Description
Moist, spiced applesauce muffins with cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Easy to customize with nuts, fruit, or chocolate chips!
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
- Turbinado sugar, for topping (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat: Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Prepare a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray or paper liners.
- Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt for at least 30 seconds.
- Wet Ingredients: In a medium bowl, combine applesauce, granulated sugar, brown sugar, vegetable oil, egg, and vanilla extract. Whisk until well combined.
- Combine: Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Gently fold together using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until just moistened. Do not overmix.
- Nuts (Optional): If using, gently fold in the chopped walnuts or pecans.
- Fill: Fill each muffin cup about 2/3 full.
- Top (Optional): Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with turbinado sugar, if desired.
- Bake: Place the muffin tin in the preheated oven and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
- Cool: Let the muffins cool in the muffin tin for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Store: Store the muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. For longer storage, freeze for up to 2 months.
Notes
- Spice it Up: Adjust spices to your liking.
- Add Fruit: Add 1/2 cup chopped apples, blueberries, or cranberries.
- Make it Healthier: Substitute whole wheat flour for some of the all-purpose flour.
- Nut-Free Option: Omit the walnuts or pecans.
- Chocolate Chip Applesauce Muffins: Add 1/2 cup of chocolate chips to the batter.
- Applesauce Muffin Tops: Use a muffin top pan instead of a regular muffin tin.
- Gluten-Free Applesauce Muffins: Substitute the all-purpose flour with a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend.
- Vegan Applesauce Muffins: Substitute the egg with a flax egg.
- Don’t Overmix! Overmixing develops the gluten in the flour, which will result in tough muffins.
- Use Room Temperature Ingredients: Using room temperature ingredients, especially the egg, will help the batter come together more easily and result in a lighter and fluffier muffin.
- Check for Doneness: The best way to check if the muffins are done is to insert a wooden skewer into the center of a muffin.
- Let Them Cool! Allowing the muffins to cool in the muffin tin for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack will prevent them from sticking to the tin and allow them to cool evenly.
- Enjoy! These applesauce muffins are best enjoyed warm, straight from the oven.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes