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
Cornbread Muffins (personal fave?)
Life of Dozer
Couldn’t decide which one to share. Both are classic Life-Of-Dozer moments.
I love anything with apple and these are AMAZING! I am obsessed with these muffins. I ate one five mins out of the oven too and it was life changing. I used white plan flour and Coles tinned pink lady apples (1&1/4 tins) chopped up as my broken wrist is still recovering and this is easier for me. I’ll keep doing exactly this though and I’ll be making these until the day I die.
Have made these delicious muffins before but wondering if you can tweak the temp / cooking time for an air fryer – any suggestions Nagi?
Another ripper of a recipe, thank you Nagi! I made 2 changes, being Woolworths Free From Gluten flour and used Ardoma apple pie slices. Usually anything gluten-free needs to be eaten the days it’s made to taste nice, and it’s even drier once chilled, but I literally just finished one straight from the fridge that I made last night and it was so moist and even better than when fresh last night!! So happy with the recipe and that I found your site. Every recipe is a winner.
I made this yesterday. Mine had a definite bitter taste. What could have caused that? I especially taste in the crusty top. I think all my ingredients were in date etc. The kids were happily eating the apple a we cut it up but I didn’t taste them. 🤷🏼♀️
I had this issue once and ‘Chef Google’ told me it could be too much bicarb soda or no acid (vinegar)
Delicious and moist apple muffins. I will definitely be making these again! No more wasting sad apples in the fruit bowl. Thank you for you sharing.
Kids LOVED this recipe, they usually balk at chunks of fruit in baked goods but not this time-so nice I’ll make it twice😊
Just made them gluten free for my nephew’s lunches amazing
Wow that’s good to know Susan – what brand of g/f flour did you use? N x
Hi – these look great! Do you think i could replace the sugar with maple syrup, or leave it out entirely?
Changing the amount or type of sugar in baking recipes changes the hydration so I would have to test that to see how it affects the batter – sorry! N x
Hi Nagi, just have to say I’m only new to you and Dozer but have become quite a fan!! I love all your Instagram stories. Just a question on this one. I have a fan forced oven. Was I meant to adjust the oven temperatures to suit (adjust 20degrees lower) or was it only the cooking time that was the difference?
Hi Angela – I will always specify in the recipe if you need to use a lower temp setting on Fan Forced! N x
Hi Nari,
Just wondering if I can use buttermilk in this recipe? I just have a carton I need to use up. . .
Thankyou for sharing your amazing recipes and tips. . .
Yes Cassandra I think that will work fine here! N x
Oops, forgot to rate!
Another winner, Nagi! Your site is awesome, always come here first for recipes. I used whole wheat bread flour and granny smith apples, what I had on hand. The muffins are healthy AND yummy – win/win! Thanks so much
This is a very flexible and forgiving recipe! I am glad that you enjoyed it!! N x
This was delicious to make
I am happy you liked it Dream! N x
These were lovely. I used a mix of whole wheat and white because my whole wheat was bread flour and I didnt know how that would work. Also my crazy child doesn’t like cinnamon so used a tsp of vanilla instead. Very yummy. Thank you!
I have made this receipe twice now, I don’t throw away apples anymore, it would have to be the best recipe for moist muffins, my family and I love them.
When you say wholwheat do you mean plain or SR….I have SR wholemeal but wasn’t sure whether I should use that
Hi Nagi! I love your recipes and I have tried so many of them! I tried these muffins and then adapted the recipe a little bit. I reduced the sugar to 3/4 cup and I added 1 1/4 cups flour and 3/4 cup rolled oats. I put in a cup of grated carrot and little pieces of pineapple one of the times and the another time I put in little apple pieces. Both were a hit with the family!
Hi Nagi-I love your recipes. I have made so many. Your videos are great to watch too. Quick question–do you use light brown sugar or dark brown sugar or just granulated organic brown sugar? I was not sure from the recipe. Thanks.
Hi Nagi,
Can I use dark brown sugar in this recipe?
Yes you can! N x
A lot of muffin recipes are just kind of ho-hum, but not this one–it is the best apple muffin recipe ever! I made it last month and forgot to save it. Then I had to wade through dozens of recipes, trying to find it again. So glad I finally found it (and now I have saved it)!
I think the simplicity is what makes it–just the right amount of sweet, the cinnamon is not overpowering, and the old fashioned touch of vinegar and baking soda makes it moist and delicious, like a cake. A perfect way to make use our abundant apple crop this year. Thank you!