Gluten Free Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Hearty, wholesome, Gluten Free Apple Cinnamon Muffins are perfect for breakfast, snack or use them as your pre-workout fuel. Basic ingredients, tons of apple cinnamon flavor and they won’t leave you searching for more things to eat an hour later!

I have a weakness for muffins. Probably because they remind me of cupcakes without the frosting, which in some cases isn’t far from the truth. I’m looking at you Costco with your jumbo, sugary “muffins”! Muffins don’t have to be unhealthy and be like dessert in order to taste good. I’m proving my point with these gluten-free apple cinnamon muffins. 

Don’t let the words gluten-free intimidate you or make you turn your nose up to the recipe and move on to something else. These apple cinnamon muffins aren’t complicated or use tons of different flours. In fact, you may already have all the ingredients to make them. 

What Do I Need to Make the Apple Muffins?

• Almond flour, my preference is Bob’s Red Mill Almond Meal/Flour
• Gluten-free oats, again I use Bob’s Red Mill
• Cinnamon, allspice or cloves, baking soda
• Eggs
• Maple syrup, always use the real stuff
• Olive oil, coconut oil or butter
• Apples, I like to use Honeycrisp or Pink Lady for these muffins
• Dried cranberries

This muffin is a hearty one and not one that I would consider a low fat, low calorie one. That’s ok though, it wasn’t meant to be. Many times when I have a muffin I find that it doesn’t keep me full for very long and I want to eat at least 3 of them. These on the other hand a much more substantial thanks to the protein in the almond flour and eggs and the fiber in the oats. 

Why Does This Muffin Need 3 Eggs?

When using almond flour in baking, especially a quantity like what is used in this muffin recipe, you need more eggs. Eggs act as a binder and almond flour tends to need more help in this department since there’s no gluten to hold it together.

These apple muffins aren’t overly sweet, which is how I like my muffins to be. Remember, it’s breakfast not dessert. For this recipe I used 1/3 cup of maple syrup, which I found to be just right paired with the sweetness from the apples and cinnamon. However, if you want a muffin that’s a little sweeter I recommend bumping the maple syrup up to a 1/2 cup.

Why Does This Muffin Bake at a Lower Temperature?

Nuts can and will burn quickly if baked at a temperature that’s too high or when baked for too long. Since these muffins are loaded with almond flour they need to bake at a lower temperature so they bake all the way through. You don’t want to end up with muffins that are burnt on the outside and raw on the inside. 

The apple cinnamon muffins are excellent for breakfast, an afternoon snack or if you’re like me, grab one before you head out the door on your next run!

More Muffin Recipes

Chocolate Chunk Zucchini Muffins

Raspberry Jam Swirled Almond Butter Muffins

Cranberry Apple Carrot Muffins

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Yield: 12 Muffins

Gluten Free Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Print

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 22 minutes

Total Time 37 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cups almond flour
• 1 1/2 cups gluten-free rolled oats
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 eggs
• 1/3 cup olive oil, melted coconut oil or melted unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup maple syrup, increase to 1/2 cup for a sweeter muffin
• 2 cups grated apples (approximately 2 apples)
• 1/3 cup chopped dried cranberries

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray a standard muffin pan with cooking spray or insert liners.
2. In a large bowl whisk together the almond flour, oats, spices, baking soda and salt. In a smaller bowl whisk together the eggs, oil, maple syrup and shredded apples.
3. Pour the wet ingredients in with the dry and stir together with a rubber spatula until combined. Stir in the dried cranberries and then divide the batter evenly into the prepared muffin pan.
4. Bake for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the muffin comes out clean. If you aren't using paper liners let the muffins cool in the pan for 10 minutes or so before trying to remove them. Cool completely on a wire cooling rack and store any extras in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

12

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 265Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 47mgSodium: 213mgCarbohydrates: 24gFiber: 4gSugar: 12gProtein: 7g