The other day I started to bake some cupcakes, because you know..I didn’t get enough last weekend. In my defense, the cupcakes my mom brought me just didn’t hit the spot. DON’T get me wrong, they were unbelievably delicious, but a lemon cake with raspberry filling is so… last summer. (Disclaimer: I’d never turn down a cupcake regardless of flavor.)
I am foaming at the mouth for fall to hurry up and get here, so to honor my favorite season I got spicy in the kitchen with cinnamon, and nutmeg. Bring on the fall spices! Sadly, the maple “butter” cream icing I attempted to make turned into a soupy mess, which means these went from cupcakes to muffins faster than you can say, “vegan butter is a b*^ch.”
Apple Spice Cupcakes/Muffins
For the apples
- 3 peeled and cored apples, diced into cubes
- 1 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tblsp flour
- 2 tblsp brown sugar
- 1 tblsp coconut oil
Toss your apples in the spices and flour. Over medium heat, heat the brown sugar and coconut oil until slightly bubbly. Add in your apples and cook until caramelized, most of the liquid has been cooked off, and the apples are soft. Remove from heat and let cool.
For the cupcakes
- 1 cup almond milk
- 1 tblsp lemon juice
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 3/4 cup raw sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
Mix together the almond milk and lemon juice and let sit for a minute to curdle. Then add in the oil, sugar, and vanilla. In a separate bowl combine your spices, flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Once combined, add to the milk mixture.
So much apple goodness
Preheat your oven to 350F. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners. I used the ADORABLE liners my dear friend Lily sent me a while back. Fold the cooled apples into the cupcake batter and fill your liners almost to the top. Your kitchen will smell like FALL!
I am a bit depressed that the icing didn’t turn out, I had some high hopes for these cupcakes. Muffins are good too though, and sometimes trying to turn a non vegan recipe into a vegan one just doesn’t work. Live and learn. Overall these were still delicious and I ended up eating them with a GLOB of PB on top. I will make these again!
Q: Do you get bummed when you have kitchen failures? I’ve gotten a lot better in time, I used to have internal melt downs. Failures are now excuses to bake again!
Blissfulbritt 
65 thoughts on “Apple Spice Cupcakes…Turned Muffins”
getfitnaturally (@getfitchick)
These look delicious – i MUST try them!
Amy @ A Desert Girl
Cupcake or muffin, these still look delicious. I totally get bummed out by kitchen failures. Once, right after Kevin and I moved in together, he came home to find me in the midst of a kitchen fail. And I promptly burst into tears. Yeah…. Luckily he let me stay!
Brittany
No shame, I have been known to cry after a long day of failed baking hahaha.
Hayley @ Running on Pumpkin
Holy cow I love when muffins have big chunks in them like this. These are definitely going on my baking to-do list. I love the apple muffins from starbs but sadly haven’t seen them there in forever so these seem like an even better alternative.
Brittany
Starbucks has a new food line which mean almost ALL of the old food you’re used to is no longer being sold! They are bringing a few items back due to popular demand though, so who knows maybe your apple muffin will be one of them!
Angela @ Health's Angel
Yummmm. I love anything apple cinnamon. Will have to try these this fall!
spectacuLAUR
Even if I have a kitchen failure, nothing goes to waste in our house! I threw away something one time which I deemed “didn’t turn out the way I wanted it” and my mom had a COW. So, no more of throwing things out. lol My house is full of scavengers!
sincerelylily
yayyyy kitty cat liner success! ha. i imagine that when you have a house or the bed and breakfast that we will operate and run, the kitchen will be cat themed. with cat art and cat dishes and cat towels and you will bake with a cat apron. this is what i have envisioned.
these look yummmmmy and cupcake/muffin, who cares?! i need to bake. i think i said this before on your last baking post but seriously. i have none of the staples in the kitchen still (sugar, flour, etc)….
if only i was a rich lady, id just fly you in one weekend a month to bake and visit me for the weekend. sigh.
Kitchen failures are like, my middle name. I’m over it. It’s like pubic hair. It happens. Whatever.
that was gross. sorry.
Brittany
So I am totally texting you right now, but this comment still deserves a proper reply. I AM ENVISIONING THIS CAT KITCHEN! I love it..you will hate it, but I love it! We can compromise since we are going in the the B&B together and maybe just one or two cat decorations and I will wear an apron. HAHA YES!
GO GET KITCHEN STAPLES!! NOW! Then I can visit and I will fly myself in just to share my treats!! That way I don’t eat them all.
PNWRunner
Yum yum yum!! Perfect for fall. You have way to many recipes I need to bake. I need to set aside one day for these and the blueberry bread. I also sometimes get bummed when a recipe doesn’t turn out. Last weekend, I tried to bake zucchini bread muffins but they didn’t work out. Still some tweeking to do with the recipe I guess!
Britta
You sweet sweet woman! ahhh, MORNING IS OFFICIALLY MADE. Actually no, morning would be even better if I were at your house so we could sip coffee and eat these bad boys together. Man, I need to bake. I never do anymore 😦 Sad bear. I love that everyone in the blog world is going bananas for Fall already 😀 And I am sure the weather is pretty similar in Seattle as Vic so I hope you’re loving all this cloudy/sorta coldness lately!
Brittany
We need to make this happen..sooner rather than later!! This sounds like the most EPIC morning. I woke up at 2am to the sound of RAIN!! I was in heaven!
Christine @ Gotta Eat Green
It is so discouraging when you have a kitchen fail! Vegan baking is tricky, but gluten free baking is even trickier! It is like a science experiment and everything has to be measured out perfectly or else it turns out hard/crumbly/nasty.
Megan
I recently tossed french sorrel in with some curry and heated it up and reallllly did not like the taste at all. I managed through a little bit then tossed it haha Normally I don’t throw things out I just remind myself that that’s what I get for never writing down recipes.
Lisa
Yessss! This recipe made me happy since there’s no eggs and dairy:)
Vegan recipes are getting rare around here, since of the paleo craze and I always miss seeing muffins like this without all the eggs added in. No offence to other recipes, I just always wish I could eat those ones too 😉
These look like the perfect little Snacks, and also make me crave Fall just a tad with the cinnamon apple.
Brittany
You won’t be finding any recipes with dairy in these parts!! Vegan baking all the way!
jessiebearwhat
Sorry about the frosting, but mannnn do these look amazing!
Amanda @ .running with spoons.
That’s a bummer about the icing, buuuuuut PB (or AB in my case) is definitely a good alternative 🙂 And I feel ya on wanting fall to hurry up. I’ve given summer until the end of August and them I’m officially switching over into fall eats. Bring on the pumpkin, apples, and cinnamon!
Alex @ therunwithin
if I am going to have something apple flavored i want chunks of apple in it just like that. glad we agree on that front haha
laurenlehocky
Those big chunks of apples….yum! Perfect for fall!
Ashlee@HisnHers
You just made me really sad about the fact that its going to be 100* here today! Where is fall?! These looks SOO so good.
Rebekah @ fitnesscreatures
I’ll take some bad ass muffins that were supposed to be cupcakes but are still edible and delicious as f*@k any day. Girl I have a kitchen mess up/mishap/catastrophe at least once a week. I wish I could bake like you. These look so good!
Brittany
Bahaha love this comment, I literally laughed out loud!
GiGi Eats Celebrities
It’s a CUFFIN!
My friend and I went to Whole Foods once and she wanted a cookie except it tasted more like a muffin so we called it a cuffin… And since your cupcake turned into a muffin, it too qualifies as a CUFFIN. I guess it could also be called a Cupfinn… But that doesn’t roll off the tongue as easily as CUFFIN.
I think you and I need to start a bakery… Something healthy with a little SIN thrown in?!?!?!?!?!!?!?! Did I just come up with a genius PLAN!? The BritGi Bakery! BOOM SHAKA LAKA!!!
Davida @The Healthy Maven
GiGi you make me LOL everytime! Cuffin….BRILLIANT!
Brittany
I LOVE THIS WORD! CUFFIN! Genius, and YES we must have that bakery BOOMMMM SHAKA LAKA! We should call it Boom shakalakery. HAHA. Although that doesn’t really indicate it’s a bakery..hmmm.
I love muffins, but in a seriousness if I got a cookie that tasted like a muffin I would be pissed.
Davida @The Healthy Maven
Don’t even get me started in kitchen failures…I have cried on more than 1 occasion. But a cupcake turned muffin is definitely not a fail in my book! Especially when they look like these!
Emily
I LOVE APPLE STUFF. Apple bread. Apple pie. Apple crumble. Apple… stuff…. I don’t know what else you put apples in all that much but I’m sure I’d love it if I could think of it… So good. I do okay with kitchen failures.. it used to be a huge ego beating but now I just don’t care because I tend to eat the mishaps anyways haha. Food is food!
Meghan @ fitnesscrEATures
I’d say that this is a great recipe even if they were supposed to be cupcakes! Girl, I will totally meet you while I’m in Seattle if only to sample some of your delicious treats! 🙂 I’ll totally come visit you at work :)! I’m addicted to everything you and your company create for me to consume! 🙂 Those apple chunks look awesome!
sugarcoatedsheridan
It makes me literally laugh out loud that you claimed a cupcake flavor to be so last summer. Incredible 🙂 I just discovered that the Pumpkin Spice Latte is back!!! BOOM!
Jan @ Sprouts n Squats
Yum those look so delicious regardless of the fact they are muffins 🙂
I hate having a cooking failure but they are bound to happen from time to time.
Choc Chip Uru
Muffins are bigger, so I reckon these are even more delicious 😀
Love the apple flavour!
Cheers
CCU
Alex @ Cookie Dough Katzen
When I have baking failures, I keep adding stuff, and hope it fixes itself. It never really does though haha. I’m definitely more of a cook- I don’t like the rules of baking. 🙂 Your cupcakes look delicious, even without the icing!
Nicole @ FruitnFitness
The big pieces of apple in here look good. I was worried about kitchen failures for awhile and now I just kin of laugh it off.
Barbara Bamber | justasmidgen
Wow, this is a great way to add a whole lot of flavor to those apples! No worries, the icing probs wasn’t needed with all that flavor in your muffins? I did have some success with a vegan icing for carrot cake once, by adding that toffuti, maybe that would work for you next time? It wasn’t exactly cream cheese icing, but the second day it tasted more like it oddly enough:) I will have to try these muffins.. I’m crazy for fall flavors!! xx
Brittany
I find that after a day of letting the flavors set up, things taste so much better!! I will have to try baking with toffuti, I actually really like that stuff! The muffins really did stand strong on their own, they were delicious. Past tense..they were gone in a matter of a couple days!
Amy
I am the WORST when it comes to kitchen disasters! (Remember that crazy drama I had with the butter trying to make licorice almond cookies??) I’ll sit down on the little pink step stool in the kitchen and cry if it’s bad enough. But I love how you turned the disaster around and called them muffins instead! (I’m not a big frosting fan anyway, so I usually leave about 1/4 to 1/2 of the cupcakes unfrosted for myself. And I don’t feel as guilty eating seconds and thirds either!)
miq
My sister used to always tell me the worst that can happen when you try a new recipe is you have to order a pizza (this is obviously for cooking not baking). And that little gem has really helped allow me to try some recipes that are way outside my cooking comfort zone.
cleaneatingveggiegirl
You are one smart cookie!!…or cupcake?? 😉 I love the sound of these!
Sarah @ Feeeding the Brain and Body
I love apples all year around but with the fall coming into season baked goods with apples are just calling my name! This recipe looks perfect, I will totally have to try it out sometime!
P
Muffins may be known as ugly cupcakes, but these certainly are NOT UGLY :P!
Alisha's Appetite
I get SO bummed with kitchen failures! In fact, I just had one tonight. #sadstory Your cupcakes still look delish, though!!
Khushboo Thadani (@KhushbooThadani)
Say whaaat- those apple chunks look BOMB…yum! I’m in the minority when I say that I don’t even like icing which is why muffins > cupcakes in my books…and why your kitchen disaster is actually more of a WIN!
The Healthy Flavor
Oh dang those look good! I feel ya…I love fall because I love spices and ginger…I use cinnamon year round and use ginger like crack during fall. I can’t get enough. These are making ME foam at the mouth,haha!
Elizabeth
oh dear. drool. drool, running down my chin. oops.
Katy @ iFuckingLoveFitness
Omigosh I love everything and anything apple!!
jessielovestorun
cupcake… muffin… whatever you wanna call it, I want it. Seriously between your moms cupcakes & these, I’m loving your blog even more lately =)
Tessa @ Amazing Asset
Ummm yes, delicious… love these flavors together and they are so FALL! Obviously they are coming out at a good time as fall is creepin in whether I like it or not haha.
Erin
As much as I cook/bake I don’t get upset about kitchen failures anymore! It’s bound to happen (:
These look fabulous!
Brittany @ Dulce Vie
I have messed up so many times that it is kind of sad! I just try to keep calm and think of it as a learning experience. As for the muffins, I have been looking for an apple muffin recipe so thanks!
olivetorun
I fully support the switch to muffins! These look delicious!!
lifeaslisaknowsit
These look DELICIOUS!!!! 🙂
katalysthealth
I do get upset when I have a kitchen fail, but if it still TASTES amazing, then Im ok with it! Unless of course I made it for someone else, then that’s sort of embarrassing lol
Courtney
They look delicious as muffins! YUM! 🙂
Becky
Looks like a delicious mistake! I am excited for fall flavors too.
allieksmith
I do get really bummed over kitchen failures! I had some moments when I made my brother’s wedding cookies… I was like “OMG these suck” for two different kinds of cookies…. icing wasn’t setting. Struggles haha!
Your muffins look great though, icing or not!
Luv What You Do
Turned AWESOME! These look fantastic!
I get a little bummed about failures but I always try to save them when I can : )
Alex @ Brain, Body, Because
Ahhh…Chris used to work at a Whole Foods bakery (I think I mention this all of the time?) and he said that the secret to kickass vegan buttercream is to use more Earth Balance than you would ever imagine possible 😛
These look so good! Unfortunately, it’s hot as balls here in Saipan and fuel is kinda pricey, so no baking over here. Please eat an extra cupcake/muffy for me!
I also get bummed when my recipes don’t turn out the way I expected. In fact, I definitely remember more than one batch of muffins that turned into a crumbly mess and became a yogurt “topping,” ha! I never throw ANYTHING away!
Brittany
I used SO much Earth Balance this time!! I think the maple syrup was too much I added A LOT of that too!! HAHA I WILL keep trying!! Thanks for the tip!
Kristina at damntenpounds
Yeeeeah, I’m gonna have to save this one. You just combined all of my favorite things. Yum!!
Meghan@CleanEatsFastFeets
Apple cinnamon cupcakes/ muffins…yes please, I’ll take two please….in the fall though. It’s too soon for apples and pumpkins and nutmeg galore (ignoring the fact I’ve been eating a very Christmas holiday granola right now – What?! I’m recipe testing). I refuse to think about fall flavors until the fruits and veggies in my CSA follow suit because well, I have no choice really. 🙂
theanniehall
Those look HEAVENLY!!!
Melissa @ Al Forno Mementos
so I guess that answers the question what makes cupcakes cupcakes and muffins muffins. 😛 regardless … they look delectable!
Rach @ This Italian Family
Sorry the icing didn’t pan out, but hey! Like you said, totally just another excuse to make these again! Also, you should make these again and invite me over. Because they look DELICIOUS!
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