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Magic Stay-Moist Apple Muffins

By:Nagi
386 Comments
Recipe v Video v Dozer v

If you’ve ever been disappointed by dry day-after muffins, these Apple Muffins are going to blow your mind. They stay 100% fresh for 4 to 5 days!

Made with fresh apples, in one bowl, this magic muffin recipe is super quick to prepare and I’m guessing you have everything you need to make this!!

These Brown Sugar Apple Muffins are magical - made with pantry staples (no buttermilk or yoghurt), they stay moist for 4 - 5 days! recipetineats.com

Stay-moist Apple Muffins!

If you’ve ever been disappointed / annoyed at stale, dry muffins the day after making them, these Apple Muffins are going to blow your mind!! They’re super moist on the day and they stay moist for 4 to 5 days!!

Here’s the secret to keep muffins moist…

The secret to these stay-moist Apple Muffins are:

  • Brown sugar instead of white – brown sugar retains moisture far better in baked goods; and

  • Only 1 egg – Eggs dry out baked goods. Well, the egg white part does. That’s why you’ll find some baking recipes only call for egg yolks – because it binds without drying out the batter.

And that’s the only difference between the batter for these muffins and the usual muffin mixes!

These Brown Sugar Apple Muffins are magical - made with pantry staples (no buttermilk or yoghurt), they stay moist for 4 - 5 days! recipetineats.com

Miracle stay-moist muffin recipe

This magic stay-moist muffin recipe is a great master muffin mix because it’s made with pantry staples:

  • flour – wholewheat OR white

  • butter

  • egg

  • milk

  • brown sugar

  • baking soda

  • vinegar*

  • cinnamon (or other spice mix)

No buttermilk, no yoghurt, no sour cream.

I know there are muffin recipes out there that swear by them for moist muffins. But they aren’t required for this recipe. I promise you, these Apple Muffins are going to be super moist straight out of the oven – and they will stay moist for 4 to 5 days. No need to even warm them up!

Wondering what the vinegar is for?

Just a touch of vinegar gives baking soda a kick start, the same effect that buttermilk and yoghurt has when used in batters. Useful for muffins to give that dome a boost.

These Brown Sugar Apple Muffins are magical - made with pantry staples (no buttermilk or yoghurt), they stay moist for 4 - 5 days! recipetineats.com

Customise to your hearts’ content

I’ve made Apple Muffins here, but this miracle muffin batter is just waiting for your own add ins! Just add 2 to 2.5 cups of diced fresh fruit, dried fruit, nuts, chocolate or other chips – go wild!

For the fresh fruit, just be sure it’s fruit that won’t bleed too much and become mushy when baked. Some fruits I’ve used that work very well include:

  • Pears

  • Mango

  • Berries – blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, mulberries

  • Strawberries (use small ones)

These Brown Sugar Apple Muffins are magical - made with pantry staples (no buttermilk or yoghurt), they stay moist for 4 - 5 days! recipetineats.com

With the super long shelf life of these Apple Muffins, they are ideal for grab and go snacks, popping into lunch boxes, afternoon teas and just generally devouring on an as-needed basis.

With the sweet little dome, a sparkling sugar crust (if you so choose), tender pieces of apple and a hint of cinnamon fragrance, they look and smell as great as they taste! Enjoy! – Nagi x

Muffin Mania

These Brown Sugar Apple Muffins are magical - made with pantry staples (no buttermilk or yoghurt), they stay moist for 4 - 5 days! recipetineats.com

WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT

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Freshly baked apple muffins

Stay-Moist Apple Muffins!

Author: Nagi
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 20 mins
Total: 30 mins
Baking
Western
4.95 from 109 votes
Servings11 - 12 muffins
Tap or hover to scale
Print
Recipe VIDEO above. These muffins are a miracle - they stay moist for 4 to 5 days!! KEY TIP: Do not over mix batter (causes dry muffin), stir until flour is just incorporated, few lumps is fine. This recipe will work with cup measures regardless of which country you are in, with the exception of Japan - please use weights provided. 

Ingredients

  • 2 level cups apple pieces (peeled) , 0.7 cm / 1/3" cubes (2 large apples, I use red)
  • 1 tbsp melted butter , for muffin tim (or use paper liners)

Wet:

  • 115g / 0.5 cup unsalted butter , melted (1 stick)
  • 1 cup (200g) brown sugar , packed
  • 2/3 cup (165 ml) milk (low fat, full fat, non dairy also fine)
  • 1 large egg (approx 60g / 2 oz)
  • 1 tsp white vinegar (or any other clear vinegar)

Dry:

  • 2 cups (300g) wholemeal flour (wholewheat flour)(white also ok, Note 1)
  • 1 tsp baking soda (bi carb) (NOT baking powder)
  • 1 tsp cinnamon powder
  • Pinch salt

Topping (optional):

  • 2 tbsp raw sugar (demerara sugar - large granules)

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 200C/390F.
  • Brush a 12 hole, standard muffin tin with melted butter, or line with paper cases. (Note 3)
  • Place butter and brown sugar in a bowl, whisk to combine.
  • Add milk, then egg and vinegar. Whisk to combine.
  • Scatter flour across batter surface, followed by baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Whisk 10 times until the flour is incorporated - some lumps is fine.
  • Stir through apple -minimum stirs just to disperse.
  • Scoop batter into muffin tin - I use an ice cream scoop - filling it all the way to the top. If using a scooper, leave it the slight ball shape (see video) - don't smooth the top.  You should get 12 (see Note 3).
  • Sprinkle with sugar (if using - makes surface slightly crispy), place muffins in the oven.
  • Immediately turn down to 180C/350F.
  • Bake for 20 minutes (standard) or 18 minutes (fan / convection) , or until a skewer comes out clean.
  • Rest in the muffin tin for 5 minutes then transfer to a rack to cool.
  • Once fully cooled, store in an airtight container - it will stay moist for up to 5 days. These also freeze very well.

Recipe Notes:

1. Flour - I like using wholewheat flour for these, but it works perfectly with plain / all purpose white flour as well. The muffins will be a bit paler and they are even softer. (They are soft with the wholewheat too, it's just they are even softer with white flour).
2. TIP: Chop the apple up into small pieces, otherwise it has a tendency to make the muffin seem too crumbly, noting that this muffin batter only uses 1 egg (which is a reason why it's so moist but also means the crumb is not as tightly bound as muffin mixes that use 2 eggs, so you need to ensure the apple pieces are chopped fairly small).
3. MUFFIN TIN SIZES: There are mini, standard and jumbo muffin tins. This recipe is for standard muffin tins. Standard muffin tin sizes do differ slightly here in Australia - there are 1/3 and 1/2 cup muffin tins. You should get 12 out of this recipe either way because with the 1/3 cup, the batter mounds slightly over the top of the muffin tin hole plus there is a bit left over. With the 1/2 cup, it fills 12 holes pretty much to the top, scraping every bit of batter out of the bowl. 
4. CAKE/LOAF: Don't use this recipe for a cake or loaf, the crumb is too delicate. Use this recipe (YES it is moist too!) -> https://www.recipetineats.com/easy-apple-cake-recipe/
5. STORING: These keep so great in an airtight container for 4 to 5 days, they stay really nice and moist but it's it's really hot and/or humid where you are, keep them in the fridge.
The crunchy top does soften overnight, as it does with anything with a sugar topping. These are also terrific FROZEN - then just defrost before consuming, and yes they are moist even without reheating. 🙂
HUMIDITY warning! If it's super humid and hot where you are (eg Sydney in summer!) these are prone to becoming mouldy because they are so moist! So store them in the fridge.
6. Recipe adapted from these Brown Sugar Muffins by Taste and Tell.
7. Different measures in different countries - read more here. This recipe is fine to use as written irrespective of what country you are in - except Japan, use weights and ml, not Japanese measuring cups.
8. Nutrition assuming 12 muffins.
different-measur…ferent-countries/

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 103gCalories: 253cal (13%)
Keywords: apple muffins, moist muffins
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @RecipeTinEats.

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Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative!

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386 Comments

  1. Agnes says

    I made these muffins as directed, and they are deliciously moist! The apple pieces make them taste like apple pie. Thank you for sharing your recipe with us, Nagi! It’s a keeper.

    Reply

  2. Carol says

    5 stars
    These muffins are the BOMB! So easy to make. They come out super moist and are so tasty. I think using muffin tin liners is probably a must.

    Reply

  3. Mimi says

    5 stars
    Made this as a work snack for tomorrow but I’m not sure they’ll last that long! I used a gluten free flour mix because I have celiac disease but didn’t change anything else and they turned out amazing. Thank you so much for sharing!

    Reply

  4. Stefany says

    Hi, Nagi –
    I love this recipe, but my toddler is turned off by the chunks of apple. Have you ever done it with grated apple instead?
    Desperately Seeking Homogeneity

    Reply

    • Stefany says

      Update: I tried it with 2 cups of peeled, grated apple. The texture is a bit heavy, but my kid loves them and they taste great.

      Reply

      • Jenni says

        5 stars
        Fantastic muffins, will definitely make again – thank you! Do you think these would work with pears instead? I have a glut off the tree in my garden and am struggling for ideas!

        Reply

  8. Catherine says

    Hi Nagi, looking at what I have in my pantry – could I used tinned apples? And could I replace the milk and vinegar with buttermilk? If so what quantities? Thanks!

    Reply

      • Lynette B says

        Thanks Nagi. I’ve made them before & couldn’t remember what I used 🙄. They were so delicious. I took the last of them to a lunch with friends & everyone wanted the recipe. (They had even been frozen). Thanks again

        Reply

  10. N says

    5 stars
    110% accurate. So moist!!! I put less brown sugar as I wanted to make it slightly healthier. Came out perfect!!! Saving this one as a top fav! Best muffin recipe ever!!!

    Reply

  11. Grace southey says

    Hi Ngai is it possible to use buckwheat flour? I’m all out of flour and so is the supermarket!

    Reply

    • Nagi says

      Hi Grace, buckwheat flour has a different hydration so it may affect the texture. I’d love to know if you have it a go though! N x

      Reply
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