Cinnamon Streusel Apple Muffins With Caramel Icing, Yum!

Contributed by Barbra Moore , The Hive Overland Park

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During the Fall of 2020, like the rest of the world, my family was seeking fun outdoor activities that we could enjoy together while still staying safe — and pick your own apples was a winner! Over the years my family trekked to various pick-your-own orchards: strawberry, blueberry, blackberry and peach as well as pumpkin patches and cut-your-own Christmas tree farms, but for some reason we had never ventured out to pick our own apples. But the fall of 2020, our calendar was wide open and we were in search of some outdoor fun, so we set off to the local pick-your-own apple orchard. We enjoyed the beautiful fall weather, changing leaves on the trees,  and our apple picking process soooo much that we came home with over 40 pounds of apples!

We had so many apples that after giving half of them away to friends and family, we still had far too many apples to eat. We made every apple recipe known to man and this one was a huge winner! What's not to love with ingredients like buttermilk, cinnamon streusel and caramel icing?! Yummmmmmm. Friends and family said the muffins tasted like they came from a gourmet bakery. That made my heart and soul smile. 

I did tweak the recipe a bit over the years. When I ran out of walnuts (which was in the original recipe and I didn’t want to go to the grocery store), I used pecans instead and actually liked it better!  Pecans have a natural buttery taste that marries well with the butteriness of the caramel glaze.  But, if you prefer the more traditional apple-walnut combo in your muffins, then use walnuts instead. Both ways are delicious!  And while I haven’t made the streusel topping without nuts, if you have a nut allergy or just don’t like them, it would be just as delicious made without them.  Or you could try substituting regular oats for the nuts in the streusel topping.   Make it yours!  I also found that some apples add more moisture to the batter making it runnier, so I started to add a bit more flour to my batter. If your batter is already thick, then skip the added tablespoons of flour.

Cinnamon Streusel Apple Buttermilk Muffins with Caramel Icing

Prep Time 30 mins Cook Time 20-25 mins Total Time 55 mins

Preheat to 400 degrees SERVINGS 16 CALORIES 326 kcal

INGREDIENTS

For the cinnamon streusel topping:

• 1 tablespoon cold butter, cut into pieces

• 1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

• 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans (or walnuts if you prefer)

For the muffins:

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil

• 1 ⅓ cup packed brown sugar 

• 1 egg

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 1 cup buttermilk 

• 2 ½  cups all-purpose flour (+3 tablespoons set aside)

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 3/4 cups coarsely chopped and peeled apple (½-inch chunks; you need about 2 medium apples)*

For the caramel icing:

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar 

• 2 tablespoons milk

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 cup powdered sugaEnjoy!

INSTRUCTIONS 

1.       In a small bowl, combine all the streusel topping ingredients with your fingers until you have a crumbly mixture. Set aside.

2.       Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line 16 muffin tin cups with paper liners.

3.       In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda); set aside.  In another bowl, combine the oil, brown sugar and egg. Once combined, stir in the buttermilk and vanilla extract.

4.       Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until combined, but don’t over mix. Gently stir in the apple. If the batter seems thin then add up to three tablespoons more flour, one tablespoon at a time. The batter should be fairly thick. Spoon the batter into the muffin cups, dividing equally**.

5.       Divide and sprinkle the streusel topping equally among the filled muffin cups. 

6.       Bake muffins at 400 degrees F for 5 minutes, then lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and bake on center rack for 15-20 minutes. Test the muffins by inserting a toothpick (or two or three) in the center of the muffin. If the toothpick comes out clean, the muffins are done. If it comes out with a bit of batter on it, they need more time.  Let the muffins cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then remove and let cool for 15-20 minutes more on a wire rack (over a cookie sheet or foil) before drizzling with caramel icing.

7.       While muffins are baking, prepare caramel icing mixture. Combine brown sugar, butter and milk in a medium size microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 30 seconds, stir well and return to microwave for 15 seconds.

8.       Add vanilla.  While stirring, add powdered sugar slowly and mix until smooth and creamy. Mixture should drizzle easily, but should not be runny. Add a bit more milk or powdered sugar to adjust thickness.  Drizzle over cooled muffins.

NOTE

* You can use any type of apple that you like, but I prefer a more tart apple like Granny Smith, Pink Lady or Jonathon to balance the sweetness of the cinnamon streusel topping and the caramel glaze. 

**If you don’t have a 16-cup muffin tin, then line 8 cups in two 12-cup muffin tins for more even baking. If you cannot fit two tins in your oven at once and have to bake separately, then halve your caramel icing recipe and prepare for each batch of muffins. If you prepare the full recipe of caramel icing and use half, the remaining icing will harden and require reheating, which changes the texture of the caramel icing. 

Adapted from The Best of BetterBaking by Marcy Goldman