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Bakery style Chai Spiced Apple Muffins are made with harvest fresh apples, chai spice and brown sugar oat streusel then drizzled with a cinnamon brown butter glaze. Best served warm with a smear of salted butter and a warm cup of coffee or tea.
These bakery style Chai Spiced Apple Muffins are full of delicious apple flavor- they’re sweet, spicy and all around muffin perfection!
It’s a cold Friday in November, which means it’s the perfect excuse to bake up a batch of festive muffins! Or this Apple Cider Donut Cake with Salted Caramel if you want to get really crazy… I wont judge!
Have you ever had chai spiced apple muffins before?
The chai spice totally elevates a traditional apple cinnamon muffin giving them a delicious, spicy twist!
The flavors of chai are so nostalgic to me.
I remember when I was living in Kenya for a time everyone would drink chai tea. The spicy tea was served in virtually any cafe or eatery. Served with a splash of milk and some sweet baked good, it was always a welcoming treat.
These Chai Spiced Apple Muffins would be perfect alongside a cup of warm chai tea.
Perfect for breakfast, brunch, snacking or even as a holiday dessert- muffins are great any time of the day!
Speaking of the holidays… I seriously cannot believe it’s almost Thanksgiving! I have so many recipes I want to get posted before then, but honestly my list is bigger than I can possible tackle. But I promise I will be sharing some absolutely delicious holiday recipes in the coming days and weeks and I am so, so excited for it!
If you’re looking for inspiration for this Thanksgiving, be sure to check out our Thanksgiving Holiday Menu Guide! It has everything you need to make this Thanksgiving the most delicious one yet!
Chai Spiced Apple Muffins Details
These Chai Spiced Apple Muffins are going to be your new favorite muffins! Loaded with fresh harvest apples, chai spice and topped with an irresistible buttery brown sugar oat streusel. Not to mention that incredible brown butter drizzle to top. These festive muffins are total muffin perfection.
Reasons why we love them..
- Texture! These muffins have the perfect muffin texture. Not too dense and not too light like a cupcake. These muffins have the perfect balance.
- Flavor. These muffins are made with fresh apple and a splash of apple cider for the perfect apple flavor. The chai brings out the flavor and gives these muffins a spicy, festive flavor that is hard to beat. Topped with an irresistible streusel and brown butter drizzle, these apple muffins are over the top in all the best ways!
- A fun twist. Everyone will love these muffins, and the chai adds a fun twist that gives them a special, gourmet vibe.
Chai Spiced Apple Muffins Ingredients
- all purpose flour
- baking soda & baking powder– activates the rise!
- chai spice blend– Found in the spice section of most grocery stores.
- salt– brings out the flavor
- canola oil– as much as butter makes everything better, I believe oil creates a better muffin texture.
- dark brown sugar– I always use dark brown sugar. I love the richer flavor! But light brown sugar will work great too.
- granulated sugar-granulated sugar adds sweetness and also creates a moist, tender crumb.
- eggs– room temperature is best!
- sour cream– the sour cream adds flavor, texture and creates a perfectly moist and tender muffin. If you don’t have sour cream on hand, you may substitute with full fat greek yogurt.
- pure maple syrup– for an extra layer of sweet festive flavor. Use only pure maple syrup.
- pure vanilla extract– no imitation vanilla!
- apple cider– the muffins need a little liquid to get the batter to the right consistency. Why use water when you can add more apple flavor? If you don’t have apple cider, you can also use any milk you have on hand.
- apples– look for firm, crisp and sweeter apple varieties such as Fuji or Honeycrisp. No mushy, over ripe apples!
Streusel
- dark brown sugar-brown sugar is the best sugar for a good streusel.
- rolled oats– adds texture and flavor. Any oat variety will work great.
- all purpose flour– helps bind the streusel together
- cinnamon– cinnamon and streusel are just made for one another. Add more or less to your taste.
- salted butter– it’s not streusel without butter! I prefer salted butter over unsalted, but if you are sensitive to salt, unsalted works just as good.
- chopped pecans (optional)– pecans are just delicious especially when paired with apples! They add a buttery flavor that is just hard to beat while adding a delicious crunch. If you’re not a fan of pecans, feel free to omit them. You may also substitute with walnuts or almonds if you prefer.
- dash of salt
Brown Butter Drizzle
- salted butter– melted and browned.
- powdered sugar– to sweeten the drizzle.
- pure vanilla extract-again, no imitation vanilla! You can’t beat the real stuff.
- pinch of salt– cuts the sweetness down and brings out all the delicious flavors.
How to make chai muffins
Don’t be intimidated by these Chai Spiced Apple Muffins… it may sound fancy, but these muffins require no fancy bakery set up or equipment. And yet, the results are just as good (if not better!), than your local bakery.
Here is a quick rundown:
- In a large bowl you will whisk all the dry ingredients.
- Using a handheld mixer or stand mixer you will beat the oil and sugars on high speed until smooth and creamy.
- Then you will add the eggs, sour cream, maple, vanilla and apple cider. Beat until fully combined. With the mixer on low, you will carefully add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until no more pockets of flour remains.
- Gently fold in the apples.
- You will then spoon the batter evenly into the prepared muffin pan, filling the cups mostly to the top. Once all the muffins cups are filled, sprinkle the streusel evenly over the top of the muffins. *If you have extra batter leftover for a few more muffins, leave some extra streusel aside to top them*
- Bake at a high temperature for 425 degrees F for 5 minutes. Then reduce the temperature to 350 degrees for the remaining bake time.
Making the Streusel
In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, oats, flour, melted butter, cinnamon, pecans if using and a dash of salt. Stir with a fork until all the clumps of brown sugar are incorporated and everything is mixed well.
Brown Butter Drizzle
This brown butter drizzle is so easy and totally puts these chai apple muffins over the top!
Simply melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium high heat. Whisk for 5 minutes, until the butter turns a deep brown and has a ‘nutty’ aroma.
Remove from the heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes. After the butter cools, whisk in the powder sugar, vanilla, and a pinch of salt. If the glaze is too thick to drizzle, add 1 tablespoon of water at a time until you reach the desired consistency.
When the muffins have cooled, drizzle the glorious brown butter glaze over the tops.
Muffin tips and tricks:
Like most baked goods, especially muffins, it’s crucial that you don’t over mix the batter. Over mixing will result in a denser crumb, and we want these muffins fluffy and tender!
One way to prevent over mixing is by sifting the dry ingredients together separately before combining with the wet ingredients. The less mixing, the better!
Another unique trick is baking the muffins at a higher temperature, in this case 425 degrees F for 5 minutes, then reducing the temperature to 350 degrees F for the remaining bake time.
This activates the rise of the muffin top and I would recommend it for any muffin recipe!
What Apples are best for Apple Muffins?
Avoid mushy, over ripe apples! For muffins, cakes and cupcakes I always stick to crisp, firm and sweeter apple variety such as Fuji or Honeycrisp. For this particular recipe, I would avoid tart apple varieties such as Granny Smiths. Sweeter apples are just better for muffins!
Aren’t these decadent and festive Chai Spiced Apple Muffins just perfect for the holidays?!
We hope you love these Chai Spiced Apple Muffins as much as we do! If you bake up a batch, please be sure to leave a comment and/or rating below! I truly love hearing from you! And if you haven’t yet, be sure to subscribe to the Butternut and Sage newsletter so you never miss a delicious recipe! We have a lot of yummy content coming your way- you definitely wont want to miss it! 🙂
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More Muffin Recipes to Make
Recipe
Chai Spiced Apple Muffins
Ingredients
Muffins
- 1 ¾ cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon chai spice blend
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup canola oil
- ½ cup dark brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ cup apple cider
- 1 ½ cups peeled, cored and chopped apples (about two medium apples)
Streusel
- ⅓ cup dark brown sugar, packed
- ⅓ cup rolled oats
- 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon salted butter, melted
- ¼ cup chopped pecan (optional)
- dash of salt
Brown Butter Drizzle
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Butter or spray a 12-count muffin pan with oil or line with cupcake liners. Set aside.
- In a large bowl whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, chi spice and salt.
- Using a handheld mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the oil and sugars on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the eggs, sour cream, maple, vanilla and apple cider. Continue to beat on for 1 minute until fully combined. Turn the mixer down to low speed, and carefully add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Scraping down the sides of the bowl as need, mix until no more pockets of flour remain. Gently fold in the apples.
- Make the streusel. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, oats, flour, melted butter, cinnamon, pecans if using and a dash of salt. Stir with a fork until all the clumps of brown sugar are incorporated and everything is mixed well.
- Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared muffin pan, filling the cup mostly to the top. Once all the muffins cups are filled, sprinkle the streusel evenly over the top of the muffins. *If you have extra batter leftover for a few more muffins, leave some extra streusel aside to top them*
- Bake the muffins in the preheated oven at 425 degrees F for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F and bake until a tester comes out clean, about 15-18 minutes. Remove the muffins from the oven to cool. While the muffins are cooling, start on the brown butter glaze.
- In a small saucepan over medium high heat add the butter. Whisk for 5 minutes, until the butter turns a deep brown and has a 'nutty' aroma. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes. After the butter cools, whisk in the powder sugar, vanilla, and a pinch of salt. *If the glaze is too thick to drizzle, add 1 tablespoon of water at a time until you reach the desired consistency*. Once the muffins are completely cool- drizzle the glaze over the tops, serve and enjoy!
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