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Applesauce Muffins
![Applesauce Muffins](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2021/09/29/dining/ya-applesauce-muffins/merlin_194895402_e24d196e-7f69-44aa-9456-2912af984430-articleLarge.jpg?width=1280&quality=75&auto=webp)
- Total Time
- 40 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
- ¾cup plus 1 tablespoon/165 grams granulated sugar
- 2teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2large eggs
- 1cup/250 grams unsweetened applesauce
- ½cup/105 grams canola or other neutral oil
- ½teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- ½teaspoon kosher salt (Diamond Crystal)
- 1cup/128 grams all-purpose flour
- 1cup/130 grams whole-wheat flour
- 2teaspoons baking powder
- ½teaspoon baking soda
- 1cup/90 grams toasted walnut halves, finely chopped
- 1small honeycrisp or other baking apple, peeled and cut into roughly ¼-inch pieces, about ¾ cup/80 grams (optional)
Preparation
- Step 1
Set a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup standard muffin tin with paper liners. In a small bowl, combine 1 tablespoon sugar and ½ teaspoon cinnamon, and set aside.
- Step 2
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and remaining ¾ cup/150 grams sugar until light and foamy.
- Step 3
Add the applesauce, oil, remaining 1½ teaspoons cinnamon, nutmeg and salt, and whisk to combine.
- Step 4
Add the all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, baking powder and baking soda to the bowl. Fold until a few streaks of flour remain, then add two-thirds of the walnuts and all of the chopped apple, if using. Fold until well combined and no streaks of flour remain.
- Step 5
Divide the mixture among the 12 liners; they will be almost full to the top. Sprinkle with the remaining one-third of the walnuts and reserved cinnamon sugar.
- Step 6
Bake until muffin tops are puffed and golden, and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, 15 to 22 minutes. Let cool slightly before removing from the pan. These are best the day they are made, but will last a day or two on the counter in an airtight container. Alternatively, let the muffins cool completely, then transfer to an airtight container and freeze.
Private Notes
Cooking Notes
Is it possible to use maple syrup or honey instead of sugar?
This recipe can be baked as a snack cake. I use 1 1/4 c. plain applesauce and just 1/4 c. of oil. I leave out the nutmeg and use just 1 tsp. cinnamon. No cinnamon sugar on top -- it's delicious as is!
I'm not usually one for lots of substitutions, but after I made this recipe for the first time and loved it, I made it a 2nd time with mashed, very ripe banana in place of applesauce, pecans instead of walnuts. It was excellent--moist and flavorful. I also added some cardamom and vanilla extract. For me the real key to the recipe is to whisk the eggs and sugar very heavily, then fold in the dry with as few strokes as possible.
accidentally left out the sugar—it was still good! (a better breakfast but worse dessert.) would do it again with 1/2 sugar or so!
Substitute for oil? Calorie intake dictates "low or no fat" recipes. In quick bread recipes, I substitute applesauce or other fruit-based mixtures 1 for 1 as an oil substitute. While the quick bread is a little dryer than oil-based recipes, the fat and calories are dramatically lower. So the quick bread doesn't dry out and become a small brick, I slice and freeze the leftover in freezer wrap or a plastic container and toast each slice when I am ready to eat it.
I’ve made this twice, works great. Depending on how sweet your applesauce is, you can use a lot less sugar— I used 1/2 cup the first time, 1/3 cup 2nd time, still was nicely sweet. I toasted the walnuts for a few minutes in the oven while it was preheating.
I have made these a number of times and don’t find the apples to be optional, I consider them essential to the taste and texture. I do, however, grate the apple on the largest holes on a box grater, it’s faster that way. I also think that brown sugar adds more depth of flavor than white sugar. Sometimes I add raisins or dried cranberries, sometimes even pineapple. So versatile and they freeze beautifully.
The flavors came through much better later in the day. The muffins were still soft and moist. I mixed the cinnamon sugar and last 1/3 C of walnuts together with a T of melted butter, for topping the muffins in step 5.
I know you are supposed to read a recipe all the way through however it would have been helpful as a note or suggestion to cut up walnuts and toast them at the beginning of the recipe or a large NOTE at the end to remind people that toasted walnuts should be cool before putting them in the batter. Also helpful to note to cut up apples at the beginning. Just sayin....
I veganized these by using 2 flax “eggs” (3 tbsp water 1 tbsp flaxseed meal, mix and let set for 15 min). Also used 1/4 cup more applesauce and 1/4 cup less oil. So good and so moist! The tops didn’t crisp up as much as normal muffins but these were fantastic - even my non vegan friends loved them. Will make again!
Easy and tasty. We used 1/3 c sugar, 1/4 c oil, and subbed almond meal for the whole wheat flour.
Substitute 1 C. dry oatmeal for 1 C. whole wheat flour. Reduce oil to 1/4 C and increase apple sauce to 1 1/4C. I also used 1 tsp. baking powder and 1 tsp. baking soda, but added a splash of lemon juice to the liquid mixture (before adding flour).Came out great. I added about a cup of dried cranberries (or any other dried fruit). Next time I will reduce sugar to 1/2 Cup with dried fruit.
Very good, but "applesauce muffins" seems like the wrong name. Applesauce is one ingredient, but I feel like I just consumed an apple walnut muffin, which was delicious: crunchy-crispy-cinnamony topping and moist and fruity bottom.
Can this be made in a loaf pan? Sure, right?!
I made these muffins. They are delicious. Next time I shall add less sugar than amount called for in recipe.
Made these by substituting puréed peaches because I had a million of them! Added pinch of cardamom, cut sugar to 1/2 cup, topped with slivered almonds. 19 min in oven. Next time I may add a touch of almond extract to the egg and sugar mixture. Yum!
Light yet somehow strangely dry. And a bit too sweet.
Delicious and easy. Made it just as stated in recipe
I made these for the first time. They were delicious! I used coconut oil to grease the muffin tin and as the oil in the mixture.
This recipe is great and easily adaptable! I used 50 grams less sugar and subbed some flour for protein powder. Soooo light and delicious. Next time I would add more apples.
This was great for breakfast and easy to make. I don’t usually like to add nuts to muffins but the texture worked well with Anjou pear, which I used instead of apples. Used half cup of sugar and no sugar topping. Needed full 22 minutes. My half cup of canola oil only measured about 80 or so grams, not 105g.
I used butter instead of oil, and pear instead of apple. AMAZING. Great base!!!!
Grind rolled oats in blender to make an alternative to whole wheat flour.
I didn’t have whole wheat flour so I substituted with oats. I brought down the oil to 1/4 cups, increased the apple sauce to 1 1/4 cups and put in one banana and decreased the sugar to 1/4 cup. I also excluded nuts (my family is picky). The muffins are good - a little too moist (they won’t keep for long)
Appreciated the comments about less sugar, toasting walnuts, and cutting apple first. Used 1/2 the sugar called for. The recipe doubled well.
Nice muffin. I didn’t halve nuts, but it turned out greats I think you could do many variations with this recipe
Followed recipe as directed and they came out tender and moist.
Add vanilla
Very nice muffin. I didn’t have walnuts or apples, so i used some almonds instead. I added some cloves and cardamom to make it more of an apple-spice taste. Will make again.
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