Apple Muffins with Paleo Streusel Topping
These apple muffins are the ultimate fall treat. They have a moist and tender crumb, a crunchy paleo streusel topping, and a burst of apple flavor!
Servings: 12
Ingredients
Paleo Streusel Topping
- ¼ cup whole raw pecans
- ¼ cup whole raw almonds
- ¼ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- ¼ cup coconut sugar or maple sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt (use ¼ teaspoon salt if using fine grain salt)
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom or ground nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons melted refined coconut oil or melted ghee
Apple Muffins
- 2½ cups finely ground almond flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ¼ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt (use ⅛ teaspoon salt if using fine grain salt)
- ¾ cup coconut sugar or maple sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup shredded and peeled apple (grated on the large holes on a box grater)
Instructions
Make the paleo streusel topping
- Finely chop the pecans and almonds and transfer them to a medium bowl. Add the shredded coconut, coconut sugar, ground cinnamon, kosher salt, and cardamom. Pour in the melted refined coconut oil and stir well to combine. Set aside the topping mixture.
Make the apple muffins
- Heat the oven to 350°F degrees with the rack in the middle. While the oven is heating, line a standard muffin pan with parchment paper liners or grease well with ghee or coconut oil.
- In a medium bowl, combine the almond flour, ground cinnamon, baking soda, cream of tartar, and kosher salt. Whisk it all together.
- In a separate large bowl, use an electric mixer or whisk to combine the coconut sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Mix until the sugar has dissolved.
- Add the dry ingredients to the bowl of wet ingredients and use a hand mixer or whisk to blend until well combined. Next, use a spatula to fold the shredded apple into the batter until well mixed.
- Divide the batter evenly into each muffin liner. I use a #20 disher (3 tablespoons) to scoop the batter.
- Add a sprinkling of paleo streusel on top of each muffin (about a tablespoon). Use your fingers to press the topping gently into the batter so it doesn't fall off after baking.
- Bake the muffins in the oven at 350°F for 22 to 25 minutes, rotating the muffin tray at the halfway mark. The muffins are done cooking when the toppings are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
- Remove the muffins from the oven and transfer the muffins to a wire rack to cool completely.
Video
Notes
- The streusel topping can be made ahead of time and stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 4 months.
- Use a scale to measure the dry ingredients! The most precise way to measure dry ingredients for a baking recipe is to use an accurate kitchen scale—there’s just too much variability when you rely on measuring cups to portion out ingredients for baking. That’s why I always include gram measurements in my recipe cards for baked goods—just hit the metric button to convert to grams!
- Beat the eggs and coconut sugar well! Coconut sugar doesn’t dissolve easily in liquids so make sure you beat them with the eggs for a good 2 minutes. Don’t be lazy!
- Work quickly after the wet and dry ingredients are mixed! As soon as the dry and wet ingredients are combined in this muffin recipe, work quickly because the baking soda has been activated. If you dawdle, your muffins won’t rise as well in the oven!
- Gently press the streusel topping into the raw batter! This step ensures that the topping sticks to the muffin and doesn't fall off after baking.
- Storage: You can store the muffins in a sealed airtight container in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for 4 months. When you want to eat a frozen muffin, you can thaw it overnight in the fridge or microwave it for 30 seconds straight from the freezer. If you’re using a countertop toaster oven to heat up a muffin, I would still thaw it first and then bake at 300°F for ~5 minutes or until heated through and the topping gets crunchy again.
Nutrition
Calories: 266kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 19g | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 11g