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, this muffin recipe is quick and you’ve probably already got everything you need to make them (you’ve got apples, right?!)
Stay-fresh 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.
Moisture in the apples which keeps the muffin crumb fresh for days and days!
And that’s the only difference between the batter for these muffins and the usual muffin mixes. Yet the shelf life difference is amazing!
Miracle stay-fresh muffin recipe
This magic stay-fresh 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.
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 (though, if like me, you love coconut with mango, give these Coconut Mango Muffins a go!)
Berries – blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, mulberries
Strawberries (use small ones)
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
Watch how to make it
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Stay-Fresh Apple Muffins!
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:
Nutrition Information:
Muffin Mania
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Life of Dozer
Couldn’t decide which one to share. Both are classic Life-Of-Dozer moments.
Hi Nagi, would these work as well in the giant muffin tins? (6)
Yes 100%, they will just take a little longer to cook. N x
These turned out great! So easy to make. Thank you x
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!
Hello. Is this wholemeal plain flour or wholemeal self raising flour?
Hi Lynette, plain flour here – N x
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
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!!!
Hi Ngai is it possible to use buckwheat flour? I’m all out of flour and so is the supermarket!
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
Hi Nagi, normally you have all the temp options – just want to check what this is for conventional oven not fan?
Hi Belinda, if I list one oven temperature then it’s the same for all oven types. N x
I’ve been churning out food for my 4 hungry kids during covid lockdown, and have been so good at showing restraint for myself. But I ate 3 of these muffins in one go. They’re really good! Two of my kids require gluten-free, so I substituted gluten free plain flour, and because it tends to be dry in baked goods, threw in a second egg. Perfect!! Even the kids who eat gluten thought they were seriously good.
I made these muffins for my family, two of whom require gluten-free. I substituted gluten free plain flour, and because GF baked goods are often dry, threw a second egg into the mix. They turned out beautifully and even the family members who can eat gluten thought they were amazing
Just made these muffins – super easy recipe, easy to tweak (my batter was more dry than in the video so I added more milk), and they have turned out delicious!
Yummy moist muffins! I used demerara sugar and white flour and added finely grated almonds in the batter. I sprinkled some almonds with demerara on top. Lovely and so easy to make.
The best muffins I have ever made! And sooooo easy. Your recipes never fail to impress
I’ve made these 3 times and they truely stay fresh for days! I’ve mixed it up a bit this time and substituted firm pear for the apple as well. Fantastic muffin recipe.
Have made these three times in the past month: with fresh pink ladies, with stewed apple and blueberries, and with frozen blueberries. I love that, three days later, they still taste fresh. Perfect for school lunchboxes
Hi Nagi,
Can I bake these muffins in cases & is it possible to make them extra large (Texas muffin tin)
Sure can Ruth, they may take slightly longer in the oven though. N x
My all time favourite muffin recipe now. Too good! All your recipes are so well tested and trust worthy. Thank you.
It was simple fast n yummy. Used apple cider vinegar, envy apples n organic all purpose flour n it turn out perfect n taste great n moist. The sweetness perfect for my family too. Thank you.
Hiya, can you grate the apple instead of chopping? Or would that make the muffin too wet?
Hi Jayde, I prefer to chop for the texture, if you grate it, the apple just seems to disappear into the batter. N x
I used vegetable oil and almond milk instead of the dairy products and it turned out absolutely delicious. Was going to freeze some but these are definitely a two a day treat. Yum!
These look delicious! Do you think I could make them with buttermilk?