Baking a batch of these Apple Pecan Streusel Muffins will make your kitchen smell like fall, and they’re also the perfect winter holiday treat.
We most often associate apple flavors with fall.
But these Apple Pecan Streusel Muffins are also the perfect treat for winter holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving.
In fact, I could eat these from the moment the temperature starts to fall until it’s time for short sleeves again.
When to Make These Muffins
We think of apple pie with fall and winter holidays, but these streusel muffins are a snackable and festive treat.
They are always a crowd pleaser! Apple cinnamon scones and apple crisp bars are also big hits in this category.
But it’s hard to compete with the pecan-based streusel topping here or the drizzled powdered sugar topping!
What is Streusel?
For the uninitiated, “streusel” is a term for the crumbly topping common in baked goods like muffins, cakes, pies, and more.
It’s common to use nuts such as the pecans we have here.
They are also baked into the muffins themselves for a nice connective thread.
Streusel is made with flour, butter, and sugar — in this case, all-purpose flour, cold butter, and brown sugar.
The crunchy streusel topping and a sweet glaze drizzle on top screams “fall” or holiday party for me.
And after one bite of these apple muffins, I knew it was the right way to go.
These bakery style muffins will win your heart over in two seconds flat.
Well, it might be the crunchy streusel and glaze that will win you over first.
But then when you take a bite of the soft apple spice muffin, you will be reaching for another one in a hurry.
These will not last long at your next gathering — or even if you’re home alone.
The best Streusel Topping for muffins:
- Mix together sugar, flour, cinnamon, and cold butter with a pastry blender or a fork. Continue working the mixture until it resembles wet sand.
- Stir in the nuts and use the back of a spoon to press the mixture into large clumps.
- You can also use your hands to clump the mixture together.
- A helpful tip when using this streusel is to press it slightly into the batter before placing the pan in the oven. This will help the streusel stick to the muffins as they bake.
How to Make Apple Pecan Streusel Muffins:
- Make the streusel topping first and set it aside.
- Mix together the oil, sugars, vanilla, and eggs in a bowl.
- Stir together the dry ingredients and mix them alternately with buttermilk into the sugar mixture.
- Stir in the shredded apples and pecan chips gently. A food processor is an easy way to shred apples quickly.
- Spray your muffin tins with nonstick spray and spoon the batter evenly into 18 muffin cavities. Divide the streusel onto the muffin batter and press it down slightly.
- Once the muffins are baked, let them cool in the muffin tins for 2-3 minutes before gently removing them and placing them on a cooling rack that has been set inside a large sheet pan.
- When the muffins are cooled, whisk together the glaze and drizzle it over the tops of the sweet breakfast muffins. Let the glaze set before storing the muffins in a container.
You may also like this Paula Deen Pecan Pie recipe.
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Apple Pecan Streusel Muffins
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Brown Sugar
- 1/2 cup All-Purpose Flour
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- 1/4 cup Cold Butter
- 1/2 cup Finely Chopped Pecans
- 2/3 cup Oil
- 1/2 cup Brown Sugar
- 1/4 cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
- 2 Egg
- 2 1/4 cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1 teaspoon Aluminum Free Baking Powder
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 2 teaspoons Cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 cup Buttermilk
- 1 cup Shredded Apple
- 1/2 cup Finely Chopped Pecans
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spray a 12-count and a 6-count muffin tin with nonstick baking spray.
- Use a pastry blender or fork to mix together the brown sugar, flour, and cold butter until they resemble wet sand.
- Stir in the pecans and use the back of a spoon to clump the mixture into chunks. Set aside.
- Mix together the oil, sugars, vanilla, and eggs in a large bowl.
- Stir together all the dry ingredients. Add them alternately with the buttermilk to the sugar mixture.
- Gently stir in the shredded apples and pecans bits. Spoon the muffin batter evenly into the 18 muffin cavities.
- Divide the streusel topping on the tops of the muffin batter. Press it slightly into the batter.
- Bake for 16 minutes.
- Remove and let cool in the pan for 2-3 minutes before gently removing them. Place on a cooling rack.
- Stir together the powdered sugar and water and drizzle over the tops of the cooled muffins. Let set. Store in a tightly sealed container.