Sourdough Apple Muffins

4.75 from 4 votes

A delicious recipe for Sourdough Apple Muffins with a streusel topping: a perfect Fall breakfast, brunch, or afternoon treat!

Prep Time15

Cook Time25

Total Time40

Course: Breakfast, Brunch, Snack

Cuisine: American

Servings: muffins

Calories: 284kcal

Author: Jessica Vogl

Equipment

Ingredients

For the Muffins

¼ cup unsalted butter softened
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup light brown sugar packed
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon kosher salt
200 grams (about ¾ cup) sourdough discard unfed, at room temperature
2 eggs room temperature
3 Tablespoons vegetable oil or other neutral oil
2 Tablespoons yogurt non-dairy or regular dairy, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 ½ cups diced apple about 1 large apple

For the Streusel Topping (optional)

⅓ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup old-fashioned oats
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted
3 Tablespoons light brown sugar packed
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Turbinado sugar for topping

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Make the Streusel Topping

In a small bowl, combine ⅓ cup flour, ¼ cup oats, 3 Tablespoons melted butter, 3 Tablespoons brown sugar, and ½ teaspoon cinnamon. Mix until combined and crumbly, and set aside.

Make the Muffins

Preheat the oven to 375°F (190℃) and line a 12-cup muffin pan with muffin liners. Set aside.
In a large bowl, use a hand-held mixer on medium speed to cream together the softened butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, nutmeg, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In a third bowl, mix together the sourdough discard, eggs, vegetable oil, yogurt, and vanilla extract until smooth and combined.
Add the mixed dry ingredients and wet ingredients to the creamed butter mixture. Stir until almost no dry spots remain, then fold in the diced apples. Stir until just incorporated (no need to over-mix!).
Use a spoon or cookie scoop to fill the lined muffin cups about ⅔ full with batter. Sprinkle generously with streusel topping and turbinado sugar (optional).
Bake for 30-32 minutes until lightly golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then serve or transfer to a cooling rack to cool fully.

Video

Notes

To make this recipe with active sourdough starter, replace the sourdough discard with active starter (200g). You do not need to make any other changes to the recipe.

A previous version of this recipe did not include the streusel topping. This topping is optional, and you can definitely make these muffins without it! If omitting the streusel, I recommend sprinkling the top of the muffins with turbinado sugar before baking.

Nutrition