Let's make apple chocolate chip muffins. Loaded with flavor yet healthy and easy, these muffins feature fresh apples, whole wheat flour, chocolate chips, and oil to make the best moist snack muffins!!
I've always loved baking wholesome muffins, one of the first recipes I created over 10 years ago was a healthy orange muffin recipe. In an apple loving phase? Check out my whole wheat applesauce muffins!
When creating this recipe, I made it with an oat crumble, but I wasn't sold on it, it was too messy for the kiddos. Then I found if I used small chopped apples and mini chocolate chips the chocolatey-apple bites distributed throughout the whole muffins making extra yummy moist apple cinnamon muffins!
You'll love these fall muffins with chocolate chips
- No mixer is needed to bake healthy apple cinnamon muffins, just a mixing bowl!
- This recipe is dairy-free muffin recipe (it's super adaptable, use oil OR butter and milk OR water!)
- The perfect breakfast apple muffins and the best healthy fall muffins!!
- Chocolate chips because we love them in muffins, ahem, like these chocolate carrot muffins, and these delicious whole wheat chocolate chips muffins!
Jump to:
- You'll love these fall muffins with chocolate chips
- Ingredients for easy healthy apple muffins
- Homemade apple chocolate chip muffin recipe
- Top tips
- Incredible variations and add In's
- What are the best apples to use in muffins?
- Should I peel my apples when making muffins?
- Other Easy Smoothies Recipes You May Like
- Chocolate Chip Apple Muffins
- Danika Vanderpyl, C.H.N
Ingredients for easy healthy apple muffins
Things to note about the ingredients needed (not all ingredients are listed below but they are all shown in the photo above):
- Organic whole wheat flour: This recipe has been tested by me using whole wheat flour. I am sure white flour would work too but I haven't tested it, I could predict it would make the batter a little runnier and needs to be baked a few more minutes.
- Sugar: I like to use organic cane sugar however white sugar, or any cane sugar works for this recipe.
- Cinnamon: 2 teaspoons of cinnamon make these muffins taste like fall. Alternatively, use pumpkin pie spice!
- Eggs: When eggs are at room temperature it makes the batter come together super easily. *To quickly make your eggs room temperature place them in a bowl of super warm tap water for 5-10 minutes.
- Oil, or melted and cooled butter: You can use grapeseed oil, canola oil, or melted coconut oil, look for something organic and cold-pressed for the most nutrient-dense oil. These moist apple muffins with oil are dairy-free, however, if you don't need them to be dairy-free you can use melted and slightly cooled butter.
- Water or milk: Use whatever milk you like (cow milk, soy milk, oat milk, coconut milk, cashew milk). I like to use unsweetened almond milk, however, water works too if you ran out of milk!
- Fresh chopped apples: Use apples that are peeled or unpeeled. If you are making these as quick as you can, leave the peel on, if you are feeling a toddler and want a soft texture I recommend removing the peel before chopping the apples.
- Chocolate chips: I like to use dark chocolate chips, as they contain less sugar. The mini chocolate chips work so well in these muffins, especially when feeding them to my toddlers - they can't pick them out hehe.
See recipe card for quantities.
Homemade apple chocolate chip muffin recipe
Here's the step by step photos of making these muffins in my kitchen! Come bake with me.
Step 1 - mix dry ingredients: Preheat the oven to 425 Fahrenheit. In a bowl place the flour, cane sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. I like to use a whisk to mix the dry ingredients because everything mixes super well (no more salty bites due to lack of mixing!).
Step 2 - mix wet ingredients: In a medium mixing bowl place the room temperature eggs*, oil (or melted butter), milk, and vanilla. Whisk everything together until it is well combined.
*To quickly make your eggs room temperature place them in a bowl of super warm tap water for 5-10 minutes. This makes the batter super cohesive, mixing will come easy.
Step 3 - fold it together: Chop the apple into small bite-sized pieces (with or without the apple peel is fine!). Then add the chopped apples, chocolate chips (I like the mini ones for this recipe!), and flour mixture to the wet mixture. Use a spatula to stir the batter together, about 12-15 folds, just until everything is incorporated. Do not over-stir, this is key for well-risen fluffy muffins.
Step 4 - scoop & bake: Place muffin liners into a muffin pan (I like to use silicone liners), or grease the muffin cups well. Add about ⅓ cup of the thick batter to fill each muffin cup. Place the muffin tin in the preheated oven to bake for 8 minutes, then turn the oven down to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for another 7 minutes. Remove muffins from the oven when they spring back from the touch and when the center does not look gooey.
Top tips
Chop the apples small: When I first tested this recipe I used large chunks of apple which made the muffins pretty crumbly. Chopping the apples into smaller bite-sized pieces made the apple flavor spread through out the muffin and created a great texture.
Dome muffins: The key to domed beautiful chocolate chip muffins with apples, is to start the oven at a high temperature (425 Fahrenheit). This lifts the muffins and makes them golden, then turning the oven down (375 Fahrenheit) to finish cooking the muffins without drying them out is essential!
Incredible variations and add In's
Boost these fresh apple muffins to make the very best fall muffins that everyone will love!
- Flax seeds: Add 2 tablespoons of ground flax seeds in the dry ingredients to increase healthy fats and give the body extra energy.
- Apple ginger cinnamon muffins: Add 1 ½ teaspoon of ginger powder to make these delicious fall ginger muffins with apples!
- Apple muffins with crumble: Mix 2 tablespoons of each butter, oats, and brown sugar, then sprinkle this on the top of each muffin before baking!
- Apple skor muffins: Use skor chips instead of chocolate chips, or butterscotch chips. It's like a caramel-dipped apple in muffin form!
What are the best apples to use in muffins?
The best apples for muffins have a balance of sweetness and tartness but still keep their structure.
Granny Smith apples are tart, with lots of flavor and firmness. Honeycrisp apples, sweet yet slightly tart flavor, hold up well and add juiciness to muffins. Fuji apples are very sweet and firm, which maintains the texture. Gala apples, while on the sweeter side, are softer but still a good option for muffins (this is often what I have in my kitchen so I use them!).
Combining tart and sweet apples increases the flavor of muffins, I think using a mixture of apples is the best way to bake with them!
Should I peel my apples when making muffins?
Peeling apples for homemade muffins is a personal preference!
If you want a smoother, more uniform texture peeling the apples is a good idea, especially since the peel can sometimes become chewy after baking. When I am baking for toddlers or I want a more gourmet muffin I will peel the apples. However, if I'm short on time or snack prepping for the week I will leave the peel on!
Other Easy Smoothies Recipes You May Like
Did you make this chocolate chip apple muffin recipe? Would you take 5 seconds to give a star rating and review just below the recipe? That means a lot to me and helps the growth of Beside the Mountain blog.
Chocolate Chip Apple Muffins
Equipment
Ingredients
Dry ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups organic whole wheat flour
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Wet ingredients
- 2 eggs room temperature
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons oil or melted and cooled butter
- ½ cup water or milk (I use almond milk)
- 2 teaspoon vanilla
Add later
- 1 ½ cups fresh chopped apples
- ½ cup chocolate chips (use mini if you have them!)
Instructions
- Preheat + dry ingredients: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large bowl mix the dry ingredients - flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Use a whisk to mix everything well.
- Mix wet ingredients: In a medium mixing bowl place the eggs, oil (or melted butter), milk, and vanilla. Whisk together until it is well combined.
- Fold everything together: Chop the apple into small bite-sized pieces. Add the apples, chocolate chips, and flour mixture to the wet mixture. Use a spatula to stir the batter together, about 12-15 folds, just until everything is incorporated. Do not over-stir, this is key for well-risen fluffy muffins.
- Scoop & bake: Add about ⅓ cup of batter to fill each muffin cup. Place the muffin tin in the preheated oven to bake for 8 minutes, then turn the oven down to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for another 7 minutes. Remove muffins from the oven when they spring back from the touch and when the center does not look gooey.
Notes
Nutrition
Danika Vanderpyl, C.H.N
I create snack recipes with healthy ingredients that are mostly already in your kitchen. I'm certified in Holistic Nutrition and I care about giving my kids real food. Let me share my nutrient-dense easy snacks with you.
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