I think these might be the best muffins we've ever made. I often find bakery muffins to be dry bland, but these convinced me that it's possible to create a moist, flavorful muffin—filled with grated apple and cinnamon, no less. But it gets better. These are made entirely with whole wheat and almond flour, giving them a nutty flavor and a nutritional boost.
My favorite part of any muffin is undoubtedly the crumble topping—particularly when the muffin itself is fluffy and moist. In fact, I'm pretty picky when it comes to muffins, so the fact that I could have eaten all of these in one sitting is a testament to their texture, favor, and of course, the crunchy crumble.
Okay, let's talk about the crumble. Typical crumb toppings are made with flour, sugar, and butter, which are great—but somewhat boring. This crumble is made with oats and lots of seeds, making it crunchy and textured and totally up my alley. Use whatever you have on hand, be it poppy seeds, chia seeds, flaxseeds, millet, quinoa—you name it, you can throw it in there.
I've made these muffins a few times now using various substitutions, and they've turned out great every time. If you don't have canola oil, swap in olive oil. Agave or maple syrup can be used in place of honey. White whole-wheat flour is fine instead of 100% whole wheat, and sub any flour for the almond flour. I think we used buckwheat once, and it was tasty! And if you don't have buttermilk, create your own by adding a squeeze of lemon juice to 1/2 cup milk, and then letting it sit until slightly curdled.
Eat these warm, then wrap extras in plastic wrap and keep at room temperature for 2-3 days. And don't be intimidated by the long ingredient list—these come together quickly, no mixer required!
Whole Wheat Apple Crumble Muffins
Makes 12 muffins
Crumble:
- 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 1/4 cup whole-wheat flour
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 3 tablespoons chia seeds, poppy seeds, flaxseeds, or millet (we used a combination of them all)
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Muffins:
- 1 1/4 cups whole-wheat flour
- 2 tablespoons almond flour
- 1 tablespoon toasted wheat germ
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds, poppy seeds, or millet
- 1 tablespoon flax seeds
- 1 tablespoon rolled oats
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large apple, peeled and grated
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a muffin pan with 12 liners, or spray with nonstick spray.
Make the crumble: combine the oats, flour, butter, brown sugar, honey, seeds, and salt in a bowl. Combine with your fingertips, then place in the refrigerator.
Make the muffins: Whisk together the flours, wheat germ, seeds/millet, oats, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, sugars, and salt in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the melted butter, honey, buttermilk, oil, egg, and vanilla.
Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and whisk until combined. Fold in the apples.
Fill each muffin cup almost to the top and sprinkle with the crumble. Bake until the muffins are lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean, about 20 minutes.
Recipe adapted from Huckleberry.
All packed up and ready for friends at the office!