Healthy Applesauce Muffins

5 from 6 votes

These Applesauce Muffins are big and fluffy, packed with wholesome goodness that beats bakery-style muffins! They’re soft and moist inside, topped with a sweet, crunchy cinnamon-sugar blend.

Prep Time25

Cook Time20

Total Time45

Course: Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American, Healthy

Keyword: applesauce muffins

Servings: muffins

Author: Chelsea Lords

Cost: $5.23

Equipment

Muffin pan with 12 cavities

Ingredients

Cooking spray
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour or white whole-wheat flour
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon apple pie spice see note 1
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup applesauce sweetened or unsweetened, see note 2
1 large egg
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt or apple-flavored Greek yogurt, see note 3
1/4 cup melted coconut oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup light brown sugar lightly packed

Topping

1/2 teaspoon apple pie spice or ground cinnamon
1/4 cup light brown sugar not packed
1/4 cup melted coconut oil

US - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat 12 cavities of a muffin pan with cooking spray and lightly flour. Do not use muffin liners as these muffins will stick to them. Melt coconut oil in microwave and let cool to room temperature. Remove Greek yogurt and egg from fridge to reach room temperature.
In a large bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, baking soda, salt, apple pie spice, and cinnamon. Mix well.
In another bowl, whisk together applesauce, room-temperature egg, Greek yogurt, cooled coconut oil, vanilla extract, and brown sugar until well combined.
Mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients until just combined. Overmixing yields denser muffins.
Fill 10 to 11 muffin cavities evenly with batter—each cavity being a little over 3/4ths the way full. Fill empty cavities halfway with water to ensure even baking. Bake for 17–23 minutes or until a fork inserted in the center comes out clean.
Remove from oven and cool muffins in pan for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack.
From the “Topping” section, mix apple pie spice with brown sugar in a small bowl. In another bowl, place melted coconut oil. Dip warm muffins in coconut oil, then in sugar mixture. Spoon extra sugar on top and press in. Repeat for all muffins.

Video

Notes

Note 1: Apple pie spice combines cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, allspice, and cloves to create a blend that can be used in so many recipes! I have a homemade apple pie spice recipe, or you can buy it in the grocery store. For a more spiced/flavorful muffin, add up to 1 teaspoon to the batter.

Note 2: If you aren’t used to lower-sugar treats, use sweetened applesauce. If you want these muffins to be more nutritious and less sweet, use unsweetened. Cinnamon-flavored applesauce is also nice for a more spiced muffin.

Note 3: Whatever yogurt you use, make sure you like it plain, or it won’t add a lot in way of flavor to these muffins. I recommend a vanilla-flavored Greek yogurt instead of plain. I also recommend full-fat yogurt, so these muffins don’t end up overly watery. For a stronger apple flavor, try a full-fat apple-flavored Greek yogurt.

Storage: Once completely cooled, store the muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for 2–3 days. Cool muffins completely before wrapping and freezing: wrap muffins individually in plastic wrap and place in large freezer bags. To thaw, set out at room temperature, or heat frozen muffins in the microwave.

Nutrition