Description
These delicious Apple Butter Muffins combine warm spices and sweet apple butter to create moist, flavorful treats perfect for breakfast or a snack. With a tender crumb and subtle cinnamon and nutmeg undertones, they bake quickly in just 20 minutes and are easy to make from simple pantry ingredients.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Wet Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar, packed
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup apple butter
- â…“ cup milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven: Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or lightly grease the cups to prevent sticking.
- Mix dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ground cinnamon, and ground nutmeg until well combined. Set this aside for later.
- Cream butter and sugars: In a large bowl, beat the softened unsalted butter with granulated sugar and brown sugar until the mixture is light, fluffy, and smooth, indicating well-aerated butter and dissolved sugars.
- Add eggs and vanilla: Incorporate the eggs one at a time into the creamed butter mixture, beating thoroughly after each addition to ensure an even mixture. Stir in the vanilla extract for added flavor.
- Incorporate apple butter: Mix in the apple butter thoroughly until fully blended with the wet ingredients, contributing sweetness and moisture.
- Combine wet and dry ingredients: Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients in three parts, alternating with the milk in between. Begin and end with the dry ingredients, mixing each addition just until incorporated to avoid overmixing.
- Fill muffin tin: Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared muffin cups, filling each about two-thirds full to allow room for rising.
- Bake muffins: Place the muffin tin in the preheated oven and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, indicating doneness.
- Cool muffins: Allow the muffins to cool in the tin for 5 minutes to set, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely before serving or storing.
Notes
- For extra flavor, sprinkle a little cinnamon sugar on top of each muffin before baking.
- Ensure butter is softened but not melted to achieve the best creaming results.
- Do not overmix the batter to keep muffins tender and moist.
- Apple butter can be replaced with pumpkin butter or pear butter for a seasonal twist.
- Muffins can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or frozen for longer storage.
