The Ultimate Healthy Apple Muffins
These are the best apple muffins I’ve ever had! This easy recipe yields really moist bakery-style muffins filled with sweet apples, cinnamon, and other cozy spices. Made with whole grains and no added sugar, these apple muffins are perfect for breakfasts and snacks! Leftovers will keep for at least 5 days if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They also freeze and thaw really well!
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (187g) diced Fuji apple (see Notes!)
- 3 tbsp (45mL) water
- 2 ¼ cups (270g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 2 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground allspice
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ tbsp (7g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
- 2 large egg whites, room temperature
- 1 tbsp (15mL) vanilla extract
- 2 ½ tsp liquid stevia (see Notes!)
- ½ cup (120g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 3 tbsp (45mL) distilled white vinegar
- ¾ cup nonfat milk, divided
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and coat 12 muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray. (If using liners, then line 12 muffins cups with liners and coat them with cooking spray.)
- Add the diced apples and water to a microwave-safe bowl. Tightly cover the top with a lid or plastic wrap. Microwave on high for 2 minutes 30 seconds (2:30). Immediately (and carefully!) remove the lid or plastic wrap, and gently fluff the apples with a fork. Set aside to cool (while measuring and mixing together the rest of the ingredients).
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter or coconut oil, egg whites, vanilla extract, and liquid stevia. Add in the Greek yogurt, stirring until no large lumps remain. Stir in the vinegar. Stir in ¼ cup of milk. Alternate between adding the flour mixture and remaining milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, and stirring just until incorporated. (For best results, add the flour mixture in 3 equal parts.) Gently fold in the diced apples, as well as any water still remaining in the bowl.
- Divide the batter between the prepared muffin cups. Bake at 350°F for 23-27 minutes or until the top feels firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (or with a few crumbs attached). Cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
IMPORTANT MEASURING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: It's really important to measure the flour correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own!) Too much will make your muffins turn out dry.
IMPORTANT MIXING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: Do not use an electric mixer to mix up the batter. This will result in dense or tough muffins. Use a whisk where instructed, and use a fork for everything else.
IMPORTANT APPLE NOTES – RED BEFORE BEGINNING: It’s really important to dice the apples to be the correct size! They should be approximately ⅛” cubes (or up to 3/16” — but no larger!). Apple pieces that are bigger will not soften properly, and they’ll still be crisp and crunchy after baking. (Yes, even with the microwaving step!)
For microwaving, I use this brand of plastic wrap to cover the top of the bowl. I've found it clings much more tightly than other brands, which is incredibly useful!
If you prefer to skip the microwaving step, then reduce the water to 1 tablespoon and add it with the ¼ cup of milk before the alternating additions. Just remember that your apples will be on the crisp and firm side!
I leave the skin on and don't peel my apples. However, you're welcome to peel them, if you prefer!
See my blog post above for why I didn’t grate the apples.
I haven’t tried using other varieties of apples. However, some apples with similar sweetness levels and textures are Honeycrisp, Gala, Pink Lady, and SugarBee (← I recently discovered these and love them just as much as Fuji apples!).
FLOUR ALTERNATIVES: Whole wheat pastry flour, regular whole wheat flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted in place of the white whole wheat flour.
SPICE NOTES: I prefer Saigon cinnamon (I love this one!) because it has a stronger and sweeter flavor. Allspice is a single spice (not a blend!) that tastes like a combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. If you can’t find allspice, substitute additional cinnamon in its place.
EGG WHITES NOTE: These muffins require 2 full egg whites. The whites contain the majority of the protein in eggs, and that protein is required to ensure the muffins maintain their shape and texture while cooling. If you prefer to use whole eggs, use 2 whole eggs AND reduce the milk by 1 tablespoon to compensate for the added liquid volume from the yolks.
STEVIA NOTES + ALTERNATIVES: For sweeter muffins, increase the liquid stevia by an additional ¼ or ½ teaspoon.
Many stevia brands and products have different sweetness levels, so they're not necessarily 1-for-1 substitutes for each other. For the best results, use the same liquid stevia that I do. I buy it online here (← that’s the best price I’ve found!), and you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine too!
If you really prefer to omit the liquid stevia from the muffins, substitute 1 ¼ cups (240g) granulated sugar, brown sugar, or coconut sugar AND reduce the milk to 2 tablespoons (30mL) to achieve the same sweetness level. You may also substitute ¾ cup (180mL) pure maple syrup, honey, or agave AND omit the milk instead (although the muffins won’t be quite as sweet).
VINEGAR NOTE + ALTERNATIVES: The vinegar reacts with the baking soda to help the muffins rise and give them a softer, fluffier texture. I promise you can’t taste any vinegar in the fully baked muffins! I haven’t tried substituting anything in place of the distilled white vinegar, but if you aren’t able to find it, lemon juice and apple cider vinegar would be the two ingredients I’d probably recommend trying.
MILK ALTERNATIVES: Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.
GLUTEN-FREE VERSION: For the gluten-free flour, use the following: 1 ¼ cups (150g) millet flour, ½ cup (60g) tapioca flour, ½ cup (60g) brown rice flour, and 1 ½ teaspoons xanthan gum. Many store-bought gluten-free flour baking blends (I like this one from Bob's Red Mill) will work as well, if measured like this.
HOW TO STORE: Store the fully cooled muffins in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They should keep for at least 5 days, if not longer.
FREEZING TIPS: Peel off the paper liners before freezing. (It’s harder to peel them off after thawing or reheating the muffins!) I like to thaw individual muffins in the microwave on 50% power until they’re warmed all the way through. They almost taste freshly baked like that!
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low sugar}
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I'd love to hear what you think of it in a comment below! If you take a picture, tag @amys.healthy.baking on Instagram or use the hashtag #amyshealthybaking.