If fall had a signature muffin, it would surely be this one. The crumb is warm and cinnamon spiced, with chunks of tender, juicy apple throughout. And on top? A sweet, crumbly, cinnamon streusel. “This tastes like apple crisp in muffin form,” said one of our tasters upon first bite. Others thought, “Apple fritter meets coffee cake.” The general consensus: positively scrumptious!

The muffins bake up super moist thanks to a half cup of sour cream in the batter — which, in tandem with all that warm cinnamon, makes them taste even more like coffee cake. We also use both white and brown sugars in the batter to give the muffins a caramelly note, a lovely complement to the apple bits.

And speaking of the apples, we like to use one tart variety, like Granny Smith, and one sweet-tart, like Honeycrisp, to get a puckery complement to the sweet crumb. But feel free to use whatever you have on hand, or better yet, play around with different varieties! It’s a fun way to celebrate fall’s favorite fruit — and taste how their subtle flavor nuances bake up in the muffins. Whichever apples you use, be sure to cut them into little half-inch cubes so they stay evenly dispersed throughout the muffins. A tip from the test kitchen: if you toss and coat the diced apples in 1½ teaspoons of flour, they won’t sink to the bottom.

The streusel is a simple combination of white and brown sugars, cinnamon, butter, and flour. It’s so nice and crunchy — the perfect contrast to the wonderfully squishy muffins. (Should streusel be on all muffins? We think yes.) The streusel holds its own, but if you want an extra flourish of sweetness on your muffins, you can drizzle them with a creamy vanilla glaze, as we’ve done here.

These muffins are perfect for cozy fall brunches with friends or on-the-go breakfasts for those mornings when you hit snooze one too many times — they taste fantastic with a hot, foamy latte, whether homemade or from the drive-thru. We also love them for afternoon pick-me-ups (must get through that 4 o’clock Zoom meeting!) and secret midnight snacks. Shhh!