These applesauce sourdough muffins are moist bakery-style muffins with a nice tang from some delicious sourdough discard. They’re easy to make and will not last long once you serve them. Use up some sourdough discard and home-canned applesauce for a tasty treat.
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One of my favorite things is bakery-style muffins. I love the moist muffins topped with a stussel topping. These muffins are a family favorite and are eaten quicker than I can make them!
I’m guilty of having too much sourdough discard when I feed my sourdough, and with having 4 apple trees, we have a nice stock of apple sauce in our pantry. This is the perfect recipe to combine an overstock of the two!
Ingredients for applesauce sourdough muffins
This recipe uses pantry staple ingredients plus some well-loved sourdough starter. Here’s everything you’ll need to make this recipe:
- Sourdough discard – you can use activated or discard for this recipe. It’s a great way to use up excess discard.
- Applesauce – your favorite unsweetened applesauce. I use my canned applesauce for this recipe.
- Baking powder – helps with the texture of the muffins.
- Baking soda
- All-purpose flour – if you are worried about lumps, you can sift the flour, but it’s not necessary.
- Sugar – this adds a little bit of sweetness to the muffins; however, if you want them to be sugar-free, you can omit it and use the natural sweetness from the applesauce.
- Cinnamon – this adds the perfect flavor for fall.
- Vegetable oil – adds fat to the muffins to help keep the batter thin.
- Butter – use unsalted butter for this so that the muffins don’t end up tasting salty.
How to make sourdough apple sauce muffins
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the sugar and oil, then stir until well blended.
In a separate bowl, add the all-purpose flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ground cloves, and freshly ground nutmeg. Stir to combine.
Using a fork or pastry cutter, cut the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until they resemble a crumb texture.
Add the eggs one at a time to the sugar-oil mixture, making sure they’re fully incorporated.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, avoiding overmixing the batter. Set aside.
Add the walnuts to the mixture and stir. Set aside. Fill the muffin tins with the muffin batter so that each muffin space is 3/4 full. Add the topping.
Add the vanilla extract, applesauce, and sourdough discard. Stir to combine.
In a small mixing bowl, add the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, salt, cinnamon, freshly ground nutmeg, unsalted butter, and sourdough discard.
Bake muffins at 425 degrees for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes
The biggest reason that muffins are dense is that the muffin batter is overmixed. Be sure that you follow the recipe card and mix ingredients just until incorporated. Overmixing causes the gluten to activate more and air pockets to form, potentially in the batter, causing it to be dense.
The key to achieving that domed look is starting with a higher baking temperature for a duration and then lowering it for the rest of the baking time.
The sky is the limit. You can add a different topping, add mini chocolate chips, or even try some pumpkin pie spice. You can also leave out the sourdough. Swap the walnuts for another nut of choice or leave them out completely.
Absolutely. Just let the baked muffins cool to room temperature and then store them in an airtight container or freezer-safe bag. Keep them stored in the freezer. To thaw, place them out at room temperature for a short time or move them to the fridge to thaw overnight.
The best way to store these muffins to keep them fresh is to store them in an airtight container. They don’t have to be kept in the fridge – but keeping them airtight is key.
Fair warning – you’ll be hooked after baking one batch of these simple muffins. They’re packed with fall flavors, easy to make, and great for any craving.
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Sourdough Applesauce Muffins
Equipment
- 1 Muffin Tin
- 1 Mixing Bowl
- 1 Measuring cups and spoons
- 1 Whisk, spatula, or wooden spoon
- 1 Muffin liners
Ingredients
Muffins
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil any neutral flavored oil will work
- 2 medium eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup applesauce
- 1/2 cup sourdough discard
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 cup baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp clove
- 1/8 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
Streusel topping
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp sourdough discard
- 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Line a muffin tin with muffin liners and set aside.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl add the sugar and oil, using a whisk, spatula, or wooden spoon, stir to fully combine.1 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- Add the eggs one at a time to the sugar-oil mixture making sure they're fully incorporated.2 medium eggs
- Once the eggs are fully incorporated add the vanilla extract, applesauce, and sourdough discard, stir to combine all of the ingredients together. Set aside.1 tsp vanilla extract, 3/4 cup applesauce, 1/2 cup sourdough discard
- In a separate bowl add the all-purpose flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ground cloves, and freshly ground nutmeg. Stir to combine.1 cup all purpose flour, 1 1/2 tsp salt, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder, 3/4 cup baking soda, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp clove, 1/8 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients avoiding to over mix the batter. Set aside.
- In a small mixing bowl add the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, salt, cinnamon, freshly ground nutmeg, unsalted butter, and sourdough discard. Using a fork or pastry cutter, cut the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until it resembles a crumb texture.1/2 cup all purpose flour, 1/3 cup granulated sugar, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/8 tsp freshly ground nutmeg, 2 tbsp unsalted butter, 2 tbsp sourdough discard
- Add the walnuts to the mixture and stir to combine so the walnuts are evenly distributed. Set aside.1/4 cup walnuts,
- Fill the muffin tins with the muffin batter so they're 3/4 full in each muffin space. Top with the streusel topping.
- Bake muffins at 425 degrees for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and when a toothpick is inserted into the center of the muffin the toothpick comes out clean.
- Transfer the baked muffins to a cooling rack and allow to cool for 5 minutes before eating.