Here in Toronto, the leaves on the trees may not have turned orange and red yet but there is certainly a bite to the air. It is that time of year when the denim shorts and flip-flops are put away and the leather jackets and knit scarves are hung in the closet. When cool, iced coffees are replaced by hot, spiced lattes. When the days begin to shorten. When summer, in all its glory, comes to an end and autumn, in all its splendor, begins.
I love this time of year and I find that the best way to celebrate it is with some kind of apple treat. But even if you don’t have real apples on hand, you can still enjoy this recipe for applesauce muffins. (And, if you do have real apples on hand, go ahead and use them to make your applesauce!)
When I found the original recipe for these muffins at Voila! I knew that I wanted to make them whole wheat; But I also didn’t want them to be crumbly and dense. So I played with the ingredients a bit and added a 1/2 cup of plain yogurt to the recipe. The yogurt did give the muffins lots of moisture to offset the whole-wheat flour but it also reduced the apple flavor that I love so much! So, I made the muffins again and, this time, instead of yogurt, I added an extra 1/2 cup of applesauce. How did I not think to do that the first time? The moisture, the apple flavor and the spices were classic and perfect! 
Whole-Wheat Applesauce Muffins
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 12 muffins 1x
Description
These whole-wheat applesauce muffins are moist, flavorful, and packed with the warm spices of autumn, perfect for a cozy fall breakfast or snack.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 1 1/2 cups applesauce
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line or grease a 12-cup muffin tin.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and brown sugar until well combined.
- Gradually add the melted butter, whisking continuously until the mixture is creamy.
- Stir in the applesauce until fully incorporated.
- In a separate bowl, combine the whole-wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and salt.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring gently until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 15-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
- Allow the muffins to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
For a more pronounced apple flavor, use homemade applesauce if possible. These muffins can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. They freeze well, so consider making a double batch and freezing some for later. If you prefer a less sweet muffin, reduce the brown sugar to 3/4 cup.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 muffin
- Calories: 180
- Sugar: 15
- Sodium: 150
- Fat: 7
- Carbohydrates: 30
- Fiber: 2
- Protein: 3
- Cholesterol: 40
Everyone likes these; (even people who aren’t normally fond of whole wheat)
My family loved them!
We decide to chop up one Granny Smith apple peeled for some texture.
My only request is for nutritional information. My husband is type 1 diabetic and it makes it easier to have approximate carbs.
Thanks for the delicious breakfast.
Love these, though I substitute to the brown sugar for maple syrup and only use 1/2 cup. Still sweet enough to be yummy!
We LOVE these muffins and make them all the time. I cut the brown sugar in half and do 1/3 cup olive oil instead of butter and add vanilla to the wet ingredients. My 4 and 2 year olds eat these right up! Thank you!
absolutely amazing muffins! very very yummy I added a few things; flax seed meal(adjust wheat flour), chia seeds and my own homemade applesauce…actually going to make a batch today and add dried cranberries and nuts. Oh and for us 1/2 cup of b sugar was plenty. :) The apple sauce adds a lot of natural sweetener. Can’t wait!
I started meal prepping on Sundays & wanted to have muffins weekly as a mid morning snack. I wasn’t crazy about the banana muffins I made last week and happened to stumble on this recipe when another didn’t work out. My goodness such delicious muffins with such an easy prep! My family loved them I wi be making another batch tomorrow!
I made these muffins tonight with my 5 year old son, using some of our homemade applesauce. Easy recipe to follow and they turned out so good. Ours were mini muffins and they were done in only 12 minutes. We will be making more of these soon.
Wow, these are so good! I’ve made them a few times now. I added an oatmeal crumb topping to one batch and I just made another batch and switched them up a bit to be banana chocolate chip muffins. Same recipe just swapped bananas for the applesauce and added 1 cup of chocolate chips. They turned out great! This recipe is a keeper, it will be the base I use for muffins from now on.