apple recipes – Brownie Mischief

Apple Cinnamon Mini Muffins

Posted on September 19, 2024February 12, 2026 by Mari Vasseur

These delicious little two-bite muffins are the apple version of my viral Pumpkin Cinnamon Mini Muffins. They have fresh apples in the batter which helps to make them soft and moist. They’re rolled in cinnamon sugar after baking, which gives them a subtle crunch on the outside. These delightful mini muffins have the flavor and texture of cake donuts. They’re perfect on their own, but I love to serve them with caramel sauce for dipping which takes them over the top.

Apple Cinnamon Mini Muffins

Soft, tender apple mini muffins rolled in cinnamon sugar

Print Recipe

Course Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 24 muffins

Ingredients

Muffins

1 ½ cups (191g) all purpose flour, sifted
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
⅜ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
⅜ teaspoon ground nutmeg, preferably freshly ground
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
⅓ cup (66g) granulated sugar
¼ cup (50g) packed brown sugar
⅓ cup (80ml) vegetable oil or neutral oil of your choice
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ cup (113g) puréed peeled apples or unsweetened applesauce**
Caramel sauce for dipping purchased or homemade

Cinnamon Sugar

⅔ cup (132g) granulated sugar
1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
6 tablespoons (85g) melted butter

Instructions

Muffins

Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Grease and flour a 24-serving mini muffin pan.* Do not use muffin liners. (The muffins need to form an outer crust. This prevents them from absorbing too much melted butter in the last step.)
In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg.
In a large bowl, whisk the granulated sugar, brown sugar, oil, egg and vanilla extract together until smooth and well combined. Stir in the puréed apples. Stir in the flour mixture just until combined. The batter will be thick.
Transfer the batter to prepared pan, filling the muffin cups about 2/3 full. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean, about 9-11 minutes. Do not over bake! Be diligent, since over baking can happen very quickly with mini muffins. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Turn the muffins out and place on a cooling rack.

Cinnamon Sugar

Whisk the cinnamon and granulated sugar together in a shallow bowl until well combined. Briefly dunk the warm muffins in the melted butter, then roll them in the cinnamon sugar.

Notes

*To find the mini muffin pan I used, click here.

**If your applesauce is very watery, drain the excess liquid before measuring.

Keyword apple, cinnamon, muffins

Apple Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Posted on October 29, 2023February 12, 2026 by Mari Vasseur

An easy-to-make square cake, typically unfrosted, is what my family would consider a snacking cake when I was growing up. This easy apple cake qualifies as a snacking cake because it stands on its own as a moist, delicious cake, unfrosted. BUT…if you add the silky cream cheese frosting, then you have yourself something a little more special. This cake could easily appear at a Thanksgiving meal and upstage the pies. I added food-safe fresh flowers and a faux sprig of greenery to dress it up for autumn. If you’re using fresh flowers, make sure to use pesticide-free flowers and wrap your stems before placing them into the cake. This cake is also amazing topped with caramel sauce.

Apple Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

A soft, moist apple cake with silky cream cheese frosting.

Print Recipe

Course Dessert

Servings 9 servings

Ingredients

Apple Cake

1 ¼ cups (159g) all purpose flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, preferably freshly ground
¾ cups (150g) packed brown sugar
½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
2 large egg
⅔ cup (148ml) vegetable oil or neutral oil of your choice
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract
1 cup (227g) puréed apples or unsweetened applesauce*

Cream Cheese Frosting

½ cup (113g) cream cheese, softened
10 tablespoons (142g) unsalted butter, softened
3 cups (361g) powdered sugar, sifted
1 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract
1/2-1 teaspoon heavy cream
1 pinch fine sea salt

Instructions

Apple Cake

Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line the bottom of an 8-inch square cake pan** with parchment paper. Grease and flour the insides.
In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg.
In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract until smooth and well combined. Mix in the puréed apples until incorporated. Stir in the flour mixture just until combined.
Transfer the batter to the prepared cake pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 28-33 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove the cake from the pan and transfer it to a cooling rack.

Cream Cheese Frosting

In a large bowl, stir the cream cheese with a spatula until smooth. Beat in the butter, with an electric mixer on low speed, until smooth and well combined.
Beat in the powdered sugar, vanilla, salt and heavy cream until smooth and well combined. Stir slowly with a spatula to smooth the frosting and remove bubbles.

Notes

*If you're using applesauce and your applesauce is watery, drain off excess liquid before measuring.

**To find my favorite 8-inch square cake pan, click here.

Keyword apple, cake

Caramel Apple Blossoms

Posted on October 3, 2022February 12, 2026 by Mari Vasseur

Whether you call them apple blossoms, apple dumplings, apple roses or mini apple pies, these are cute, delicious little apple pastries. I made them because I was craving apple pie, but I didn’t have enough apples to bake one. I didn’t invent them, and I don’t know who did, but I’ve had frozen ones and I’ve seen them on restaurant menus. I thought it would be fun to make them, and it was! I could’ve just put some pie dough in muffin cups and made quick little pies, but flower shaped things automatically get extra points for cuteness. And if you know me, you know I love my cute bakes!

Caramel Apple Blossoms

Print Recipe

Course Dessert

Servings 12 blossoms

Ingredients

Topping

3 tablespoons (38g) packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons (15g) quick oats not instant oats
1 tablespoon (21g) all purpose flour
1 dash fine sea salt
1 tablespoon (14g) unsalted butter, melted
⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Blossoms

2 cups (198g) peeled, cored diced apples 1/4-inch pieces
½ teaspoon lemon juice
¼ cup (50g) packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons (25g) granulated sugar
1 ½ teaspoons all purpose flour
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
2 crust unbaked pie dough , purchased or homemade
egg wash 1 egg whisked with 1 tablespoon of water
¼ cup (82g) caramel sauce, purchased or homemade

Instructions

In a medium-size bowl, mix together all of the topping ingredients. Set aside in the refrigerator until ready to use.
In a large bowl, toss the apples with lemon juice. Add the brown sugar, granulated sugar, melted butter, flour, cinnamon and salt to the apples. Stir until well combined.
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
On a lightly floured surface, roll the pie dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut out twelve 5-inch blossom shapes*, re-rolling the dough scraps as needed.** Lightly mark a 2-inch circle in the center of each blossom. Make cuts between the petals to separate them, just up to the edge of the center circle. Top each blossom with about 2 generous tablespoons of apples.
Brush the dough petals with egg wash. Form blossoms by lifting and overlapping each petal 1/2-inch in a spiral pattern similar to a rose. Tuck the last petal under. Press the petals together to seal so the filling won't leak.
Top each blossom with a spoonful of topping. Place in the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Don't skip this step. This will help the blossoms keep their shape.
Preheat oven to 375ºF (190ºC). Brush the blossom dough all over with egg wash. Wipe any drips off of the parchment paper. Bake until the crust is golden brown and filling is starting to bubble, about 23-28 minutes. Transfer the blossoms to a cooling rack to cool for a few minutes before serving warm or serve at room temperature. Drizzle the blossoms with caramel sauce.

Notes

*I used a 5-inch blossom cutter. To find a blossom cutter, click here.

**If you need to re-roll your pie dough scraps, press the scraps together, cover and let rest in the refrigerator for several minutes to help avoid shrinkage.

Keyword pastry