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    Home » Recipes » Muffins

    Published: Oct 24, 2022 by Pate Giltner 1 Comment

    Cream Cheese Apple Butter Muffins

    12 shares
    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

    These apple butter muffins are swirled with a cinnamon cream cheese topping and are filled with spiced apple butter!

    Apple butter is my favorite fall condiment and flavoring! These muffins are full of apple butter flavor and spiced cinnamon cream cheese.

    Apple butter muffin split in half and smeared with apple butter.

    Jump to:
    • Why you will love this recipe:
    • Key Ingredients:
    • Step by step instructions:
    • Tips for success:
    • Storage
    • Variations
    • Equipment 
    • FAQ's
    • Looking for more muffin recipes? Check these out!
    • Cream Cheese Apple Butter Muffins

    Why you will love this recipe:

    Apple butter is a fall staple and my favorite condiment once Autumn hits; it's made from apples, spices, and sweeteners. It tastes exactly like fall harvest. This recipe is great with both store-bought butter or this stovetop bourbon apple butter recipe.

    These muffins with apple butter are made with cream cheese, making them moist, a bit tangy, and totally delightful. But even though it's made with cream cheese and they are a traditional muffin, they are still incredibly fluffy!

    ingredients for the apple butter muffins on a red stone table.

    Key Ingredients:

    Apple Butter: apple butter is made by cooking down apples in spices and a little sweetener. For this recipe, I use this bourbon apple butter which is made with apple cider, bourbon, brown sugar, and maple syrup but store-bought apple butter works as well!

    Eggs: The eggs in this recipe work double-time as a binding agent for all the ingredients, but they also help the muffins rise. 

    All-purpose flour: AP flour is what gives the muffin its structure.

    Sugar: sugar is what makes these muffins sweet and tasty. However, there's not too much; I'm not a fan of overly sweet things. 

    Cream Cheese: cream cheese adds moisture, texture, and a tangy flavor to the muffins. The cream cheese mixture in this recipe used cinnamon and vanilla to make it extra delicious!

    See recipe card for quantities.

    Step by step instructions:

    The butter and sugar creamed together with an egg sitting on top.

    Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time. Then mix in the vanilla.

    The apple butter sitting on top of the mixture.

    Next, mix in the apple butter.

    The batter after the flour has been mixed in.

    Followed by the flour, salt, and baking powder. Sit the bowl aside.

    The batter added to the muffin tin.

    Add the batter to a prepared lined muffin tin, filling ¾ of the way up. 

    The cream cheese mixture beaten and fluffy.

    Make the cream cheese mixture by beating the cream cheese, cinnamon, sugar, vanilla, and egg yoke together until smooth. 

    The cream cheese mixture sitting on top of the batter.

    Add about 1 tablespoon of cream cheese to the tops of the muffins and use a toothpick to swirl the mixture into the muffin batter. 

    Tips for success:

    • Don't over-mix the batter; the key to the perfect muffin texture is just mixed batter. 
    • A toothpick is the best method to swirl the cream cheese; a knife works, but it's harder to swirl in a muffin tin.

    Storage

    Store these muffins in an airtight container for 2-3 days at room temperature or freeze them for up to 3 months. 

    Apple butter muffin with a dried apple sitting on top of the muffin.

    Variations

    • If you don't have any apple cider, you can substitute it for apple juice, but it will have a less "spiced" flavor. 
    • Looking for an apple cider cupcake, these bourbon apple cider cupcakes have a similar taste but in cupcake form and are topped with a bourbon frosting! 

    Equipment 

    • Muffin tin 
    • Electric mixer 
    • Toothpicks 

    FAQ's

    How long do these muffins last?

    They will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.

    Looking for more muffin recipes? Check these out!

    • Roasted Strawberry Muffins
    • Banana Muffins with Bourbon and Honey Butter
    • Monkey Muffins
    • Hibiscus Muffins
    Print
    clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
    Apple butter muffin split in half and smeared with apple butter.

    Cream Cheese Apple Butter Muffins

    ★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews
    • Author: Pate Giltner
    • Prep Time: 15
    • Cook Time: 20
    • Total Time: 35 minutes
    • Yield: 12 muffins 1x
    • Category: Muffin
    • Method: Baking
    • Cuisine: American
    Print Recipe
    Pin Recipe

    Description

    These apple butter muffins are swirled with a cinnamon cream cheese topping and are filled with spiced apple butter! 


    Ingredients

    Units Scale

    Muffins:

    • ½ cup softened butter
    • 1 cup sugar
    • 2 eggs
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 2 cups flour
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • 2 teaspoons baking powder
    • 1 cup apple butter

    Cream cheese topping:

    • 8 oz cream cheese
    • ¼ cup granulated sugar
    • 1 large egg yolk
    • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    • 1 tsp cinnamon

    Instructions

    1. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time. Then mix in the vanilla.
    2. Next, mix in the apple butter.
    3. Followed by the flour, salt, and baking powder. Sit the bowl aside.
    4. Add the batter to a prepared lined muffin tin, filling ¾ of the way up. 
    5. Make the cream cheese mixture by beating the cream cheese, cinnamon, sugar, vanilla, and egg yoke together until smooth. 
    6. Add about 1 tablespoon of cream cheese to the tops of the muffins and use a toothpick to swirl the mixture into the muffin batter. 
    7. Bake at 425 for 10 minutes, then lower to 375 and bake for 15 -20 minutes more.

    Notes

    • Don't over-mix the batter; the key to the perfect muffin texture is just mixed batter. 
    • A toothpick is the best method to swirl the cream cheese; a knife works, but it's harder to swirl in a muffin tin.

    Did you make this recipe?

    Share a photo and tag me @thegandmkitchen — I can't wait to see what you've made!

    More Muffins

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. elizabeth says

      October 24, 2022 at 5:36 pm

      These were amazing! The cream cheese was such an unexpected surprise!

      ★★★★★

      Reply

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    Pate Giltner holding a cupcake
    Pate Giltner holding a cupcake

    About Pate

    Hi, I'm Pate, and welcome to The G&M Kitchen!

    The G&M Kitchen is a recipe blog that specializes in southern baked goods. Here you will find classics like buttermilk and honey biscuits and beautiful show stoppers like strawberry basil cupcakes. While all recipes are inspired by traditional southern classics, they all have a twist or adjustment that elevates them and brings them into the modern age.

    Learn more about me →

    As featured in: thefeedfeed, Sur La Table, Bake From Scratch, Foodtography School, The Bourbon Review, Bringing it Home

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