Caramel Apple Crisp Muffins

I was trying to go back and forth on whether these would be considered muffins or a cake. I used a jumbo muffin tin so they were really big. But you could definitely put it in a 8×8 pan and make it a cake. Doesn’t matter, either way they are packed with fresh apples, soft crumb, oatmeal crisp on top, lots of warm cinnamon, and finished with a big drizzle of caramel. Happy apple season!

Ingredients

Crisp topping

• 3/4 cup dark or light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup flour
• 3/4 cup old fashioned oats
• 1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp salt
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Apple muffins

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup dark or light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1/2 cup yogurt or sour cream
• 2 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup milk (any kind)
• 1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 cup peeled and chopped apples, about 2 medium apples
• finish with caramel

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Starting with the crisp, in a medium bowl combine together the brown sugar, oats, flour, cinnamon and salt. Mix it all together and then pour in the melted butter and mix just until it’s crumbly. Set aside.

For the muffins, in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, add the butter and sugar together. Mix on low just until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Then add in the eggs, yogurt, vanilla, and milk and continue until it’s all smooth and incorporated. Making sure to scrape the sides down.

Then for the dry ingredients, add in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt and mix on low for a couple minutes just until the batter is smooth. Then stir in the apples.

Spray a 6-count jumbo muffin tin with non-stick spray or line with parchment.

Scoop the batter evenly into the muffin tin. Then spoon some of the crisp evenly over the top.

Bake for about 25-30 minutes, until they are golden and crisp and when a tooth pick is inserted it comes out clean. Let cool for about 5 minutes before removing and continuing to cool on a wire rack. Finish with a nice drizzle of caramel on each one. Enjoy for breakfast with a cup of coffee, or with a scoop of ice cream for dessert!