These spiced apple muffins are soft, tender, and warmly aromatic, with grated McIntosh apple, applesauce, and pumpkin pie spice creating a cozy, fall-style bake that stays moist for days. Using simple pantry ingredients and a classic muffin mixing method, this recipe is perfect for quick weekday baking or relaxed weekend brunch.
Ingredients list
For about 9 medium or 12 smaller muffins, you will need:
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 large McIntosh apple, peeled and grated
- 1 large egg
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup whole milk
Have a standard muffin tin, paper liners (optional), a large and a medium mixing bowl, a whisk, spatula, and a box grater ready before you start.
Prep work and oven setup
Begin by preheating your oven to about 375°F (190°C), which is a common baking temperature for fruit muffins and helps them rise quickly while staying moist inside. Lightly grease a 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick spray or line the cups with paper liners to prevent sticking and make cleanup easy.
Prepare the apple next so it is ready when you mix the wet ingredients: peel the McIntosh apple, then grate it on the coarse side of a box grater, working around the core and discarding seeds and tough center pieces. Lightly squeeze the grated apple in your hands only if it seems extremely juicy, but do not wring it dry because the natural moisture helps keep the muffins tender.
Mixing the dry ingredients
In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and salt until everything looks evenly blended and no streaks of spice remain. Whisking the dry ingredients like this distributes the leavening and seasoning so that every muffin bakes evenly and carries the same warm spice flavor.
Make a shallow well in the center of the dry mixture with your whisk or a spoon, which will help when you pour in the wet ingredients later. Keeping dry and wet components separate until the last moment reduces the risk of overmixing and preserves a light crumb in the finished muffins.
Mixing the wet ingredients
In a separate medium bowl, add the granulated sugar, egg, unsweetened applesauce, vegetable oil, and whole milk. Whisk these together until the egg is fully broken up and the mixture looks smooth and slightly creamy, with the sugar beginning to dissolve into the liquid base.
Now stir in the grated McIntosh apple, folding it through so that the shreds are evenly suspended in the wet mixture rather than clumping in one spot. The combination of applesauce, oil, milk, and fresh apple creates a balance of moisture and richness, allowing the muffins to stay soft without needing a large amount of fat.
Combining batter and portioning
Pour the wet mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients, aiming mostly for the center of the flour well. Using a spatula or wooden spoon, gently fold the mixture together, scraping from the bottom of the bowl and turning the batter over itself just until you no longer see obvious pockets of dry flour.
The batter should look thick, slightly lumpy, and flecked with apple strands; stop mixing as soon as it reaches this stage because overworking it will develop gluten and create tough muffins. Use a spoon or small scoop to divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling each about two-thirds to three-quarters full to allow room for rising without overflowing.
Baking and doneness check
Place the muffin pan on the center rack of the preheated oven so the heat circulates evenly around the pan. Bake for about 18–22 minutes, watching for the tops to dome and turn a light golden color around the edges as the muffins set.
To test doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of a muffin; if it comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs, the muffins are ready, but if you see wet batter, continue baking for a couple more minutes and test again. Remove the pan from the oven and let the muffins cool in the tin for 5 minutes to firm up before carefully transferring them to a wire rack.
Cooling, serving, and storage
Allow the muffins to cool on the rack until they are just warm to the touch if you plan to serve them right away; the aroma of pumpkin pie spice and baked apple will be strongest at this stage. These muffins pair nicely with coffee, tea, or a glass of cold milk, and their gentle sweetness makes them suitable for breakfast or an afternoon snack.
Once fully cooled, store the muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days, or refrigerate them to extend freshness by another couple of days. For longer storage, wrap the muffins individually and freeze them, then thaw at room temperature or rewarm briefly in a low oven to restore their soft texture.
Detailed tips for the best muffins
Choosing the right apple variety helps achieve the texture and flavor you want, and McIntosh is an excellent option because it softens easily during baking and blends into the crumb, giving a moist, almost cakey interior. If McIntosh is unavailable, another soft, aromatic apple such as Gala or a similar variety will work, though firmer apples like Granny Smith will stay more distinct and slightly tart in the finished muffin.
Grating the apple rather than dicing it ensures that the fruit is distributed throughout the batter, so every bite carries a gentle apple flavor and added moisture rather than having occasional chunks. Keeping the shreds relatively fine allows them to cook completely in the short muffin bake time, avoiding raw, crunchy pieces in the center.
The mix of applesauce and a small amount of oil is intentional, because applesauce adds moisture and a subtle fruit note while oil contributes tenderness and prevents the crumb from drying out as quickly as butter-based batters sometimes do. Using whole milk instead of a lower-fat version gives just enough richness to balance the lean applesauce without making the muffins heavy.
Pumpkin pie spice provides a blend of warm spices—typically cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves or allspice—that complements apple beautifully and creates a cozy, dessert-like aroma even though the recipe itself is fairly simple. If pumpkin pie spice is not available, using a mix of ground cinnamon with a pinch of nutmeg and allspice achieves a similar profile, and you can adjust the quantity to match your taste for stronger or milder spice.
Mixing technique plays a big role in muffin quality, and the key is to keep a light hand from the moment wet and dry components meet; vigorous stirring or beating will create tunnels and a chewy texture instead of the tender crumb associated with well-made muffins. Stopping as soon as the last streak of flour disappears, even if the batter looks a bit uneven, leads to softer results and higher, more attractive domes on top.
Baking time should always be treated as a guideline rather than a fixed rule, because individual ovens can run hotter or cooler, and pan material affects how quickly heat reaches the batter. Checking a few minutes before the lower end of the suggested baking window helps prevent overbaking, which can dry the muffins and diminish the gentle sweetness and spice notes.
Finally, cooling and storage habits can preserve the texture you worked to create: letting muffins sit too long in a hot pan traps steam and can make the bottoms soggy, while moving them to a rack after a short rest keeps the edges pleasant and lightly dry. Storing them in a container that is fully sealed only after they are completely cool avoids condensation, and using freezing for longer-term keeping allows you to bake once and enjoy fresh-tasting spiced apple muffins on several different days.