Upside-Down Caramel-Apple Muffins

By Melissa Clark

Updated September 1, 2025

  • Julia Gartland for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Samantha Seneviratne.
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Total Time
55 minutes
Rating
4(819)
Comments
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I’ve never been much of a muffin maker. If I’m going to bake, I’d prefer to make a whole cake. But there is one kind of muffin that I heartily embrace — an upside-down fruit muffin. Its small, individual size encourages the fruit to condense and caramelize as it bakes. Then, when you unmold the muffin, the fruit transforms into a glistening crown of an irresistible sticky topping.

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Ingredients

Yield:12 muffins

FOR THE APPLE TOPPING

  • 3 apples about 1 ½ pounds, peeled, cored and sliced ¼-inch thick

  • ½ cup dark brown sugar

  • 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter

  • Pinch kosher salt

  • ½ cup chopped walnuts, toasted optional

FOR THE MUFFINS

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour

  • ¾ cup dark brown sugar

  • 1 tablespoon baking powder

  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

  • 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten

  • ¾ cup sour cream

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving

39 grams carbs; 80 milligrams cholesterol; 367 calories; 6 grams monosaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 12 grams saturated fat; 22 grams fat; 2 grams fiber; 163 milligrams sodium; 5 grams protein; 20 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. FOR THE APPLE TOPPING

    1. Step 1

      Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Generously grease a 12-cup muffin tin.

    2. Step 2

      In a large skillet over medium-high heat, stir together the apples, ½ cup brown sugar, 8 tablespoons butter and pinch salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the apples are tender, about 15 minutes. Distribute the apple slices among the muffin cups. Add walnuts, if using, on top of the apple slices.

    3. Step 3

      To make the muffins, in a large bowl, whisk together flour, ¾ cup brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and ¼ teaspoon salt.

    4. Step 4

      In a separate bowl, whisk together 8 tablespoons butter, eggs, sour cream and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and fold together until smooth. Distribute the batter on top of the apples. Bake until the muffins are slightly puffed, about 20 to 22 minutes.

    5. Step 5

      Allow the muffins to cool partly in the pan; turn onto a platter and serve warm or at room temperature.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
819 user ratings
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Comments

Debbie

You need to use Granny Smith or a similar dry apple. I made this with Gala apples, which gave off too much water, and even after cooking them down in the skillet, they never caramelized in the muffin tins. I ended up with a delicious muffin with a sad, pale apple compote on top.

lynn

Followed recipe as printed and they were perfect
as the picture. Readers need to stop criticizing
ingredients and chef. This a recipe site.

Mary

We are bakers. We use butter.

Gai

These were so amazing! We are gluten free so I used King Arthur's GF muffin mix for the muffin part. But the caramelized apples were brilliant! Daughter is allergic to walnuts, so I also omitted the nuts. Still, these were amazing!

CityMouseDC

@Ards07 - Loaf pan! Great idea!

CityMouseDC

Delicious! I did reduce the caramel in the apples by 1/2, but carmelized thoroughly before putting the apples in the tins. Next time, I might try sandwiching the filling between 2 layers of batter. I do wish the recipe had weights; I assumed that the brown sugar would be gently pressed into the measuring cup.

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