or unsweetened)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar (lightly packed)
TOPPING
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 400F (200C), grease and flour a 12 medium size muffin tin.
FOR THE MUFFINS
- In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- In a large bowl whisk until combined the melted cooled butter, eggs, Applesauce and sugars.
- Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix just until combined, stir 15-16 turns only. The batter will be a bit lumpy but that is fine.
- Spoon into the prepared muffin pan and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar . And bake for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 350F (180C) and continue to bake for 10-15 minutes. Test for doneness with a toothpick, if it comes out with 2-3 crumbs attached or dry they are done. Let cool for about 10 minutes then move to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
CINNAMON SUGAR
- In a small bowl mix together the sugar and cinnamon.
Please what temperature and time.
Hi Peter, all the instructions are written in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. Take care!
The directions say..”if using unsalted butter, add a bit more butter”. Do you mean add more salt?
Thanks.
Hi Lo, thanks so much, I sure did mean salt. Have a great weekend!
How long will it take for 6 jumbo muffins?
Hi Lisa, to make jumbo bake for 5-7 minutes at 400 then lower to 350 for another 15-20 minutes. Check for doneness at 15 and go longer if necessary. If you find they are browning too much, then place a piece of foil on top (tent fashion) and continue baking. Let me know how it goes. Take care!
So good! I forgot the butter (I put it in the fridge to cool, outta sight 🤦♀️) but they still baked up great! I used up 2.5 applesauce cups from the pantry, hurray! And added raisins and craisins and 1/4 tsp ground cloves. I’m making another batch today to stock the freezer for harvest. Yum!
Hi Carrie, thanks so much, glad you liked them and good to know they worked even without the butter. Take care and have a great week!
Baked this as a leaving gift for someone who’s obsessed with apple and cinnamon, drizzled them with some melted white Toblerone and they turned out beautifully I’ll definitely be making more of these!
Hi Mhairi, thanks so much, what a great idea. Take care and Happy New Year!
This recipe is phenomenal. The texture of the muffins is as perfect as perfect gets. I added a bit more salt, and I had 1/4 C whole wheat flour, 1/4 C oat flour, and 1.5 C white flour. That gives some nice flavor and texture but still stays really nice, light, and moist. I used home-canned unsweetened applesauce and it was wonderful.
Hi Charity, thanks so much, so glad you enjoyed them. Take care and have a wonderful weekend.
They were very good and I felt I was being so healthy!
My kids said this was the best muffin I’ve ever made. These were generously sized muffins that both my sweet tooth kid and my picky eater kid (who doesn’t eat frosting) loved. These were great, a regular special treat recipe in my rotation!
Hi Buster, thanks so much, so glad you and your kid enjoyed them. Have a great weekend.
My daughter and I made these today and they were soooooo dang good! We subbed coconut oil for the butter and holy moly were they delicious. Thank you so much for the recipe! We’ll definitely be making these again.
Hi Erika, thanks so much, so glad you and your daughter enjoyed them. Have a great weekend.
I decided to make in a loaf pan. I thought it was fine after about 25-30min but after it cooled I realized it wasn’t done in the center. I was able to cut out the raw parts. The loaf was delicious. So for next time I know it should take at least 60 min. Also when mixing the batter make sure there are no flour streaks. Lumps are ok.
Hi Rebecca, yes a loaf will take longer. You could also check with a toothpick if it comes out with a couple of crumbs attached it’s done. Happy New Year.
Easy, great use of applesauce! I have an overabundance of it since I have to frequent food banks, and they often give out cans of applesauce The cinnamon sugar gives it a nice little crispness to it too!
Hi Archer, thanks so much, so glad you enjoyed them. Take care.
Site has a lot of ads which made it a little hard to use the recipe, but then again I was using my phone. The finished product was delicious and I loved the tops of the muffins. My family was convinced I used a box mix! Great recipe for back to school breakfasts!
Hi Fran, thanks glad everyone enjoyed the muffins, unfortunately it isn’t cheap running a food blog, so in order to write free recipes ads are a necessity. 🙂
I wanted to make a slightly healthier version. I ommited the 1/2 cup white sugar, and used 1/3 cup dark brown sugar instead of 1/4 cup. I also added 1/2 tbsp of vanilla extract, 1 tbsp chia seeds, and 1 chopped honeycrisp apple.
They turned out great! They rose a lot during the baking process and are still sweet enough to satisfy my sweet tooth. I baked for a total of 20 minutes and they are very moist.
1 muffin came to 260 calories and only 10 grams of sugar. Thanks for this great recipe!
Hi Camille thanks, glad you liked it. And thanks for letting me know how you made them. Take care.
I made this with a combo of King Arthur flour gluten free Measure for Measure and gf oat flour. The muffins turned out great!
Hi Kate, thanks so much, and thank you for letting me know. Take care.
Hello! I have some store bought applesauce and this sounds like a great way to use it up! Could I bake the mixture in a loaf pan?
Hi SHL, sure you could use a loaf pan (I do that a lot with muffin recipes). I think a 9inch loaf pan should work. Let me know how it goes.
Hi, Rosemary,
I tried it in a loaf pan and it was great! I sprinkled cinnamon sugar on top as well and it became a lovely, light crust. I did overestimate the timing and the cake was a tad dry. I shall watch it more carefully next time.
Thank you for the recipe!