A soft and moist muffin that combines the sweetness of apples with the comforting spice of cinnamon. These sourdough apple cinnamon muffins are perfect for a cozy breakfast, an afternoon snack, or even a sweet treat to accompany a cup of coffee or tea. The combination of apples and cinnamon evokes a sense of warmth, making them a favorite, especially in the fall and winter months.
Preparation Tips
Incorporating sourdough starter makes for delicious apple cinnamon muffins. This recipe uses the discard from our potato flake based sourdough starter. If you do not have a potato flake sourdough starter, check out our sourdough starter recipe to make your very own.
When making these muffins, the fermentation period allows the sourdough starter to ferment the sugar and starch in the recipe. This step improves the muffins’ digestibility, increases the bioavailability of nutrients, and adds an extra layer of flavor. This step is optional. If time is limited, you can proceed with the remaining steps and bake the muffins right away. If you choose to skip the fermentation step, these muffins are still delicious and have notes of the sourdough flavor.
Chopped apples are folded into the batter, giving each bite a fruity sweetness with a slight texture contrast. You can dice up any type of apple to make these muffins. I have made this recipe with red delicious, pink lady, envy, and granny smith — pretty much whichever lonesome apple we have left-over in the fruit basket.
Fold in chopped pecans or walnuts to add a crunch and extra depth to the texture of these apple cinnamon muffins. Pecans have a delicate sweetness that complements the fruit and spice nicely. Walnuts offer a more robust, earthy flavor to balances the sweetness of the muffins. You can toast the nuts lightly before folding them in to enhance their flavor and bring out their natural oils. This is a great way to elevate the texture and flavor of the muffins.
These gluten-free and vegan apple cinnamon muffins are a delightful blend of wholesome ingredients, perfect for anyone with dietary preferences or restrictions. Despite being free from gluten and animal products, this recipe is versatile and easily adaptable to suit different tastes and needs. For those who can tolerate (or prefer) gluten and dairy containing products, see the recipe notes for substitutions that incorporate these traditional ingredients.
Sourdough Apple Cinnamon Muffins
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted plant butter softened
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar
- 1/2 cup sourdough starter active or discard
- 1 Tbsp maple syrup or honey
- 1 cup gluten free 1-to-1 flour see notes
- 2 cups old fashioned gluten free oats
- 3/4 cup applesauce
- 1 chia egg see notes
- 1.5 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 apple diced
- 1/3 cup chopped pecans or walnuts optional
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together the softened butter and sugar.
- Add the sourdough starter, applesauce, and maple syrup. Mix until combined.
- Stir in the flour, oats, and salt.
- Cover with a tea towel and allow the batter to sit in a warm place to ferment for 8-24 hours. This step is optional. For a quick recipe that doesn’t require fermentation, you can follow the remaining steps right away.
- Once the batter has fermented, preheat the oven to 350 °F.
- In a small bowl or measuring cup, prepare a chia egg by mixing together 1 tbsp of chia seeds with 3 tbsp of warm water. Let this mixture sit for 5 minutes to thicken.
- Wash, peel, and dice one apple to be set aside.
- Uncover the fermented batter and add the vanilla extract, chia egg, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Mix until combined.
- Fold in the diced apples and chopped pecans with the fermented batter.
- Lightly coat a muffin pan with olive oil or fit with paper liners.
- Generously fill the coated or lined muffin tins with batter, about 3/4 full. Optionally, top the muffins with additional chopped pecans.
- Bake full sized muffins for 20-25 minutes at 350 °F. Bake mini muffins for 15-20 minutes at 350 °F.
- Once completely cool, transfer the muffins to an airtight container. Enjoy within 3 days when stored at room temperature, within 1 week when stored in the refrigerator, or freeze to enjoy within 3 months.