Sourdough Apple Muffins

Sourdough apple cinnamon muffin on a cooling rack.

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4.78 from 22 votes

These Sourdough Apple Muffins with Cinnamon have a tall crunchy cinnamon-sugar top and a soft tender interior.

Prep Time15

Cook Time25

Total Time40

Course: Muffin Recipes

Cuisine: American

Servings: Muffins

Calories: 389kcal

Author: Erica Schramek

Equipment

Ingredients

Apple Muffins

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon kosher salt
2 cup peeled and diced apples 2 medium apples
½ cup granulated white sugar
½ cup brown sugar
⅔ cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs at room temperature
1 egg yolk at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup sourdough discard

Cinnamon Sugar Topping

¼ cup butter melted
¼ cup granulated white sugar
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Move the oven rack to the middle position. Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). Grease one standard 12-count muffin pan with nonstick spray or line it with muffin papers. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the 3 cups all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon nutmeg, and ½ teaspoon kosher salt. Toss the 2 cup peeled and diced apples in the dry ingredients until they are well coated. This will prevent the fruit from sinking to the bottom of the muffins. Set aside.
In a medium bowl whisk together the ½ cup granulated white sugar, ½ cup brown sugar, ⅔ cup vegetable oil, 2 large eggs, 1 egg yolk, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Stir in the 1 cup sourdough discard.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold them together gently with a spatula until just combined. Do not over mix. The batter will be thick. Allow the batter to rest for 5 minutes.
Divide the batter between each muffin cup, filling all the way to the top.
Bake the muffins at 425°F (220°C) for 5 minutes, then, keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (180°C) and continue to bake for 20 minutes until the tops are golden brown. Use a toothpick to test for doneness. Insert a toothpick into the center of a muffin, if it comes out clean, the muffins are done.
While the muffins are baking prepare the topping. Melt the ¼ cup butter in a microwave-safe bowl. In a separate bowl mix together the ¼ cup granulated white sugar and 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon.
Allow the muffins to cool for several minutes in the muffin pan. Remove a muffin from the pan, brush the top with the melted butter and then sprinkle with the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place the muffins on a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

Make sure the apples are coated with the flour mixture before adding the wet ingredients. This will ensure they are evenly distributed throughout the batter and they won't sink to the bottom.

Don’t over-mix the batter. A few lumps are fine. Overmixing will create too much gluten causing your muffins to be tough.

The muffin batter will be very thick, almost like cookie dough. This prevents the fruit from sinking to the bottom and helps to give the muffins a tall muffin top.

Muffins bake best on the middle rack of the oven. Too low and the bottoms will burn, too high and the tops will brown too quickly.

Storage: These muffins will stay moist for a couple of days when stored at room temperature. Store them in an airtight container for 1-2 days. Any longer than that at room temperature and the fruit will start tasting fermented especially on warm days.

For longer storage keep them in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Nutrition