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Zoomed-in shot of a perfectly baked apple cinnamon muffin with a golden, crunchy streusel topping, ideal for cozy fall mornings.
Stephanie

Apple Cinnamon Sourdough Discard Muffins Recipe

This delicious recipe for Apple Cinnamon Sourdough Discard Muffins brings together tart, orchard-fresh apples, warm spices, and the subtle tang of sourdough starter, turning leftover discard into a fall treat that tastes like a sourdough apple pie in muffin form.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Breakfast, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Dry Ingredients
  • 2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour or fresh milled wheat
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon nutmeg
Wet Ingredients
  • 1 cup sourdough starter discard or active sourdough starter
  • ¾ cup (150g) light or dark brown sugar to be mixed with wet ingredients
  • ½ cup melted unsalted butter
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 ¼ cups milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Add-Ins
  • 1 ¼ cups finely chopped crisp apples peeled or unpeeled
Crumble Topping:
  • ½ cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup brown sugar packed
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup cold unsalted butter cubed

Method
 

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line or grease a 12-cup muffin tin.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
  3. In a separate bowl, combine discard, melted butter, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, and milk. Mix until smooth.
  4. Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients and stir just until combined — don’t overmix.
  5. Gently fold in chopped apples.
  6. Fill the muffin pan ¾ of the way up with muffin batter.
  7. Next make the crumb topping by combining flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Add the cold butter and cut it into the dry ingredients with a pastry cutter or fork until the mixture becomes crumbly. Sprinkle the crumble on top of the muffin dough.
  8. Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
  9. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Notes

  • These freeze well! You can wrap individually for an easy grab-and-go breakfast or I just simply place them in a gallon sized freezer safe Ziploc baggie once they've cooled.
  • Try mixing in chopped pecans, shredded coconut, or raisins (one of our favorite add-ins!)for variation.
  • This recipe works great with tart apples like Granny Smith or Honeycrisp.