Paleo Apple Cinnamon Muffins
These delicious Paleo Apple Cinnamon Muffins are the perfect way to start the day. They are a quick grab and go breakfast recipe for busy weekday mornings but tasty enough as part of a weekend brunch.
Good morning, my friends! I have a little secret to share and I'm pretty excited about it. Spoiler alert: your mornings are about to get a whole lot better. ☕
I have a batch of fresh out of the oven Apple Cinnamon Muffins that are crazy delicious. They also just so happen to be paleo and healthy for you even though you would never know it.
Let me tell you all about them …
Remember last year when I shared my sister's amazing recipe for Coconut Almond Paleo Breakfast Muffins? Man, I love those.
And then a few weeks later, those Triple Chocolate Paleo Banana Muffins showed up and rocked my world. I was on a bit of a paleo muffin kick and made variations of them for months straight.
I thought it was time a shared one of my fav breakfast muffins recipes. Let me present to you, Paleo Apple Cinnamon Muffins.
Rather than using bananas (like in the other two recipes) I've used applesauce, and the result is muffins that stay moist and fresh for days.
This is weekday breakfast meal-prep at its best. Seriously, make a batch or two Sunday night and you've got breakfast covered all week long. If you're in the midst of back-to-school prep, this recipe's got you covered.
Normally, when I see words like paleo or gluten-free or vegan attached to baked goods I cringe a little. Are you the same? Most of my experience with healthy baked anything is that it is dry and makes me feel like I'm eating cardboard. I KNOW you know what I'm talking about. No one wants that!
I promise you these paleo apple cinnamon muffins are nothing like your average healthy morning muffins. The applesauce and chunks of apple keep them very moist. Chopped walnuts provide just the right amount of crunch. And a handful of chocolate chips gives them a fun bit of sweetness.
Plus, they're WAY more filling than a regular muffin. They're packed full of protein from the almond flour, eggs, and walnuts so they'll keep you going all morning long.
My new morning coffee love (aka Lattissima Pro)
This beautiful machine (did you see how pretty it is?) lets you make six pre-programmed drinks: ristretto, espresso, lungo, cappuccino, latte, and hot milk. In other words, you can have it all.
The Lattissima Pro combines the Nespresso capsule system with De'Longhi's Automatic Cappuccino System. This is how you get barista-style beverages in your own kitchen without any thought required.
The capsules are a fresh way to change up your morning routine. There are tons of different flavors and coffee styles to choose from. I usually opt for a bold flavored coffee, but it's been fun to try them all. Geek alert: I've been loving pairing my coffee to my breakfast. These Paleo Apple Cinnamon Muffins go great with gently vanilla flavored Vanilio. Mmm mmm.
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Easy Paleo Muffin Recipes:
- Chocolate Almond Flour Protein Muffins
- Coconut Almond Paleo Breakfast Muffins
- Triple Chocolate Paleo Banana Muffins
- Chunky Monkey Paleo Banana Cookies (delicious enough to include in a list of muffin recipes!)
Paleo Apple Cinnamon Muffins
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Prep Time: 15 mins -
Cook Time: 30 mins
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Total Time: 45 minutes
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Yield: 12 muffins 1x
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Category: Breakfast
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Cuisine: American
Prep Time:
Yield:
Category:
Cuisine:Description
These delicious Paleo Apple Cinnamon Muffins are the perfect way to start the day. They are a quick grab and go breakfast recipe for busy weekday mornings but tasty enough as part of a weekend brunch.
| gluten-free + paleo + refined sugar-free |
Ingredients
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup unsweetened apple sauce
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon each: ground ginger, cloves, and allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 1/2 cups almond flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 apple, cored and diced small
- 1/2 cup each: chopped walnuts and dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with liners.
- In a large bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the apple sauce, honey, coconut oil, and vanilla and whisk again. Add the spices, sea salt, almond flour, and baking soda and whisk thoroughly. Stir in the diced apple, walnuts, and chocolate chips.
- Spoon the batter into the muffin liners, filling them to the top. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Let the muffins cool for 5 minutes before carefully removing them from the pan and letting them cool completely on a cooling rack.
Notes
Don't worry about filling the muffin liners too full; Paleo muffins don't expand as much when cooked as regular muffins.
The muffins can be stored in a sealed container or plastic bag for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
These were great! I will try cutting the honey in half next time, just to cut back on sugar calories for breakfast ! Did not use nor miss the chocolate chips. Love the idea of adding coconut and /dried cranberries. This is a real winner!
Can’t wait to try this! Can I use a loaf pan instead of muffin pan?
I followed the recipe to the letter and they never finished cooking all the way. 🙁 It was like batter in the middle. I used mini muffin pans and the rest I put into a loaf pan and cooked it for an hour. Still not done. I’m not sure what went wrong?? I guess I can put a slice in the toaster oven to try and make it edible.
Cooking anything in a loaf pan takes MUCH longer to cook through. For reference, regular muffins take about 20 minutes vs 1 hour in a loaf pan. It sounds like they need to go back into the oven. 🙂
Kristen, thank you so much for this wonderful recipe.
And thank you more for the ‘scale 1x 2x 3x’ what a great idea.
I’ve made the muffins more than three times.
Delicious!
Today, I went over-the-top..hehe..and made the 3x!!!
I filled up a dozen muffin liners (what a pain these liners, even with pam, they
keep sticking all over, I ordered some non-stick liners from Amazon. We’ll see)
and 2 loaf pans!!!
The kitchen, already smells marvelous.
Thank you again.
★★★★★
Try parchment paper liners… they’re the best!
Any chance these could be made without the honey? I’m eating Whole30 right now and can’t have honey. Just wondering if the texture would be off. I think the applesauce would keep it sweet enough. Just curious! Thanks!
This recipe is very flexible so I think it will work just fine without the honey. 🙂
Made these today and they were delicious! I omitted the chocolate chips as I wasn’t really feeling for them. They were moist, flavorful, and yummy 🙂
I recently made a very similar recipe using white whole wheat flour and they came out dense and dry, not light and airy like these! Thanks!
★★★★★
I’m so happy to hear that the recipe as a hit!
These are tasty! I used sliced almonds instead of walnuts just because I had a bunch on hand. Otherwise, I followed the recipe as written. I had to cook them for 35 minutes because they were definitely not done after 30. I just couldn’t wait to try them. So, they were a little warm when I took them out of the wrapper and fell apart. A bit messy, but delicious! I’ve been looking for more recipes that use almond flour/meal and this one is definitely a keeper. Thanks for sharing.
★★★★★
So happy to hear you love this recipe! If you wait until the muffins are cool they do come off the wrapper much easier. I can never wait though lol.
Hi kristen,
Besides apple sauce, what can I use to replaced it ?
It might be worth it to try a similar recipe like this one: https://www.theendlessmeal.com/coconut-almond-paleo-breakfast-muffins/ 🙂
I have tried twice now to make these & they come out very moist in the middle/bottom. Almost like they are not cooked? Any clue what it is I could be doing?
They may simply need an extra minute or two in the oven. Also, do you wait until they are completely cool before removing the wrapper? If you try to eat them while they are still warm, they will stick to the muffin liners at the bottom. Hope that helps!
Can I substitute Swerve for the honey and if so how much?
I’m sorry but I’ve never cooked with Swerve before so I don’t know anything about it.
Loved making these with a few changes to accommodate a nut allergy. Love the detail and pictures.
★★★★★
Thank you so much!!
Hi, Kristen!! Thank you for posting this recipe. I wanted to let you know that I referenced and wrote the link in my own blog post today. Would love to know your thoughts regarding the nut-free alterations I made to your recipe! https://www.jennallenpilates.com/blog is the link to mine. I am really new to the blog world, so feel free to let me know if I’ve broken any of the rules. 🙂
★★★★★
Your muffins look great! So awesome that you figured out a nut-free version!!
These were amazing!! The best paleo muffins I have ever tried! The texture was fluffy and the flavor was delicious. Thank you!
★★★★★
That makes me so happy to hear! Hooray!
These make the best breakfast ever. Even my kids don’t complain about eating when I make them these!
★★★★★
I think so too! My little girl goes crazy for them. 🙂
What would be a good substitute for the walnuts? My husband is allergic. Also, would the batter change if I left out the chocolate chips (my daughter doesn’t tolerate chocolate well at all…). I’m excited to try this!
You could add a different type of nut if you’d like. Pecans would be great and chopped almonds would work too. You can also leave out the chocolate chips. Both raisins and shredded coconut are great extra additions. 🙂
Would dried cranberries work in place of chocolate cups?
Absolutely they would! This recipe is very flexible. 🙂
They taste super delicious! Fluffy, melting in the mouth, and with a nice crunch! My non-paleo family got hooked!
They’re awesome, aren’t they? I’m not paleo either, although I do lean in that direction diet wise. My whole family devours these, too. 🙂
Do you think the almond flour could be substituted for oat flour? These look great!
This recipe calls for almond flour. Were you looking at a different recipe?
I made these with oat flour and it came out well!
That’s wonderful to hear!
Hi! Could these be made into mini muffins?
Absolutely! You’ll need to adjust the baking time. Try checking on them around the 15 minute mark … they do take longer than regular muffins to cook.
I love muffins but I haven’t tried this recipe, Kristen! Thanks for the advice of using apple sauce!
You’re so welcome! It really makes the difference. 🙂
These muffins make perfect breakfast or lunch treat! Love!
★★★★★
I’m so happy you like them, too!!
I’m so glad this recipe totally gluten free! Thanks for sharing! I love apple muffins!
Apple muffins are the best, aren’t they?!!
Hi Kristen- my batter is very dry what should I add in?
The batter definitely shouldn’t be dry. Did you add all the apple sauce and eggs? They make up the bulk of the wet ingredients. If you poured the almond flour with a heavier hand, that could be why they’re dry, too. More apple sauce will do the trick. 🙂