These apple muffins are EVERYTHING in my life right now – moist and dense in a good way, perfectly but not overly sweet, and just honestly divine smeared with a little butter and honey.
Oh, one other helpful little thing: they’re wholesome. Real-food healthy ingredients. Feel-good for the body.
Here’s a universal scenario that happens to us food lovers almost every day in the fall.
- I want to bake a cozy treat!
- Wait though, I don’t have a ton of time.
- Wait though, I also don’t want to eat 100 grams of sugar.
- Hmm.
Enter: THESE apple muffins of the 100% comforting and treat-like but also healthy variety. They are made with:
- Oats
- Apples
- Dates
- Maple syrup
- Olive oil
- Eggs
And there you have it. Talk about FEEL-GOOD! I have been eating these on repeat for little “coffee breaks” throughout the day and happily sharing them with my daughter as one of those unicorn “treat” foods that feels both special and also wholesome.
Oh, and the low-on-time part? All you do is blend and pour into a muffin tin. Very unfussy.
Top with flaked unsweetened coconut if you’re really keeping it clean. Top with butterscotch chips if you walk on the wide side.
And even though they don’t *need* it, just the tiniest bit of butter with the quickest drizzle of honey will just take the whole thing to an entirely new fall baking level.
And if you’re now in muffin hog mode, we have a ton of muffins that follow this same cozy-treat-but-also-healthy policy!
Enjoy. Like seriously, take a pause, breathe in that warm cinnamony muffin in front of you, and just enjoy this cozy moment.
Feel-Good Apple Muffins
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 10–12 muffins 1x
Description
These Apple Muffins are EVERYTHING. Wholesome and nutritious, moist and dense, perfectly but not overly sweet, and honestly divine with a little butter and honey.
Ingredients
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 8 medjool dates, pitted (about 3/4 cup)
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup real maple syrup
- 1–2 apples, grated (about 1–2 cups total)
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- pinch of sea salt and/or cinnamon (optional)
- coconut / seeds / nuts / butterscotch chips (optional, for topping)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Mix all ingredients in a blender until a chunky batter comes together.
- Pour batter into a greased or lined muffin tin. Sprinkle with butterscotch chips. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until the tops gently spring back when you press into them.
- Sprinkle warm muffins with sea salt if you’re into that kinda thing. Serve warm or cold ALL DAY LONG. ♡
Notes
For a sweeter muffin, add a little more maple syrup.
Bake times and textures will vary by batch, because every apple is different! I use Honeycrisp apples which are very sweet and juicy, and I don’t drain out the liquid or anything before adding them into the batter. Just know that each batch will be a little unique, and watch your bake time, adding minutes as necessary to get them baked to perfection!
The longer you blend them, the more “smooth” and puffy they will be. Less blending = a more textured, dense muffin. I like them both ways!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: healthy apple muffins, apple muffin recipe, sugar free apple muffins
One More Thing!
This recipe is part of our collection of best healthy fall recipes. Check it out!