Apple pie muffins

Apple pie muffins. A playful respect for the classics has resulted in one of the most luscious mashups I’ve made, so far. I love fruity desserts and I always find a crumble, pie or cobbler hard to resist;  really anything with custard makes the best pud.  

Simple to make, no mixer required, and gorgeous to eat, these custard flavoured vanilla muffins, rolled in cinnamon sugar and topped with stewed apples are everything you’ll want as the seasons transition into Autumn.  This is a bake I’m confident that you’ll enjoy and come back for more. 

Looking for other autumnal bakes? Why not try my Cinnamon, oat and banana pancakes with spiced plums – an amazing breakfast or brunch idea.

Apple pie muffins 

Ingredients

For the muffins:

250g self-rising flour 

30g custard powder

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp baking powder

100g melted butter

¼ tsp salt

2 large eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

50g caster sugar

225ml milk

For the topping – granulated sugar, ground cinnamon, 80g melted butter and approx. 1 tbsp of stewed apples on each muffin. 

Stewed apples:

4 eating apples – finely chopped

1 tbsp light brown sugar

1 tbsp apple sauce (optional)

½ tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp mixed spice

15g butter 

Zest and juice of 1 orange 

Makes 12 muffins  

Method for the apple pie muffins

Pre-heat the oven to 200°C/180°C/Gas Mark 6.

To make the stewed apples, combine all the ingredients into a saucepan and cook over a gentle heat for about 10 minutes until soft. Add splashes of water to the apples as needed to loosen the mix as needed. Leave to cool in the fridge until needed. This can also be made a few days ahead if you like.

Either line a muffin pan with cake cases or using additional butter listed in the recipe, brush melted butter and dust with flour to ensure that your muffins come out easily. 

Weigh out all of the muffin ingredients (apart from the additional sugar, butter and cinnamon for the coating once they are cooked). 

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl. 

Using a medium ice cream scoop, portion out the muffin batter and bake in the middle of the oven for 15 minutes. The muffins will be lightly browned, springy to the touch and coming away from the edges when they are done. 

Leave to cool for 5 minutes in the tin before taking the muffins out. 

Dip each of the muffins into the melted butter and roll them in the granulated sugar and cinnamon and leave them to cool completely on a wire rack. 

Once cooled, top each muffin with approx. tablespoon of the stewed apples.

Tips

Do not over mix your muffin batter, once the ingredients are combined, you’re done. Don’t worry about lumps either, a lumpy batter often makes the lightest muffins; what a baking paradox. 

Make sure to dip your muffins into the butter and sugar when they are still warm, the sugar will stick better that way. 

An ice cream scoop ensures that the muffins are an even size but of course you can scoop out the batter with spoons.

Looking for some more inspiration? Why not try BBC’s apple recipes.