Jumbo Apple Pie Muffins with Crumb Topping

These jumbo apple pie muffins muffins have three layers: a soft muffin base loaded with diced apples, a layer of cinnamon-cooked cinnamon apples in the middle, and a crunchy streusel crumb topping on top of those apples. That's the whole apple pie in a muffin form - one muffin, three textures.

I bake these guys when I want 6 big muffins for snacking and breakfast; and they absolutely possess the BEST flavors of an apple pie in a completely not overwhelming way (I don't over do the cinnamon here). The apples get simmered down with cinnamon separately first, so by the time I add them on top of the batter they're already soft and syrupy. I add some cornstarch there to thicken the apple mixture and prevent it from spreading too much on top of my muffins.

Of course I use my favorite hot-oven-then-drop trick (425°F for the first 10 minutes, then down to 375°F without opening the door), which is what gives these their domed, bakery-style tops. The initial blast sets the outside fast so the muffin can climb before the structure firms up.

✅ Quick Chooser: Cinnamon in the Batter and Streusel, or Not?

I kept cinnamon out of the muffin batter and the streusel on purpose, and only put it in the apple filling. We don't put cinnamon in the apple pie crust, do we? So therefore I don't put it in the muffin either, just the apple mixture. Here's how both versions actually taste, so you can pick based on what you're going for.

🍂 Cinnamon Only in the Apple Mixture

Best for: a cleaner apple flavor up front, with the cinnamon spice showing up only in the apples (thus staying true to the apple pie logic) instead of running through the whole muffin.

The batter tastes like a plain butter muffin until you hit the apple layer, and then the cinnamon hits all at once. It keeps the muffin itself and streusel tasting buttery and a little sweet on their own, so the spice isn't fighting with the vanilla.

Here's how to make how to Make Cinnamon Skillet Apples like a pro.

🍁 Cinnamon Added to the Batter and Streusel Too

Best for: an all-over spiced muffin that tastes closer to a snickerdoodle-meets-apple-pie, where every bite carries a little warmth.

How to do it: add ½-¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon to the dry ingredients in step 2 of the muffin batter, and whisk another ¼-½ teaspoon into the streusel mix along with the flour and sugar. Don't add more than that or the apple filling's cinnamon gets muddy instead of layered.

Texture note: the streusel with cinnamon in it browns slightly darker and smells stronger straight out of the oven, but it doesn't change how it crumbles or sticks to the filling.

Want a spiced muffin all the way through? Add cinnamon to both. Want the apple layer to stand out as its own moment? Leave the batter and streusel plain, the way this version is written.

Apple Crumble Muffins (Apple Pie Muffins with Streusel)

Soft apple muffins layered with warm cinnamon apple pie filling and a buttery hand-rubbed streusel on top. A hot-oven start gives them a tall, bakery-style rise, and the apples get simmered separately first so every bite is soft, syrupy, and never raw. Ready in about 45 minutes, with the option to finish with a caramel drizzle.

5 from 2 votes

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Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: apple crumble muffins, apple muffins with crumble topping, apple pie muffins, apple streusel muffins

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 jumbo muffins

Author: Olya Shepard

Ingredients

Crumble/Streusel

• ¼ cup regular sugar packed (71g)
• ½ cup all-purpose flour 84g
• 3 tablespoon unsalted butter cold and diced (56g)

Apple Pie Filling

• 2 medium apples peeled and chopped (240g)
• 2 tablespoon unsalted butter 28g
• ¼ cup regular sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoon cornstarch
• 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Apple Muffins

• 2 cups all-purpose flour 250g
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature (113g)
• ½ cup regular sugar packed (107g)
• 2 eggs room temperature
• 2 teaspoon vanilla
• ½ cup milk room temperature (120ml)
• 1 apple medium peeled and chopped

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

For the crumble/streusel

• In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Add the diced butter. Use your fingers to work the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles crumbs. You can squeeze a handful and break it apart to get bigger chunks. Refrigerate until ready to use.

For the apple pie filling

• Combine apples, butter, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, in a medium-sized pan over medium-low heat. Stir frequently until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved.
• Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until apples are tender when pierced with a fork. Set aside to cool.

For the muffins

• Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a muffin tin.
• In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
• In a large bowl beat the butter, sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
• Add in eggs and vanilla. Mix until combined.
• Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture alternately with the milk. Mix until just combined.
• Toss the chopped apples in 1 tablespoon of flour and fold into the batter.
• Scoop the batter evenly into each cupcake liner. Top each muffin with a spoonful of apple pie filling, then sprinkle with crumble. Gently press on the crumble so it sticks to the filling.
• Bake for 10 minutes at 425°F, then reduce the oven temperature to 375°F without opening the oven. For regular sized muffins bake an additional 15-18 minutes. For jumbo muffins bake an additional 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Optional: Drizzle with caramel sauce, if desired.

Calories: 611kcal

Notes

The toothpick test can lie here - if it hits a pocket of apple filling instead of batter, it'll look wet even when the muffin is done. Test in two spots near the edge of the crumble, not dead center.

Tulip-style muffin liners hold the crumble better than straight-sided paper liners since the flared top gives the streusel more surface to sit on without sliding off.

Don't fill the liners past ¾ full before adding the filling and crumble — these already get a topping, so a fuller scoop means overflow once everything bakes and rises.

If the streusel is browning faster than the muffin is baking through, tent the tin loosely with foil for the last 5–8 minutes rather than pulling them early.

Let muffins sit in the tin for 5 minutes after baking, then move them to a rack. Any longer in the tin and the bottoms can turn soggy from trapped steam.

If drizzling with caramel, wait until the muffins are fully cool. Warm muffins make the caramel run straight off instead of settling into the crumble.

Nutrition Facts

Apple Crumble Muffins (Apple Pie Muffins with Streusel)

Amount per Serving

Calories

611

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

28

g

43

%

Saturated Fat

 

17

g

106

%

Trans Fat

 

1

g

Polyunsaturated Fat

 

1

g

Monounsaturated Fat

 

7

g

Cholesterol

 

123

mg

41

%

Sodium

 

229

mg

10

%

Potassium

 

319

mg

9

%

Carbohydrates

 

84

g

28

%

Fiber

 

3

g

13

%

Sugar

 

41

g

46

%

Protein

 

8

g

16

%

Vitamin A

 

911

IU

18

%

Vitamin C

 

3

mg

4

%

Calcium

 

117

mg

12

%

Iron

 

3

mg

17

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

🍏 Why the Apple Leads and the Cinnamon Follows

• Cinnamon belongs in the apple mixture, not everywhere at once. A little cinnamon goes into the cooked apples so the spice touches only that pocket - the batter and streusel stay plain, which keeps the apple flavor from getting buried under warm-spice overload. If you want cinnamon in every bite instead of one, add it to the streusel too, but hold off on doubling it in the apple mixture itself.

🍎 The Bake Sequence That Keeps Muffins From Sinking 

• Cook the apples first, always. 🍎 Raw apple chunks inside a muffin stay crunchy and release water as they bake, turning your batter soggy. Soften them in butter on the stove so the fruit flavor actually comes through instead of hiding behind starch.
• Check the center at 27 minutes, not before. 🧁 Jumbo cups hold way more batter than standard size, so a toothpick needs to hit the true middle - not just the top layer near the streusel.
• Press, don't pack, the streusel. ✋ A light press keeps it from rolling off the domed top once it rises, but pack it too hard and it bakes into a dense cap instead of a crumbly one.
• Fill two-thirds, not to the top. 🚫 Batter needs room to climb during that first hot blast - overfilled cups spill over and fuse to the streusel unevenly.
• Two-stage bake, no shortcuts. 🔥 425°F for 5-6 minutes first, then drop straight to 350°F for another 22-25 minutes without opening the door. That first blast is what gives these their dome - skip it and you get a flat top instead of a bakery-style rise.

🍎 Storage

• 🍎 These keep well on the counter, covered, for 2 days - the streusel stays crunchy that whole time. 🕐After that, move them to the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days; the top softens slightly, but the apple layer inside stays soft and jammy either way.
• 🔥 Reheat a fridge muffin for 15 seconds in the microwave to warm the apple filling back up, or 5 minutes in a 300°F oven if you want the streusel to crisp again. Microwave wins for speed, oven wins for texture - pick your priority.
• 🧊 Freezing works great here. Wrap each muffin individually once fully cooled, then bag them for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge or a few hours on the counter, then warm before serving - day-of texture, whenever you want it.

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Muffins' Resources

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• How to Make Muffins Moist Every Time
• How to Store Muffins So They Stay Bakery-Soft for Days
• How to Freeze Muffins So They Taste Fresh