Spice up your autumn mornings with these delicious and nutritious Apple Streusel Muffins. Warm fall spices combine with Manitoba Harvest Organic Hemp Hearts for a cozy, protein-packed treat that’s perfect for breakfast, a snack, or a healthier dessert.
These muffins are similar to cinnamon crumb muffins but with extra flavor and added protein from hemp hearts. They’re a great way to use freshly picked apples and pair beautifully with brown butter and a medley of warming spices. Enjoy them warm with coffee or pack them for an on-the-go snack.
What You Need to Make These Muffins
Ingredients:
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Brown sugar (light or dark)
- Granulated sugar
- Unsalted butter
- Vanilla extract (baking vanilla)
- Ground cinnamon
- Ground nutmeg
- Ground ginger
- Ground cloves
- Manitoba Harvest Organic Hemp Hearts
- Apples
- Whole milk
- Sour cream
- Eggs
Equipment:
- 12-well muffin pan
- Muffin liners
- Mixing bowls
- Measuring spoons and cups or a kitchen scale
- Whisk
- Spatula
- Frying pan (for browning butter)
- Cooling rack
Check out more cozy fall recipes! 🍁
Step by Step Instructions
Step One — Make the cinnamon streusel topping.
In a small bowl, combine flour, brown sugar and ground cinnamon. Stir in a few tablespoons of melted butter until the mixture forms crumbs. Set aside to cool and become crumbly.
Step Two — Combine the dry ingredients.
Peel and chop apples into roughly ½-inch cubes. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, spices and hemp hearts. Toss the diced apples with the dry mixture so they are lightly coated.
Step Three — Finish the batter.
Brown the butter in a frying pan over low heat until it smells nutty and shows brown bits, then let it cool slightly. In a large bowl, whisk brown butter with brown and granulated sugars until lighter in color. Add eggs, sour cream, vanilla and milk, mixing after each addition. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet until no streaks of flour remain.
Step Four — Assemble and bake.
Preheat oven to 425°F and line a 12-well muffin pan with liners. Divide batter evenly among the wells, filling to the top. Cover each muffin with the cinnamon streusel, gently pressing so the crumbs adhere. Bake at 425°F for 5 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 350°F (do not open the oven) and bake for another 11–14 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pan 5–10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
Why This Recipe Works
- Using melted brown butter simplifies mixing—no mixer required—and adds a rich, nutty flavor perfect for fall.
- The combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves enhances the apple flavor and creates a classic autumn spice profile.
- Hemp hearts boost the muffins with plant-based protein, omegas and essential amino acids without altering texture. They’re an easy way to add nutrition to baked goods.
- Coating the apple pieces in the dry mixture helps prevent them from sinking and distributes the fruit evenly through the batter.
FAQ & Storage
Use whichever apples you prefer. Gala, Honeycrisp, Fuji or Jonathan work well for their balance of sweet-tart flavor and firm texture.
No. Hemp hearts are nutritious seed kernels that do not contain psychoactive compounds.
Substitute half the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour or add extra hemp hearts for more protein and fiber.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days, refrigerate up to 1 week, or freeze for up to 1 month.
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📖 Recipe
Apple Streusel Muffins
Kayla Burton
Equipment
- Muffin pan
- Muffin liners
- Mixing bowls
- Measuring tools (spoons, cups or scale)
- Whisk
- Spatula
- Frying pan
- Cooling rack
Ingredients
Cinnamon Streusel Topping
- 2/3 cup (83 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup (66 g) brown sugar, packed
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 4 tablespoons (56 g) unsalted butter, melted
Apple Muffin Batter
- 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, browned and cooled
- 1/2 cup (100 g) brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 cup (120 g) sour cream, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup whole milk, room temperature
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- 3 tablespoons (30 g) Manitoba Harvest Organic Hemp Hearts
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1½ cups apples, peeled and chopped into 1/2-inch squares
Instructions
Cinnamon Streusel Topping
- Whisk together flour, brown sugar and cinnamon. Stir in melted butter and set aside.
Apple Muffin Batter
- Line a 12-well muffin tin with liners and preheat oven to 425°F.
- Brown butter in a frying pan over low heat, then transfer to a bowl to cool slightly.
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, hemp hearts, spices and salt. Toss in chopped apples to coat.
- In a large bowl, whisk brown butter with brown and granulated sugars until lighter. Add eggs, sour cream, vanilla and milk, mixing after each addition.
- Fold dry ingredients into wet until no flour streaks remain. Let the batter rest 15 minutes.
- Fill each muffin liner to the top. Cover with streusel and gently press so crumbs stick.
- Bake at 425°F for 5 minutes, then reduce oven to 350°F and bake 11–14 more minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan 5–10 minutes, then transfer to a rack.
Notes
Store muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, refrigerate up to 1 week, or freeze for up to 1 month.
* Favorite apple varieties: Gala, Honeycrisp, Fuji or Jonathan, but any firm apple works.
The provided nutrition information is an estimate and not guaranteed.
Carbohydrates: 44 g
Protein: 6 g
Fat: 16 g
Saturated Fat: 9 g
Sugar: 21 g
The provided nutritional information is an estimate per serving. Accuracy is not guaranteed.