Paleo Apple Muffins with Crunchy Crumb Topping

These paleo apple muffins are easy, healthy, full of flavor, and will make your home smell amazing!

If you don’t my full story, I am not a trained chef.

In fact, I have a Master’s Degree in psychology, of all things.  For years, I worked as a child welfare social worker, helping abused and neglected children find safe homes or return home if their parents successfully worked on whatever brought them into the system.

For whatever reason, I got some of the most difficult, gruesome, and heart-breaking cases.

To be honest, I don’t even like to think about it anymore.  It feels like another lifetime, like someone else’s story.  But it is a big part of my story and shaped my future in so many ways.

When our first baby girl, Jordan, was born in 2009, Dustin and I decided it was time for me to move on from social work. It had really torn me down and left me raw with pain and disgust for people and love.

Those harsh feelings literally melted as I stared at my baby girl, in awe of her beauty and innocence.

Yep, I needed a change.

So, with Dustin’s help, we created a personal chef business called Sweet Pea Chef in San Diego where I trained myself to cook dinners for others in their home so, when they came home, they’d have freshly prepared meals waiting for them.

To help try to grow the business, Dustin suggested I start a blog to allow potential customers get to know me.  I mean — hello — I was going to be in their home cooking food for them, right?

We laugh about it now, but my response to Dustin’s suggestion was, “What’s a blog?”

But, as you know, I started a blog called A Sweet Pea Chef <— get it?  Because the company was Sweet Pea Chef so this was a cute way to separate, but be connected to the “real” business?

Yea, neither do most people!  It’s cool.  But that’s what we named the blog, for better or for worse.

Well, over time, I uncovered a real passion for cooking, creating recipes, and photographing my creations.  And I discovered I loved writing and sharing my story with people, helping them find their passion and, eventually, helping guide them to a healthy eating journey, just like I was able to accomplish.

This business has certainly been an experience – one that has been so powerful, empowering, and amazing.  One that I’d never trade for anything.

But you know what?  It’s also been trying, LOTS of hard work, and daily commitment.

When I look back at our successes, I see the beginning of it all.  The fear and excitement of trying something new – even later in life, when it isn’t what you planned.

I see a dream of helping people be healthy, of making it easier to find and create quality food with ingredients they trust.

I see it as helping to provide a positive solution in the world, in our own unique way.

I see Dustin and me, sitting in our apartment with our baby girl, making things work, day by day.  It hasn’t always been easy, but it’s always been ours and it is exactly what we make of it, each and every day.

I see the possibility and amazingness of helping people, of touching their lives, and of creating your own story, with a little hard work and a dream.

HOMEMADE PALEO APPLE CINNAMON MUFFINS

Now, let’s get back to these paleo apple cinnamon muffins. They are so YUMMY. Not too sweet, with a hint of cinnamon, and a crunchy delish topping. So GOOD!

What’s better for breakfast than moist, delicious, and paleo apple muffins, am I right?

About these apple muffins with crumb topping: “ummm YUM” is really the only thing that comes to mind to explain how delicious they are.  They’re moist, tender, bursting with apple cinnamon sweetness and an amazeballs crunchy, golden topping.

Oh my, these are delish and super easy to make.

Now, truth be told: I’m not a big baker.  I can make a savory recipe pretty easily nowadays on the first shot. But baking?  It usually takes me a few times to get it perfect so I can share it on the blog .  BUT then I tried paleo baking flour, and it's been life changing.

First time I tested it, I had the keeper recipe.  This is big, guys.  I mean: this is not only a baked good recipe, but it’s using coconut flour – WHUH?

I love these apple muffins warm in the morning with a latte. Or as an afternoon snack. They make a good dessert, too. They are amazing and versatile like that.

And, since they are so easy to make, you can make them for breakfast in the morning. However, if cooking breakfast during busy mornings is not really your thing, you can make these paleo applesauce muffins ahead.

HOW TO MAKE GRAIN FREE MUFFINS

Flour is a common ingredient in baked goods. And if you cannot eat gluten, it’s hard to enjoy them. Notice how I said flour is a common ingredient, not a mandatory one? That’s because it is possible to make grain-free muffins and other grain-free baked goods as well.

With this gluten free apple muffin recipe, you’ll make amazing gluten-free and low-carb apple muffins. Yay!

To make grain-free muffins, you need grain-free flour. You can make coconut flour apple muffins, almond flour apple muffins or you can do what I did and make paleo muffins with a mix of 4 different grain-free flours. And you don’t have to mix flours or try to find how much gluten-free flour to use instead of all-purpose flour like you would do if you’d test various coconut flour muffin recipes.

I use Bob’s Red Mill Paleo Baking Flour because it makes baking easy and the baked goods I make with this paleo flour are always totes amazing.

WHAT IS PALEO FLOUR?

Curious what’s the deal with paleo flour? Well, in paleo diets, ingredients that are poor in nutrient density are avoided. That includes most grains. Which means wheat flour is not paleo-approved.

Thankfully, there are flour alternatives that can make some killer grain free muffins. Bob’s Red Mill Paleo Baking Flour is one of them. It’s made with a mix of almond flour, coconut flour, arrowroot starch, and tapioca flour.

And, to make these paleo breakfast muffins 100% paleo approved, I did not use refined sugar or dairy in the recipe.

USING APPLESAUCE AS A SWEETENER

I know what you’re thinking, muffins should be sweet. Not too sweet but… sweet. And, since I did not use sugar, these paleo apple muffins are probably not sweet. Right?

Wrong!

They are sweet! Because I used applesauce instead of sugar. To swap paleo applesauce for sugar in a recipe you can go for a 1:1 ratio. However, you have to reduce the liquid in the recipe. Or, you can follow my apple muffins with applesauce recipe that uses a mix of paleo applesauce and raw honey.  Make sure to use unsweetened applesauce, too!

HOW LONG TO BAKE PALEO APPLE MUFFINS?

If you don’t know for how long to bake muffins, you can always use the toothpick test. In general, muffins take about 20-30 minutes.  When the tops have risen and you're wondering how to check if they're ready, just insert the toothpick in the center of the muffins and, if it comes out clean, they are ready to go!

For these paleo apple muffins, I recommend baking for 25 minutes.

HOW TO STORE PALEO APPLE MUFFINS

If you make a batch of these paleo apple cinnamon muffins and, somehow, they do not disappear immediately, you need to store them properly. You have 2 options – store at room temperature or freeze them.

• How to store muffins at room temperature – transfer the apple muffins with crumb topping to an airtight container in a single layer or to Ziploc bags. They will last for up to 3 days this way.
• How to freeze muffins – wrap each muffin in plastic foil or store them individually in Ziploc bags and freeze for up to 3 months.

3 MORE HEALTHY BREAKFAST MUFFIN RECIPES

If these paleo apple muffins made you believe it is possible to eat muffins and maintain a healthy lifestyle, I have great news for you - I have 3 more healthy breakfast muffin recipes you can make. Can I get a hooray?

EASY BANANA NUT MUFFINS

These Easy Banana Nut Muffins are soft, dense, and filled with banana flavor and nutty goodness.

The Banana Nut Muffins are great for breakfast, snack or dessert and they are perfect for when you have overripe bananas you don’t want to throw away. Get the recipe.

30-MINUTE HEALTHY PUMPKIN CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINS

Pumpkin flavors are amazing year round. This is my belief. And I love these 30-Minute Healthy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins.

The muffins are sugar and refined flour free but they are moist, sweet, and delicious. Basically, everything you want them to be. Get the recipe.

HEALTHY BANANA CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINS

Lastly, we have these Healthy Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins. They are clean, healthy, and so yummy.

These muffins are great for breakfast, brunch, snack or dessert too. And they are so tasty. Get the recipe.

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