Apple Pie Cupcakes

These apple pie cupcakes are a delightful combination of warm, spiced apple filling and soft, moist cupcake batter, topped with a buttery, crumbly streusel topping. They’re a perfect way to enjoy the flavors of apple pie in individual, handheld servings!

Ingredients:

For the Apple Filling:

• 2 medium apples (such as Granny Smith or Honeycrisp), peeled, cored, and diced
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• ¼ cup brown sugar, packed
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp cornstarch (optional, to thicken)

For the Cupcakes:

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ¾ cup buttermilk or regular milk
• ½ tsp lemon juice

For the Streusel Topping:

• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup rolled oats
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, cold and cubed
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon

Instructions:

1. Make the Apple Filling:

• In a medium skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the diced apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and lemon juice. Stir to combine and cook for 5-7 minutes, until the apples are softened and slightly caramelized.
• If you’d like the filling to thicken, sprinkle in the cornstarch and cook for another 1-2 minutes until thickened. Set aside to cool.

2. Prepare the Cupcake Batter:

• Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, beat together the softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.
• Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract and lemon juice.
• Gradually add the dry ingredients, alternating with the buttermilk (starting and ending with the dry ingredients), mixing until just combined.

3. Assemble the Cupcakes:

• Spoon about a tablespoon of cupcake batter into each muffin cup.
• Add a heaping teaspoon of the apple filling on top of the batter, pressing it down slightly.
• Top with a little more cupcake batter until the apple filling is covered.

4. Make the Streusel Topping:

• In a small bowl, combine the flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and cold cubed butter. Use a pastry cutter or your fingers to work the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
• Sprinkle the streusel topping evenly over each cupcake.

5. Bake:

• Bake the cupcakes in the preheated oven for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (except for the apple filling).
• Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Tips:

• Apple Variety: Use a mix of tart and sweet apples, like Granny Smith and Honeycrisp, for a balanced flavor.
• Make Ahead: You can prepare the apple filling and streusel topping ahead of time and store them in the fridge. Just assemble the cupcakes and bake when ready.
• Frosting: If you want to add a frosting, a simple cream cheese frosting would complement the apple pie flavor beautifully.

Enjoy these apple pie cupcakes, packed with cinnamon-spiced apple goodness in every bite!