Muffins on a sheet pan with streusel crumbs.
Photography, Art Direction & Food Styling: Anthony Contrino

You all know I’m not a basic bitch, but when autumn comes around, that goes right out the window.  You’ll find me in a cozy hoodie, wrapped in a scarf,  sipping hot spiced cider and warm donuts at the nearby farms in South Jersey.  And lord knows I’ll be hauling home their housemade ciders, jams and fruit butters so that I can do some baking.

These muffins are one of my favorite things to make.  The base is lightly sweetened with some brown sugar and applesauce, allowing the apple butter to shine through.  But the real hero is the sweet, crispy streusel topping which balances the flavor and adds some texture.

Get my Spiced Applesauce recipe HERE!

Apple Streusel Muffins

Prep Time: 12 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Cooling: 1 hour
Servings: 12 Muffins
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Ingredients
 

FOR THE STREUSEL

  • ⅓ cup sugar
  • ½ cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
  • ¼ cup sliced almonds, crumbled
  • 4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted European-style butter, melted
  • Pinch salt

FOR THE MUFFINS

  • 1 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • Pinch allspice
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • ½ cup packed light brown sugar
  • ½ cup Spiced Apple Sauce
  • ½ cup apple butter

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a 12-cavity muffin tin with aluminum liners.
  • MAKE THE STREUSEL TOPPING. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the sugar, flour, cinnamon, almonds and salt until well combined.
  • Add the melted butter and stir to combine; allow to cool while you prepare the muffin batter.
  • MAKE THE MUFFINS. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger and allspice until well combined; set aside.
  • In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until smooth.
  • While whisking constantly, add the oil in a slow, steady stream, until emulsified.
  • Add the brown sugar and whisk to combine.
  • Add the Spiced Apple Sauce and whisk to combine.
  • Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and mix until just combined.
  • Divide the batter evenly into the prepared muffin tin, filling each liner about halfway up.
  • Place the apple butter into a piping bag fitted and cut a small opening at the end.
  • Pipe a swirl of apple butter over each muffin, using about 1 ½ to 2 teaspoons per muffin.
  • Using your hands, break the streusel into chickpea-sized pieces and sprinkle evenly over the muffins.
  • Bake until set and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the muffins, for 16 to 18 minutes.
  • Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes before carefully transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Course: Breakfast, Dessert
Author: Anthony Michael Contrino