Vegan Apple Muffins

Instructions

1. If you're planning to make the streusel topping, start by melting the vegan butter in a small saucepan over low heat, then set it aside to cool.
2. Place an oven rack in the middle of your oven, then preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C).
3. Prepare a muffin tin with 10 liners.
4. Sift together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt into a medium mixing bowl and mix well.
5. Add your almond milk, oil, vinegar, and vanilla, then mix until just combined. There shouldn't be any dry flour, but you don't want to overmix; it should be a bit lumpy (see photo).
6. Gently fold in your diced apples, being careful not to overmix.
7. Fill your muffin liners with batter, leaving about 1/4 inch (1/2 cm) of space between the top of the batter and the top of the liner. I like to weigh my batter to ensure the muffins are even in size; I used about 80 grams of batter per muffin.
8. Optional (for streusel): In the cleaned mixing bowl or another small bowl, add the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon and mix well. Add the melted vegan butter and stir with a fork until clumpy, but don't overmix or it may turn into a paste.
9. Optional (for streusel): Sprinkle the crumble topping over each muffin, then gently press it into the top. There may be a bit of topping left over; you don't need to use it all.
10. Bake at 425°F (220°C) for 5 mintues, then, without opening the oven door, reduce the temperature to 350°F (180°C) and continue baking for another 14-17 minutes. The muffins are ready when the topping is golden brown and a toothpick can be inserted into the muffins and come out clean.
11. Place the finished muffins and the muffin tin on a wire rack for about 10 minutes, then pull the muffins out of the tin and place them directly on the wire rack to cool completely.
12. Optional (for icing): While your muffins are cooling, mix together your icing ingredients until smooth. You should have a thick icing that's just thin enough to drizzle. If it's too thick, you can add additional milk, 1 tsp. at a time. If it's too thin, add 1-2 tbsp. of powdered sugar at a time until you have the right texture. Drizzle icing over the cooled muffins using a squeeze bottle, piping bag with a thin tip, or a spoon.

I recommend weighing your flour if possible (250 g.), but if you are measuring using cups, be sure not to scoop the cup directly into the flour. Instead, spoon the flour into the cup, then use the back of a butter knife to level it off.

I used Pink Lady apples, but you can use any apples you like that are suitable for baking, like Granny Smith or Honeycrisp.

The streusel topping may begin to get soft after a day or two. To crisp it back up, you can reheat the muffins in an oven or air fryer. If you plan to have leftovers, I recommend adding the icing only after reheating to avoid melting.