Applesauce Muffins : A Favourite Family Recipe (2024)
Applesauce muffins – these muffins are my kids most requested after school snack. They’re delicious – thatcinnamon sugar topping is just the right touch. Bonus: they’re so easy that my kids can help make them.
I love baking with my kids! I have so many special memories of time spent in the kitchen with my family growing up and I love creating those same memories with my own children. Whether we’re making dinner or baking a batch of our favorite muffins – working together in the kitchen helps foster connections, build memories and teach valuable life skills.
Cooking with kids can be fun and rewarding. Of course, it can also be messy and usually takes a little longer than doing it yourself – but in the end, the benefits of connecting, teaching and enjoying time together are totally worth the spilled flour or the slightly burnt batch of cookies.
Today I’m sharing one of my favourite, kid-friendly recipes. I loved it when my mom would make these applesauce muffins for us as kids and now they’ve become one of my kids favourites. They’re yummy and it’s so easy to keep all the ingredients for these muffins stocked in my pantry. They’re super simple, with plenty of steps that my kids can help with, which makes them the perfect thing for us to bake together.You candownload a printer friendly version of the recipe here.
1. Give them a job.Even the littlest helpers can put muffin liners in a muffin tin, mix ingredients or push the button to start the timer, etc.Get the kids involved by giving them specific tasksthat are at their ability level to avoid unnecessary frustration.
Speaking of muffin liners, I tried out these parchment baking cups for the first time with this recipe and I really loved them. Have you tried them before? They peeled away so easily, without leaving half the muffin behind. They’re available on Amazon, but I purchased mine at a local Fry’s grocery store.
2. Plan ahead. A little bit of planning can help things run much smoother when you’re baking with kids. I really like to have ingredients measured ahead of time. This makes it easy for little hands to pour and takes less time once your helper is in the kitchen with you – which does wonders for short attention spans.
3. Expect a mess. Don’t be surprised if there is a spill or clothes get dirty – because it will happen. 😉 If you’re concerned about messes, have your child wear an apron or older clothes and keep a wash cloth handy. Relax. Have fun. Allow your child to explore and just embrace the mess. 🙂
4. Teach while you bake. I love the simple lessons that can be reinforced while creating in the kitchen. My kids like counting out cups of flour, singing silly songs as we mix, practising the letter sounds that correspond with each ingredient. If you have an emergent reader, put them in charge of reading the recipe to everyone.
5. Make it fun. Keeping things relaxed and fun will help you create lasting memories in the kitchen with your kids. I find I’m able to relax when we can take our time and don’t have anywhere to be. It also helps when I choose simple and inexpensive recipes to explore with the kids. That way, if things don’t turn out quite how we would have expected, it’s not a big deal.
ETA: I’ve had a few people asking what mixer I use. It’s a Bosch Universal Mixer. I’ve had it for several years and absolutely love it! Growing up, my Mom had a Bosch and if you can believe it, it’s still going strong, 20+ years later!
I hope you enjoy these simple and delicious applesauce muffins. We sure had fun making them and eating them too! They make a great afterschool snack and also freeze well. I typically freeze them without the topping + add it later, once the muffins are defrosted.
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Rebecca
Rebecca Cooper is a 42-year-old wife and mother of four from Alberta, Canada. As a photographer, crafter, author, and blogger, she finds joy and fulfillment in celebrating everyday moments. She loves to read and eat chocolate, and is a firm believer in afternoon naps. Rebecca shares her family’s adventures, photo tips, simple craft projects + more right here at Simple as That.
Chilling your muffin batter overnight in the fridge is the BEST thing you can do for amazing muffins. It makes them more moist, tender, and TALLER! It's very similar to chilling cookie dough, which if you know me you know I'm obsessed with chilling cookie dough.
If you're looking to make some of your favorite baked goods a wee bit healthier or vegan, applesauce is your magical friend! Applesauce can be used as a substitute for oil, butter, or eggs, and still give you delicious baked treats.
Unsweetened applesauce plays the same role as butter or oil in your bake. Applesauce acts much like the fat. It keeps the flour protein from mixing completely with the wet ingredients and forming a rubbery, dense texture. This is what does applesauce do in baking.
The best bakery-style crumb muffins start with cake flour
Cake flour is more finely ground and has less protein, which leaves the muffins with a fine, light crumb and soft texture. Using cake flour is an easy way to avoid heavy, dense muffins even if you end up stirring just a bit too much. What is this?
When you overmix the batter, it crushes the air bubbles and ruins the fluffy texture. → Follow this tip: To ensure a batch of light, fluffy muffins, mix the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients until just barely combined, and no more dry flour is visible.
If there isn't enough egg, your batter or dough may not be able to hold its structure or could end up overly dry or dense. On the other hand, if there is too much egg, your baked goods could lose their shape due to excess liquid, or have a rubbery (or even overly cakey) texture depending on the recipe.
The first, most hands-off way to make your muffins pop (literally) is to let the batter rest. Make the batter, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and let the batter rest at room temperature for about 1 hour. If you're short on time, just 30 minutes can make a difference.
Applesauce. Use applesauce to add moisture. Replace one egg with 1/4 cup of applesauce in sweet desserts. If you want a lighter texture, add an extra 1/2 teaspoonful of baking powder, as fruit purées tend to make the final product denser than the original recipe.
Applesauce is a 1:1 replacement for oil, so if your recipe calls for half a cup of oil, use half a cup of applesauce instead. If you find yourself in the middle of a recipe and out of oil, use applesauce instead! This trick works in cakes, muffins, cookies, brownies, and any kind of sweet baked good.
Can Dogs Eat Applesauce? Yes, dogs can safely eat plain applesauce! But applesauce generally includes added sugars, so always choose unsweetened applesauce and give it to them in moderation. You can freeze applesauce in ice cube trays and share them with your dog after a long walk or on a hot summer day.
When vinegar reacts with baking soda, it creates carbon dioxide bubbles, which act as leavening agents. So as the batter bakes, these tiny bubbles expand, causing the cake to rise and giving it that light, airy texture we all love.
I add cinnamon for some autumnal spice, but you could leave it out and/or add other warming spices like ginger, nutmeg, or clove. Then, add a tiny splash of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice to liven it up. Ta da! Meet the best applesauce you've ever had.
Combine with melted butter for extra fat, moisture, and a little flavor. Milk: Milk adds plenty of moisture and lightens up the crumb. I usually use whole milk or buttermilk. Coarse Sprinkling Sugar: I recommend a sprinkle of coarse sugar for crunchy, sparkly muffin tops.
If the muffins are dry, it is possible that they were baked for slightly too long. The oven temperature is slightly higher that you would normally use for cakes, as this helps to give the muffins nicely domed tops, a good crust and a moist interior. This means that the baking time is only 15-20 minutes.
Introduction: My name is Margart Wisoky, I am a gorgeous, shiny, successful, beautiful, adventurous, excited, pleasant person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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