Description
These Apple Pumpkin Streusel Muffins combine the warm flavors of pumpkin and fresh apple with a crumbly, sweet streusel topping—perfect for a cozy autumn breakfast or snack. This small batch recipe yields four moist and flavorful muffins, baked to golden perfection with a delicious mix of spices.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Streusel Topping
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
- 1 ½ tablespoons light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (or pumpkin pie spice)
- 1 ½ tablespoons diced apples (reserved from below)
For the Muffin Batter
- 1 ½ tablespoons full-fat sour cream, room temperature
- 5 tablespoons pure canned pumpkin
- 1 tablespoon apple juice (or orange juice or water)
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup fresh apple, cut into small cubes (reserve 1 ½ tablespoons for the streusel)
- 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Instructions
- Prepare the Streusel Topping: In a small bowl, combine the flour, cold butter, light brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt, and ground cinnamon. Mix these ingredients together until the mixture forms small pea-sized crumbs. Then, stir in the reserved diced apples. Refrigerate the streusel topping until you are ready to use it.
- Make the Muffin Batter: Preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C) and line a muffin pan with 4 liners. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sour cream, canned pumpkin, apple juice, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla extract until smooth. Add the remaining diced fresh apple cubes to the mixture.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Gradually add these dry ingredients to the wet pumpkin mixture, folding gently with a spatula until just combined. Avoid overmixing to ensure tender muffins.
- Assemble the Muffins: Divide the muffin batter evenly among the 4 prepared muffin liners. Then, generously top each muffin with the chilled streusel topping you prepared earlier.
- Bake the Muffins: Place the muffin pan in the preheated oven and bake at 425°F for 5 minutes to give the muffins a good rise. After 5 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (175°C) and continue baking for an additional 11 to 13 minutes. Check doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of a muffin; it should come out mostly clean with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool and Serve: Remove the muffins from the oven and allow them to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Serve once cooled, or store in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 to 5 days to enjoy later.
Notes
- Using cold butter in the streusel topping helps create a crumbly texture.
- Reserve some diced apples from the batter to add a juicy burst inside the streusel topping.
- Do not overmix the batter to keep the muffins light and tender.
- Baking at high temperature initially helps the muffins rise well before lowering the heat to finish baking.
- These muffins can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 5 days or frozen for longer storage.
- Substitute apple juice with orange juice or water based on preference.
