Peanut Butter Apple Muffins are generously filled with apple chunks and topped with crunchy granola for a healthy and satisfying treat.
Lately, I have had people asking me how I can make so many delicious, sugary treats and still eat somewhat healthy.
While I do taste everything I make (Quality control is a must, I would never share something with you that didn’t pass!), my husband and I couldn’t possibly eat everything I bake.
We give most of it away; our friends, family, and neighbors love us for it, and it’s a huge help to not have an abundance of desserts staring us in the face all of the time.
Another awesome tip we have learned is to always keep healthy food on hand for snacking.
It’s so much easier to avoid stuffing our faces with sugary foods if we have tasty and convenient healthy foods available to keep ourselves from reaching for the sugary treats when we get hungry.
We love having healthy baked treats to satisfy our cravings. These Peanut Butter Apple Muffins make a wonderful treat without packing extra calories.
In order to make these muffins healthier than their traditional bakery counterparts, I opted for some smart ingredient substitutions.
You’ll notice that in the recipe, there are options for using applesauce and peanut butter in place of oil and butter, swapping out the regular all-purpose flour for whole wheat, and using light agave nectar in place of traditional sugar.
I love having a batch of these muffins in the freezer for quick breakfasts or afternoon snacks.
PLEASE NOTE: This is a unique muffin recipe, in that the muffins really do taste better on the second day. The finely diced apple adds a great deal of flavor and moisture as the muffins rest.
Peanut Butter Apple Muffins
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (OR half whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsps baking powder
- 2 eggs
- 2/3 cup light agave nectar (OR ½ cup light brown sugar)
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup applesauce (OR ½ cup applesauce + ½ cup vegetable oil)
- 1 large apple, peeled and finely diced, about ¾ cup
- 3/4 cup granola
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F. Grease a 12 hole cupcake pan with nonstick cooking spray or line with cupcake papers.
- In a large bowl combine both flours, baking powder, and slat and mix until well combined. In a separate bowl, beat together the eggs, agave nectar, peanut butter, milk and applesauce. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared pan or muffin cups, filling holes 1 cm from the top. Sprinkle with a tablespoon or so of your favorite granola. Bake at 400 F. for 5 minutes and then reduce oven temperature to 350 F and bake for another 12-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. The high temperature at the beginning will help ensure high-domed muffins.
- Remove from pan and cool on wire rack. Muffins will be more moist and flavorful on the second day.
Christie - Food Done Light says
That is the brand of agave I use but haven’t seen the light. Will have to look for it. Your muffins look divine.
Mallory says
Thank you, Christie. The light agave worked great in these muffins.
Becca @ Crumbs and Chaos says
I’ve never used agave nectar in baking, this recipe looks like a great way to start! That little white plate is adorable 😉
Mallory says
Thanks, Becca!
Beth @ The First Year says
Eating healthy and being a food blogger, now that’s a difficult task! I am a huge muffin fan Mallory!
Mallory says
I’m glad you know where I’m coming from, Beth. It’s tough not to just devour everything.
Ashley | The Recipe Rebel says
Love these! Peanut butter and apple are such a great combination! And I love that you’ve made them healthier — I’m all about good food that’s good for me 🙂
Mallory says
Me too, Ashley. I can’t go without some carbs, so I need some healthier options.
Amy @ A Healthy Life For Me says
I can’t wait to give this recipe a try! Perfect for fall. Pinned!
Mallory says
Thanks for pinning, Amy!
Mary Frances says
I just started using agave nectar and I fell in love! It makes amazing low sugar treats. And date sugar is another one of my new obsessions. I will always have a big place in my heart for peanut butter and apples have been on our grocery list every.single.time thanks to our family’s thang for apples. 🙂 These muffins wouldn’t last a day around here! Putting it on my to bake list – pinned!
Mallory says
The agave nectar worked out really great in the muffins. I have never used date sugar before, I need to start looking for some.
janelle says
love the use of agave nectar. your muffins look delicious.
Sarah says
Hi there! These look delicious, but how many eggs do you use? They are in the steps, but not the ingredients list. Thanks!
Mallory says
Oops, sorry about that. I use two eggs. I will update the recipe when I get on my desktop later tonight. Thanks for catching that!
Karly says
Gorgeous muffins! I need to make these now! Thanks for linking up with What’s Cookin’ Wednesday!
Mallory says
Thanks, Karly!
Megan says
These were great! I had to make a couple changes. No agave so I used a 1/2 cup of packed brown sugar. Then, I just recently had a bad experience with a banana bread that used applesauce but, no oil and I didn’t like how gummy it turned out, so I used 3/4 c applesauce and 1/4 c oil. Lastly, I had no granola, so I sprinkled oats and brown sugar instead. Thanks!
Leslie Dougherty says
I was just looking for some healthy muffins for my grandsons who are going to be sleeping over tonight… love these! Can’t wait to get baking! Thank you so much- grab and go morning tomorrow, fun filled activities after church!
Les
Catherine maxey says
These are phenomenal. I grated the apple because I hate chopping apples. Grating them worked just fine.
Mary says
Yay! I’m so glad you enjoyed the muffins, Catherine.
Ibakeforfun says
Not sure what went wrong? These were dense and had an underbaked texture inside (I baked longer so wasnt a time issue). Could my apple pieces be too big?
Mary says
Hi there! Did you make the muffins with any of the listed substitutions? It’s possible the apple pieces were a little large, but that shouldn’t have affected the overall texture.