‘Tis the season for all things apple and these apple cream cheese muffins are one of my favorites. The cream cheese creates the perfect light and creamy consistency and the flavor is delicious when paired with the crisp flavor of fresh apples. Top these muffins with a drizzle of caramel and a few walnuts or pecans for crunch and added protein, and there you have it…the perfect breakfast treat for crisp, cool mornings.
Have some fun with the toppings
Apple cream cheese muffins are super tasty plain but who doesn’t love a topping? Here are a few muffin topping ideas that compliment that delicious crisp apple flavor.
- Nuts are one of my favorite toppings on apple cream cheese muffins. I like to use walnut or pecan pieces or a combination of both. I add them to the top of each muffin before baking.
- Sprinkle a generous amount of Turbinado Sugar on the top of each muffin before baking them.
- Drizzle a simple vanilla and cinnamon glaze on top of the muffins after they’ve baked and cooled. Or even better…top them with walnut or pecan pieces before baking them and then drizzle the glaze on top after they’ve baked and cooled. To prepare a simple vanilla and cinnamon glaze add 1/2 cup powdered sugar to a mixing bowl. Sprinkle in some cinnamon to taste (I like a lot). Start by adding 1 tablespoon of milk and mix with a whisk. Add more milk as needed to reach the desired consistency. Add 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract and mix with a whisk. Drizzle the glaze over the muffins by dipping a spoon into the glaze and gently waving the spoon over the muffins.
- Create a streusel crumb topping by combining 1¼ cups flour, ½ packed brown sugar, ¼ cup granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon in a mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly. Pour ½ cup melted (but cooled) salted butter into the mixture and use a fork to give the mixture a quick stir leaving some clumps but no dry flour. Sprinkle the streusel mixture evenly over the muffins before baking. Add about another minute to the bake time.
- Add caramel baking chips to the muffins before baking. Trader Joe’s caramel sea salt baking chips are delicious in these muffins. You could also melt them and use them as a glaze to drizzle on top after baking.
Try berries for a Summer treat
This cream cheese muffin recipe is delicious with just about any type of fruit so I like to use what’s in season. In the Summer, try substituting apples with any type of berry to create Summer berry cream cheese muffins.
Apple Cream Cheese Muffins
Apple cream cheese muffins use cream cheese to create a light, creamy texture that pairs perfectly with crisp apples.
Ingredients
- 2 medium Granny Smith or Honeycrisp apples peeled and diced
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 6 ounces cream cheese softened
- ½ cup butter softened
- 1 ½ cup sugar Reduce sugar to 1 ¼ cup for slightly less sweet muffins.
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 eggs
- 2 cups all purpose flour To make these muffins gluten-free, I use Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 baking flour.
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup buttermilk or milk If you're using gluten-free flour add an additional 1/4 cup buttermilk or milk.
- 1 cup chopped walnuts and/or pecans optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Spread the peeled and diced apples out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and sprinkle the cinnamon on top. Toss to evenly coat the apples with cinnamon. Bake for 10 minutes.
- Place 24 cupcake liners in a muffin pan.
- Combine cream cheese and butter in a large bowl and beat with a mixer at high speed until thoroughly combined. Add sugar and beat until the batter is fluffy. Add the vanilla and eggs and continue to beat until combined.
- In a separate mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and stir to combine.
- With the mixer on low speed, add half of the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Next, add the buttermilk and then add the rest of the flour mixture.
- Gently fold in the baked, diced apples.
- Spoon the muffin batter evenly into the lined muffin cups and place about 1/2 tablespoon chopped nuts on top of each muffin. The nut topping is optional.
- Bake for 25 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
- To add an optional vanilla cinnamon glaze drizzle, combine 1/2 cup powdered sugar in a bowl. Add cinnamon to taste. Add 1 tablespoon at a time of milk and mix with a whisk until desired consistency is reached. Add 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract and mix with a whisk. Drizzle on top of each cooled muffin using a spoon and waving it back and forth on top of the muffin.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
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