Healthy Apple Muffins with Vanilla Glaze

Moist and healthy apple muffins that are made with whole wheat flour. These cinnamon loaded muffins have chunks of apples inside and a sweet vanilla glaze on top!

Can you tell i’m a little apple obsessed at the moment? Is it shamefully obvious?

I made that super healthy and colorful autumn harvest salad with chunks of sweet apples last week and I was so glad to hear some of you gobbled it up while handing out Halloween candy to trick-or-treaters. And I made those caramel apple cinnamon rolls, boy were those a hit with our friend and neighbors! And before both of these came along, I made that apple cider caramel sauce. Mmm. A spoon and a jar of that sauce and i’d be all set!

It’s apple season and i’ve gone bananas over them (hehe). What about you?

It’s really started to look like fall around here. We had a few really chilly evenings, followed by gloomy, dark and rainy days. We’re still holding steady in the 70s but I feel a glimpse of winter, slowly creeping in. I’m just a few degrees from fuzzy slippers and cute boot weather. Cannot. Wait.♥

This past week I crossed a few things off my to-do list. I spent some time sprucing up the place with some serious fall decor. You know i’m serious when i’ve replaced my air fresheners, candles, and essential oils with super festive autumn scents like apple crisps, pumpkin patches, and fall leaves. I also whipped up a batch of these cinnamon loaded apple muffins. Even though these muffins didn’t really need a glaze I added some on to make them extra special. Because what’s a muffin without a little glaze?

These apple muffins are very similar to my super popular, super-moist and healthy carrot cake muffins, which till this day is one of the most popular recipes on Little Spice Jar. For these cinnamon-spice apple loaded muffins i’ve reduced the amount of oil, and increased the amount of greek yogurt. The combination of apple sauce and greek yogurt help these muffins maintain there moistness even though we’ve reduced the fat. A little tweaking here are there and we’ve got a brand new, cinnamon-loaded, apple-stuffed muffin.

If you’ve made my carrot cake muffins, you know how amazing the oats on top and below these muffins are. They make the muffins taste like apple crisps. There is no need for any streusel-topping  on these apple muffins when you’ve sprinkled them with a pinch of two of oats. They add the perfect amount of crunch without adding on the buttery calories of a streusel topping.

The vanilla glaze for this recipe is optional. The apple cinnamon muffins are sweet enough on their own to where the glaze isn’t required. It’s just a little somethin’ somethin’ extra that takes these muffins to the next level. Feel free to skip it if it’s for young children that don’t need anymore sugar in their lives (or adults who wish to spend their calories in a different manner).

These apple muffins pair wonderfully with a steamy cup o’ joe and made an excellent 3pm pick-me-up. Did I mention they make the tastiest midnight snack?

Don’t believe me? I dare you to give them a try!

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Yield: 16 muffins

Healthy Apple Muffins with Vanilla Glaze

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Moist and healthy apple muffins that are made with whole wheat flour. These cinnamon loaded muffins have chunks of apples inside and a sweet vanilla glaze on top! Make them without the vanilla glaze for a healthier muffin recipe.

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Ingredients

For the muffins:

• 1/4 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup white whole wheat flour (whole meal flour)
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup oil (I used coconut oil)
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce (or no sugar added)
• 1/2 cup greek yogurt
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups chopped apples (I used 1 macintosh and 1 granny smith)
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

For the vanilla glaze:

• 1 cup confectioners (powdered) sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons half and half or whole milk

Instructions

To make muffins:

1. Position the oven racks near the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cupcake baking pan with liners, sprinkle half the oats on the liners and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together both of the flours, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the brown sugar and oil and bet on the medium-low setting. Add the apple sauce and yogurt and continue to beat until fully combined, about 1 minute. Mixture will be gritty and thin. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla. With a spatula, manually fold in dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined, do not overmix. Fold in the chopped apples and walnuts. Divide the muffin batter equally into the muffin cups. Sprinkle the remaining oats on top. Bake for 20 - 23 minute so or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with just a few crumbs.

To make the vanilla glaze:

1. In a small bowl, mix together the powdered sugar, vanilla and half and half. When the muffins have cooled, drizzle glaze on using a spoon.

Have you made this recipe?

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