Baking is one of my favorite things to do with my free time and admittedly the only thing I’m pretty confident about doing in the kitchen. Fall is the season where I find myself baking a lot, and two of my favorite fall flavors – pumpkin and apples –are often featured in one of my sweet creations. With Halloween coming up, I thought it would be fun to “treat” my son and his class with a fall-flavored snack that didn’t send the kiddos into a sugar coma. With my little baking buddy’s help, we whipped up these Pumpkin and Piñata Apple Mini Muffins in no time at all. They are moist, sweet, and spicy with lots of pumpkin flavor. The perfect fall treat (or on-the-go breakfast) for kids and adults alike.

Apples are a great natural sweetener to use when baking, and in my opinion, cut down on amount of actual sugar needed to sweeten up a recipe. I particularly like Piñata apples because they offer a nice balance of sweet and tart flavors and won’t break down too much when cooked. Piñata is also a favorite snacking apple in my house so I was glad to be able to buy one apple to fit multiple needs. I loosely followed this recipe from Taste of Home for my version of Pumpkin Apple Mini Muffins, but made quite a few modifications in order to use the ingredients I had on hand and change things up a bit. The use of Greek yogurt was one modification. I like using it in baking as it keeps the batter moist and allows you to cut down on the amount of butter needed. For the actual baking of the muffins, I set them on the center rack for about 15 minutes, followed by a brief time on broil to ensure a perfectly golden brown and moist muffin.

Pumpkin Apple Mini Muffins

Pumpkin Apple Mini Muffins

Ingredients

  • 2 1/4 cups flour
  • 1 1/2 canned pumpkin
  • 1 large Pinata apple, peeled and cubed
  • 2 eggs
  • 4 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 2 heaping tbsp plain Greek yogurt
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 3/4 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Pinata apples offer a nice balance of sweet and tart in these pumpkin muffins, and Greek yogurt keeps them soft and moist.

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  • Yield
    36 servings
  • Prep time
  • Cook time
  • Total time
  • Cuisine
    American
  • In Category
    Dessert

Pinata apples offer a nice balance of sweet and tart in these pumpkin muffins, and Greek yogurt keeps them soft and moist.

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Then, peel the apple and slice it into small, quarter-inch size cubes. The small cubes are important so that the batter fits in the mini muffin tray. If you are making regular size muffins, the size of the cubes could be bigger.
  3. Next, combine the pumpkin, eggs, vanilla, yogurt, and butter. Beat on low until mixture is smooth.
  4. Add salt, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and sugar. Mix well.
  5. Finally, add flour and baking soda. Add first 1 1/2 cups of flour and then add in 1/4 of flour at a time to reach the desired batter consistency you want.
  6. Fold the apples into the batter and then spoon batter into your mini muffin tray. Place on the center rack of a pre-heated oven. Bake for 12-15 minutes before checking the muffins.
  7. Once muffins are plump (but still doughy on top), turn the oven dial to broil. This helps brown the top of the muffins. Watch muffins carefully and remove from oven once golden brown on top. To ensure the middle of the muffin is cooked through, stick a fork in the middle of the muffin. Once it comes out clean the muffins are done.
  8. Allow to cool and enjoy with a mug of milk! If you are taking these to share at school or for a festive Halloween party, you might want to package them in treat bags or a serving bowl. Enjoy!

Nutritional Information

Per Serving

  • Calories: 75

Brianna Shales

Brianna joined the Stemilt family right after graduating from Washington State University (Go Cougs!) in 2007. She’s our chief communicator and writer of various fruit topics here on The Stem blog. Away from the office, Brianna is a mom of two young boys and former picky eater that has been transformed into a bit of a foodie thanks to her husband. Peaches are her favorite Stemilt fruit, but Piñata apples are a close second.

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