Applesauce muffins – these muffins are my kids most requested after school snack. They’re delicious – that cinnamon sugar topping is just the right touch. Bonus: they’re so easy that my kids can help make them.
I love baking with my kids! I have so many special memories of time spent in the kitchen with my family growing up and I love creating those same memories with my own children. Whether we’re making dinner or baking a batch of our favorite muffins – working together in the kitchen helps foster connections, build memories and teach valuable life skills.
Cooking with kids can be fun and rewarding. Of course, it can also be messy and usually takes a little longer than doing it yourself – but in the end, the benefits of connecting, teaching and enjoying time together are totally worth the spilled flour or the slightly burnt batch of cookies.
Today I’m sharing one of my favourite, kid-friendly recipes. I loved it when my mom would make these applesauce muffins for us as kids and now they’ve become one of my kids favourites. They’re yummy and it’s so easy to keep all the ingredients for these muffins stocked in my pantry. They’re super simple, with plenty of steps that my kids can help with, which makes them the perfect thing for us to bake together. You can download a printer friendly version of the recipe here.
Ingredients:
½ cup butter
½ cup sugar
¼ cup butter, melted
½ cup sugar
¼ tsp cinnamon
Steps:
Cream butter and sugar.
Beat in eggs one at a time until fluffy.
Add applesauce and mix.
Sift in dry ingredients.
Place in muffin tins and bake at 350 F until golden.
While the muffins are still warm dip in melted butter and then in cinnamon sugar mixture.
Quick Tips to Keep in Mind When Baking with Kids.
1. Give them a job. Even the littlest helpers can put muffin liners in a muffin tin, mix ingredients or push the button to start the timer, etc. Get the kids involved by giving them specific tasks that are at their ability level to avoid unnecessary frustration.
Speaking of muffin liners, I tried out these parchment baking cups for the first time with this recipe and I really loved them. Have you tried them before? They peeled away so easily, without leaving half the muffin behind. They’re available on Amazon, but I purchased mine at a local Fry’s grocery store.
2. Plan ahead. A little bit of planning can help things run much smoother when you’re baking with kids. I really like to have ingredients measured ahead of time. This makes it easy for little hands to pour and takes less time once your helper is in the kitchen with you – which does wonders for short attention spans.
3. Expect a mess. Don’t be surprised if there is a spill or clothes get dirty – because it will happen. 😉 If you’re concerned about messes, have your child wear an apron or older clothes and keep a wash cloth handy. Relax. Have fun. Allow your child to explore and just embrace the mess. 🙂
4. Teach while you bake. I love the simple lessons that can be reinforced while creating in the kitchen. My kids like counting out cups of flour, singing silly songs as we mix, practising the letter sounds that correspond with each ingredient. If you have an emergent reader, put them in charge of reading the recipe to everyone.
5. Make it fun. Keeping things relaxed and fun will help you create lasting memories in the kitchen with your kids. I find I’m able to relax when we can take our time and don’t have anywhere to be. It also helps when I choose simple and inexpensive recipes to explore with the kids. That way, if things don’t turn out quite how we would have expected, it’s not a big deal.
ETA: I’ve had a few people asking what mixer I use. It’s a Bosch Universal Mixer. I’ve had it for several years and absolutely love it! Growing up, my Mom had a Bosch and if you can believe it, it’s still going strong, 20+ years later!
I hope you enjoy these simple and delicious applesauce muffins. We sure had fun making them and eating them too! They make a great afterschool snack and also freeze well. I typically freeze them without the topping + add it later, once the muffins are defrosted.
Rebecca Cooper is a 42-year-old wife and mother of four from Alberta, Canada. As a photographer, crafter, author, and blogger, she finds joy and fulfillment in celebrating everyday moments. She loves to read and eat chocolate, and is a firm believer in afternoon naps. Rebecca shares her family’s adventures, photo tips, simple craft projects + more right here at Simple as That.
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Chocolate chip cookies, of course! This recipe looks great!
Chocolate chip cookies, of course! I can’t wait to try this recipe, it looks yummy!
“Until golden”…Is that the 12-15 minutes indicated by the “cook time”? Thanks.
FYI, I made these and consider them a success. I was unsure when to add the applesauce, but did so just before adding the dry ingredients.
These are pretty good. Easy to make. Thanks!
A cooking time and when to add applesauce would be a great addition to the recipe. Even without these indicators the recipe turned out great!
How long would you cook these for mini muffins?
I just made these into mini muffins and left them in for 15 minutes. Next time, I’ll try 14 minutes.
Please go back and correct this recipe. Indicate when to add the applesauce and how long to cook them.
These came out a little damp for us. I suspect it’s because we live in a moister place than you do, or because Little Man helped me make these and may have dumped in a little extra applesauce (for good measure, of course!). We’re going to try making them again today with a little less butter and see how they turn out! They were delish!
Excellent recipe! I used homemade applesauce that was fairly chunky and thick, so used 2 cups. Next time will add some cinnamon too. Definitely a keeper of a recipe, will be making these regularly with my 8yo.
Where is your daughter’s darling shirt from?!?!
I believe I got it at Kohl’s — it’s from Carters. 🙂
Love these muffins! If you bake a lot (as I do) you should already know to add all your wet ingredients together before adding dry 🙂 So add the applesauce after you cream the butter/sugar/eggs! As for bake time, I’d say mine were in the oven for around 10-15, but again, I bake a lot so I just keep an eye on things rather than time them. Thanks for the easy recipe!
I made these last night for my family to have for breakfast this morning and we were out of milk. They were a hit! And they smell so good! Thanks for sharing your recipe.
These came out great! So simple and made with ingredients I always have on hand. They only lasted a day in the house and I had two people ask for the recipe. Thanks!
Ohhhhhhhhh my gosh… this is soooo cute~
And I love Applesauce in my muffin’s…
My boys would love these muffins! Thank you for sharing and your pictures are perfect!
Going to make these next Sun morn. YUM!
You’ll have to let me know what you think if you make ’em! 🙂
What kind of mixer is that in your photos? These look yummy! thanks for the recipe!
It’s a Bosch Kris and I love that machine! 🙂
Really wishing these had a time for baking!! I’ve been standing by the oven for the past 20 minutes waiting for “golden”. I finally cut one open to see if they were baked all the way through! But just fyi for anyone else…I’m thinking the time is 25 ish minutes?
could you please tell me if the recipe is for 6 or 12 muffins? thanks!
12 muffins
thank you!
These are the best muffins ever!!! My family loved them! We actually used made homemade applesauce from the apples we picked this fall….yum!
So glad your family enjoyed them Lynne….and YUM to using homemade applesauce!! 🙂
Can you let me know where the step stool is from? I’m looking for one like that. Thanks!!!
It’s from Ikea Angela! 🙂
I am a nanny from 2 kids in Belgium. They love cooking and baking. Going to try this next week. Looks so yummy and very easy! Thank you for sharing the recepie. Grtz from Belgium.
I will try them and the sound so good!
Yummy but mine stuck to muffin cups ! Help
I use paper muffin tin liners. 🙂
We’ve been using this recipe for a couple of years now and we love it. I always double it because we like to have leftovers. ? Thank you so much for sharing!
You’re so welcome Suzanne. Thank you for letting us know how much you love this recipe! It’s one of our absolute favorites. 🙂
Hey there! Just wanted to come back and say this recipe is still a family favorite. My kids ask for these muffins almost every week. As always, we double it and bake for about 19-21 minutes. They’re so good!