We had Mama’s Apple Spice muffins ALL OF THE TIME Growing up. Just about every week! That right there is proof that young adults are lacking in good judgment because anyone in their right mind would have never moved out if there was cooking going on for them like there was in my house! I have never known anyone who did not absolutely love these muffins.
The cool thing about them, and what my mother liked so much with a large family to feed, is that you can use any type of apple and it makes no difference – they will still be just as good. You can also use those apples that are starting to get a little soft and running out of their shelf life. They work great in here and no one will ever know.
These make a delicious breakfast or treat any time of day. I try to make two batches so we have them to snack on for a few days afterward. When my kids were in public school in the old days, these were always my traditional “first day of school treat” that I took to welcome their teacher’s back from their summer vacation.
You will need: Pecans, apples, self rising flour*, quick oats, vegetable oil**, eggs, sugar, and cinnamon.
You’re also going to need either some nutmeg or allspice. Mama uses nutmeg but I can’t stand the stuff so I use allspice. Go with whatever makes your heart sing. Isn’t it great that we can modify recipes to suit us?
*Instructions for making your own self rising flour from all purpose are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. **You can also use a light olive oil in place of vegetable oil. We’ve become olive oil fanatics so I do this in my muffins now.
In large bowl add flour, sugar, cinnamon, allspice or nutmeg, and oats.
Stirry, stirry!
Now add in your nuts.
Note: Normally, I do this dry part up the night before. If you are going to make these first thing in the morning it really helps in terms of time and effort. I have actually made this up several batches at a time and stored it for a few weeks in ziploc bags in the pantry for quick apple spice muffins!
Stir until blended.
In a separate bowl, beat your eggs and then add to them oil, water, and apples. Stir that up until it’s mixed pretty well and apples are coated.
Now take that bowl with the apples in it and dump it into the bowl with your dry ingredients.
Stir it up really well until it looks like this. Now y’all know I’d never ever advocate for you eating raw batter or anything so I’m going to tell you that you don’t have to because I always take a taste right at this point, on your behalf, and I can report that it’s absolutely delicious. I’m just trying to keep you safe. 😉
Spray your muffin pan with vegetable spray and fill your muffin cups. These don’t rise that much so you can fill them up as shown. Bake at 400 for about twenty minutes for regular sized muffins. Smaller ones will be done in about fifteen.
I like to make these as mini muffins as well. They just have a great texture and are wonderful as one or two bite muffins.
Oh my. Mama’s Apple Spice Muffins are truly one of the best muffins I have EVER had in my life. Nothing holds a candle to them. Filled with flavorful bites of apple, the perfect blend of spices, and that little slight crunch of the crust and pecans. This is one of those recipes that I implore, beseech, and pretty much beg you to make as soon as possible!
Trust me. I’m looking out for your happiness here!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup self rising flour*
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup chopped nuts
- 1/4 cup quick cooking oats
- 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg or allspice your preference
- 2 eggs
- 2 cup peeled cored, and chopped apples
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons water
Instructions
- Prepare muffin pan by spraying with cooking spray.
- In large bowl, mix flour, sugar, nuts, oats and spices.
- In separate bowl, mix beaten eggs, apples, oil and water.
- Pour egg mixture all at once into flour mixture: stir just until flour is moistened.
- Spoon batter into muffin cups.
- Bake 20 minutes at 400 degrees or until tested done. Makes one dozen.
Notes
*To make your own self rising flour, simply add 1 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt for EACH cup of all purpose flour.
Tried this recipe?Mention @southernplate or tag #southernplate!
This post was originally published in September of 2008. Eleven years later (2019) and I’ve finally given it the photographs it deserves. I appreciate you being here, and for being such a big part of my life! This recipe featured on Meal Plan Monday and Weekend Potluck!
Click here to see all of my quote pictures. Feel free to download and use them! Follow me on Instagram to see them first.
Yum 
Um YUM!! I love apple muffins and I cant wait to try these!!! I am also not a fan of Nutmeg..so I will take your advice and double up on the cinnamon!!
Oh Leslie I guess I am the opposite of you and Christy. I love Nutmeg I cant wait to try these muffins out. I bet they make a lot of muffins since you used the mini’s. But that would be ok i could add half to a ziplock bag and freeze them for a quick snack or breakfast without having to bake more. I love all those darn apples in the recipe.
Any favorite variety of apples that you prefer to use for these ? Have you ever baked these replacing the sugar with splenda? I have lots of ripe bananas in ziplocs in my freezer, waiting for banana nut bread to be made(when the spirit moves me!)I usually make several loaves of banana nut bread, could I make some mini muffins or even regular size muffins using my same recipe? Wonder how long I will need to bake them if I make them into mini or regular size cupcakes?
Stevia is even a better option.
Leslie: It is good to know I’m not the only weird nutmeg one!!! I DO love me some cinnamon!
Tina: It makes a dozen large or twenty four small. You and my Mama both love the nutmeg so yours will taste just like Mama’s!
Hope you are faring well with Gustav!
mmmmm…. I love the nutmeg. Fresh? mmmmm! but doubling up on cinnamon sounds good too.
I just got back from Washington state where I visited a gigantic produce stand/market and brought back some fresh picked apples with me!
so….bring on the recipes Christy.
Yumm! I just made these, and they came out FABULOUS. Bringing them to the school where I work to reward my kiddos!!
THANKS!
http://alaskanmel.blogspot.com/2008/09/bakie-bakie-goodness.html
Photos of mine – Warm & fluffy!
Sounds wonderful and I am making them this morning.
BUT PLEASE!! As an experienced cook, I recognized this would not work without salt and baking powder, unless you were using self-rising flour. Your recipe just says flour. Sure enough, I scrolled up to your photo and checked to see the bag of self-rising. A novice would end up with very flat muffins.
Hiya! I just checked the recipe and it very clearly says ‘self rising’ flour as the first ingredient…with an asterisk* right beside…hope your muffins come out well!
what would you recomnd changing if using regular flour? Thanks for that post or I would have made em that way 😉
WOW! Thank you so much for catching that!!
I am modifying the recipe in the post now.
For anyone who would like to use plain flour in place of all purpose, here is the formula:
*To make your own self rising flour, simply add 1 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt for EACH cup of all purpose flour.
Thank you so much!!!
Christy
Over the last 4-5 months, these have become a staple in my house, I made them again just yesterday and it PAINED my little boy that we brought them to a get-together and let OTHER people enjoy them! 🙂
I made these muffins for breakfast this morning, using your cookbook. Thought you’d get a kick out of all the silly mistakes I made! I accidentally read 1 1/2 tbsp. of water as 1 1/2 cups of water! When I noticed how watery the batter was, I read again and realized my mistake. Rather than throw out the entire batch of batter, I just added more flour to make a decent looking batter. However, after getting the muffins into the oven (with the extra water and flour, it made two pans instead of one), I realized that in all the fuss about the extra water, I had forgotten the cinnamon and nutmeg! So basically I ended up with completely different muffins than the recipe is for – but they’re still delicious anyway! 🙂
as an english woman living in Spain, we do not use “cups” we use grams or ounces. Can you interpret the measurements for me, as I would love to make these muffins!
As an American living in England, making all the things I cannot buy here, I usually tell my English friends to use a liquid measuring jug and remember that 8oz is a cup. You can use it to measure flour, sugar, etc. For teaspoons use a 5 ml measuring spoon (the ones you get with the liquid medicine works well). You can also find substitutions on recipe substiution websites.
I made this incredible recipe for our church group. When they weren’t passed around right away, I thought the minister would climb over the table for one. Everyone loved them and I am the official muffin maker of the group!!!
LOL, I am so glad to hear they were a hit Liz!! I am just visualizing the minister jumping tables to get to the muffins.
These look fabulous; love me some apples in the fall. Has anyone tried making these without sugar but substitute Monkfruit or Swerve? I’ve got both right now as my husband was recently diagnosed with diabetes. I’m trying to keep my cooking transparent to him. We both love sweets & I’ve found diabetic friendly recipes but so far they haven’t turned out too well.
Christy keep these great recipes coming; I look forward to your Gazette & sayings to live by!
Your Georgia neighbor, Kate
Thank you so much! I haven’t tried these with Swerve but I think it would work great, that is a sweetener I’m experimenting a lot with lately and I love it. Also, have you seen the low carb section on the site? More coming! https://www.southernplate.com/category/lowcarb/
Love muffins! Can’t wait to try these! 🙂
Love all the apple recipes . . . wonderfulfor breakfast. They’re picking apples here in Hendersonville, NC — apples everywhere and I’m lovin’ ’em !!
I am trying this first thing tomorrow morning.
I have so many pecans and no idea what to do with all of them, it gets boring just to have the plain nut.
I hope you like them Lize-Mari!!
I have made these before and they are DELICIOUS!! It was my first attempt at homemade muffins and it was just perfect.
Just made my 3rd batch this week. Needless to say we love these. Had every intention of doing your apple dapple cake tonight but my husband, who gets up at 3:30 am, says he loves the convenience of just grabbing a muffin in the mornings. After going to Isom’s and Scott’s apple orchards two Saturdays in a row, still plenty of apples to make the cake.
These look so yummy! I printed the recipe and I will be making them tomorrow morning.
I hope you like them LaDonna!
These look delicious! Can someone tell me the difference between “self rising flour” and “all purpose flour”??? Can I use all purpose flour to make these muffins, or should I just make a run to the grocery store?
Hi Helen! All-Purpose flour will not rise. You need to use the self-rising for this recipe. If you don’t have any you can make it. I tell you how in the FAQ section of the website: https://www.southernplate.com/faq
Made these this morning with pears. They were delicious! I left out the nutmeg cause I couldn’t find any in the pantry.
Made them today with apples. They are yummy! Better than yummy!
Yummy, hope you had one for me!!
Hey, Christy! Just made these muffins tonight, using a little extra oatmeal since I was out of pecans. They were wonderful! I loved the warm, tender apple bites. I’ll be using this recipe often–thanks a bunch! Mary
I am so glad you liked them Mary!!!
Hi Christy:
Can you useed applesauce instead of apples?
Can anyone tell me how to make these for a diabetic and what the carb. content would be. I know to use splenda but what about the rest. My 9 year old granddaughter is type 1 and she would love these.
Thank you so much….. these are so good.
Milli, I calculated with a nutritional calculator I found online, and the min muffins are 14 carbs each (which is 1 serving), 8 grams of fat each, I would try giving her 1 for a snack and checking her blood sugar about 2 hrs later–good luck!
Hi Milli…….My 5 yr old granddaughter is also type 1 diabetic….diagnosised when she was 22 months old. What I do for recipes ….like these muffins is to figure out the carbs for each ingredient …..use Google…..type in carbs in 1 cup of self rising flour ….for example. Then add all the carbs together and divide by the number of muffins you made. I also make sure to write the total carb count on all the recipes I make for her.
I just made these and they are wonderful! I did use All purpose flour and added the baking powder/salt. Also used mini muffin pan, walnuts and gala apples. Did not use the nutmeg, but a tad bit more cinnamon. Also used canola oil. I’m diabetic, so I calculated the nutritional info and I can work them into my eating plan, only having 2 for breakfast. Baked up great in 15 min.
Thank you so much for the help Nancy, you are an angel and my granddaughter will love you forever. 🙂
what would i use instead of eggs
I made these for breakfast today and they were so very good! I had to make some changes because of what I had on hand. I didn’t peel the apple, just chopped them in my mini chopper, used pumpkin pie spice, and used butter instead of oil. We’re looking to fall and these really hit the spot! Oh, and i used brown sugar. Really, make these they are great!
Hi Christy! I have a small bag of granny smith apples that I would love to use for this recipe. You think the tartness of them would be alright? 🙂
I think they would be excellent!
Hi Christy. Love you recipes, but not the texture of oatmeal. Is there anything I can use in its place? I appreciate you helping with this problem I have. Hope you are feeling better day by day.
What kind of apples other than Granny Smith would be ok to use? Granny Smith are a little too tart for me? I’ve never really baked with apples before, but my mom always used Granny Smith, needless to say I didn’t eat much of her apple desserts. thanks!
I would imagine any firm apples will do. I wouldn’t hesitate to make these with any Apple variety really. Happy cooking!
Can you use frozen apples for these muffins, I’ve got a lot in the freezer.
Thanks
Grace
I’m with you on using double cinnamon instead of the nutmeg! I always do this in recipes calling for nutmeg. I love cinnamon!!!!! I’ll be pinning this recipe and trying it soon!!