Brown Sugar Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Soft apple cinnamon muffins made with brown sugar, tender apple pieces, warm cinnamon, and a simple bakery-style crumb. A comforting bake from my baking days, perfect for lunchboxes, morning tea, or freezing ahead.

Some flavours just belong in a home kitchen. Apple and cinnamon is one of them — the kind of thing that fills the house before the muffins are even out of the oven. These came from my café baking days, but honestly they never really needed a café to find their audience. A batch on the bench and they are gone. Every time. Soft pieces of apple through the crumb, brown sugar sweetness, and that warmth that makes them feel like exactly the right thing to bake. Simple, reliable, and completely at home with a cup of tea, tucked into a lunchbox, or wrapped for later. A recipe worth bringing back.

Prep: 15 min · Cook: 20 min · Yield: Muffins · Category: Baking

Ingredients

Brown Sugar Apple Cinnamon Muffins

• 300g plain flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 150g brown sugar, firmly packed
• 2 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and chopped
• A squeeze of lemon juice, for the apples
• 125g seedless raisins
• 125g butter, melted and cooled
• 2 eggs, lightly whisked
• 185ml milk

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease or line a 12-hole muffin tin.
2. Peel, core and chop the apples. Toss them with a small squeeze of lemon juice to help stop them browning.
3. Sift plain flour, baking powder and cinnamon into a large mixing bowl.
4. Stir in brown sugar, chopped apples and raisins until evenly combined.
5. In a separate jug, whisk together melted butter, eggs and milk.
6. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture.
7. Stir gently with a large spoon until just combined. Do not overmix.
8. Spoon mixture evenly into the prepared muffin tin.
9. Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
10. Stand in the tin for 2–5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Notes

Granny Smith apples work beautifully because they hold their shape and balance the sweetness.

The squeeze of lemon juice helps keep the chopped apples from browning while you prepare the batter.

Raisins can be left out if preferred.

Do not overmix the batter. Stir only until the flour has disappeared to keep the muffins soft.

Store in an airtight container for up to 1 day, or freeze once cooled.

The Grace Table Tip

Warm one slightly before serving and spread with a little salted butter. The apple softens, the cinnamon lifts, and it tastes like it has just come from the oven.