These apple spice muffins with streusel and pistachios are flecked with grated apple for exceptional moisture and flavor. A buttery brown-sugar and pistachio streusel tops each muffin, making them ideal for breakfast, brunch, or a portable snack.
These muffins have become a regular morning treat in our kitchen. They feel indulgent yet are balanced by grated apples and a bit of tang from the sour cream.
Apple Spice Muffins with Pistachio Streusel
David Leite
18 muffins
Ingredients
For the pistachio streusel
- 1/2 cup plus 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup shelled unsalted pistachios, coarsely chopped
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted
For the apple spice muffin batter
- 1 stick cold unsalted butter, diced
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup sour cream, at room temperature
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 medium Granny Smith apples, grated
Instructions
Make the pistachio streusel
- In a small bowl, combine the flour, pistachios, granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, and baking powder. Stir until evenly mixed.
- Drizzle the melted butter over the mixture and use your fingers to press it into pea-sized clumps. Spread the streusel on a plate or pan and freeze while you prepare the batter.
Make the apple spice muffin batter
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line 18 standard muffin cups with paper liners.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, toss the diced butter with the granulated sugar to coat. Fit the mixer with the paddle and beat on medium until the mixture forms a smooth paste and no visible butter lumps remain, about 5 minutes.
- Whisk the sour cream, eggs, vanilla, and lemon juice in a small bowl. With the mixer on low, slowly drizzle this mixture into the butter-sugar paste, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. With the mixer on low, gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and mix until just combined.
- Core the apples and grate them on the large holes of a box grater, holding each piece by the peel side. Fold the grated apples into the batter immediately.
Assemble and bake the muffins
- Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups. Remove the streusel from the freezer, break it up with your fingers, and sprinkle it evenly over the batter.
- Bake in the center of the oven until the muffins are golden and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean, 22 to 33 minutes.
- Cool the muffins in the pan. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.
Adapted From
Sugar Rush
Nutrition
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Recipe Testers’ Reviews
This recipe passed a rigorous blind-testing process and earned the Leite’s Culinaria stamp of approval. Below are selected testers’ impressions.
Lori Widmeyer
I’m picky about muffins, and this recipe meets my ideal: slightly dense, very moist, and full of flavor. The spices, sour cream, and grated apple produce a coffee-cake–like texture, and the pistachio streusel elevates them for a special breakfast or brunch. The topping is generous enough to cover all 18 muffins, and mine baked in 28 minutes. They stayed excellent for a couple of days.
Select a Tester
These muffins pleasantly surprised me—pistachios and apples pair beautifully. The batter may look thick before adding apples, but their moisture corrects the texture when folded in. I tried salted pistachios and preferred that version; the savory salt contrasts nicely with the sweet apples.
Elie Nassar
These muffins lean more toward cake than dense breakfast muffins—airy and cakey—but the flavor is superb. The spice balances well with the apples and streusel. The streusel also makes a great topping for fruit tarts. If you prefer, add the wet ingredients directly to the mixing bowl in order listed to save a dish; a handheld mixer works well if your stand mixer bowl is too small.
Note: the recipe lists 18 muffins, but it works well for 12 standard muffins as well.
Linda M.
Delicious and easy to make. Mine baked in about 25 minutes and were excellent warm or at room temperature. I may add a touch more cinnamon next time.