Cooking with Kids - Mini Applesauce Muffin Recipe (2024)

Home Recipes

By Michelle Marine

on Oct 11, 2015, Updated Oct 27, 2023

4 Comments

Jump to Recipe

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

If you’re looking for an easy applesauce muffins recipe to make with your kids – here you go! Everyone will enjoy help make and eat mini applesauce muffins!

Cooking with Kids - Mini Applesauce Muffin Recipe (2)

A few weeks ago, my five year old came to me with a recipe for applesauce muffins that she found on pbskids.org. We were right in the middle of moving into our passive-aggressive house, so I put her off. But she was determined to have me help her make that recipe. I think she liked it because it has pictures of all sorts of add on toppings – sprinkles, glaze, honey etc to put on the muffins after they’re baked – and she really wanted an excuse to eat sprinkles.

Well, we finally made her muffins, healthified of course, because I am a health-conscious mom who tries to be picky about what we eat. And they were delicious – even without the sprinkles {because we left them off}!

Cooking with Kids - Mini Applesauce Muffin Recipe (3)

You should make these mini applesauce muffins with your kids. They’re a great addition to school lunches or a nice snack. 4 thumbs up from all my kids!

Cooking with Kids – Mini Applesauce Muffin Recipe

In all honesty, I find it hard to cook with my kids. Have you seen the memes that mock the concept? I wholeheartedly agree. I guess I am a control freak sometimes, and working with my kids in the kitchen can bring out bad responses from me:when they make a mess, or slop ingredients out of the bowl I can go a little off my rocker.

Admittedly, I am trying to be better – and this recipe actually went very smoothly. I think it’s important to cook with my kids – so I am trying really, really hard to let it go and just do it. 😀

Cooking with Kids - Mini Applesauce Muffin Recipe (4)

We love organics at ALDI!

Gather your ingredients. You guys know that I love ALDI because of the great prices they have on organic products. As well, they have phased out artificial food colors, trans fats, and MSGfrom their ALDI brand products – a step toward creating healthier processed food that I admire greatly. To make this recipe, we used ALDI’s organic fresh apples ($3.99 for 5 lbs), Simply Nature No-Sugar Apple Sauce ($1.89 for 46 ounces), and organic coconut oil ($4.99 for 14 ounces).

Cooking with Kids - Mini Applesauce Muffin Recipe (5)

Are you ready to cook with your kids? Let’s go!

The first step to making these cute little muffins is to combine wet and dry ingredients separately and actually let your kids participate. My kids love to crack the eggs! This is a part of cooking I’ve had a hard time letting my kids do, but I guess they have to learn sometime, right? And they get such a thrill out of cracking the eggs. I’m not sure why. I find cracking eggs messy and annoying. So let your kids have a try!

Cooking with Kids - Mini Applesauce Muffin Recipe (6)

My kids love dumping ingredients in the bowl! I do measure everything out first, and then have them do the dumping. Maybe soon I will let them measure on their own – I guess I’m not quite ready to relinquish that much control yet.

Cooking with Kids - Mini Applesauce Muffin Recipe (7)

After the ingredients have been combined in their own bowls, add the wet ingredients to the dry and have your kids stir until just combined. And just so you know, I did not tell my girls to put on matching dresses, but I did insist that they brush their hair. True story – kids of bloggers are quite funny.

Cooking with Kids - Mini Applesauce Muffin Recipe (8)

Then, spoon the batter into the muffin tins. We prefer to use a scoop to try to get uniformly sized muffins. It doesn’t always work out as planned, especially when kids do the scooping, but they really like to scoop.
Cooking with Kids - Mini Applesauce Muffin Recipe (9)

Time to bake these delicious little applesauce muffins!

Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until the muffins are golden brown and toothpick comes out clean. Can I tell you how much I love my Thermador Oven, by the way? It’s so wonderfully awesome. 😀

Cooking with Kids - Mini Applesauce Muffin Recipe (10)I recommend that you cool the muffins completely, but if you can’t do that, cool at least until they won’t burn your fingers or mouth, and then devour.

We think these muffins make a nice two or three bite little snack. The are perfect for school lunches or after school treats. They’d also be a great if you’re responsible for Brownie Snacks or need to take a quick snack to any other type of meeting or event.

Yield: 48 mini muffins

Cooking with Kids – Mini Applesauce Muffin Recipe

Cooking with Kids - Mini Applesauce Muffin Recipe (11)

A little bit healthier applesauce muffins recipe that's easy enough to make with your kids!

Prep Time10 minutes

Cook Time20 minutes

Total Time30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all purpose flour, preferably unbleached
  • 1/2 cup sugar, preferably raw sugar
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp salt, preferably REAL salt
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten
  • 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 1 cup finely diced apples
  • 1/2 cup melted coconut oil

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease or line mini muffin pan with cupcake liners.
  2. Combine dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt) in a medium sized bowl. Whisk to combine.
  3. Combine egg, applesauce, apples, and coconut oil in a small bowl, then stir in the dry ingredients until just combined.
  4. Spoon into prepared muffin pans and bake 18-22 minutes, until muffins are golden brown and a toothpick come out clean.
  5. Cool completely, and enjoy!

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

24

Serving Size:

2 muffins

Amount Per Serving:Calories: 105Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 8mgSodium: 93mgCarbohydrates: 14gFiber: 1gSugar: 6gProtein: 1g

Nutritional data is not always right.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram tagging @simplifylivelove! I love to see your photos!

Although I admit to being a control freak when it comes to cooking with my kids, I am trying to do better and I plan to share more pictures of my kids helping me in the kitchen – as proof that I am giving up control! 😉

Are you a kitchen control freak too, or do you actually enjoy cooking with your kids? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

If you liked this mini applesauce muffin recipe, you might like these posts too:

German Pancakes served with Applesauce

Whole Wheat Rhubarb Scones

Strawberry Rhubarb Muffins

Make Ahead Muffin Recipes for the Freezer

About Michelle Marine

Michelle Marine is the author of How to Raise Chickens for Meat, a long-time green-living enthusiast, and rural Iowa mom of four. She empowers families to grow and eat seasonal, local foods; to reduce their ecological footprint; and to come together through impactful travel.

Read More About Me

You May Also Like:

Desserts

Ultimate Guide to Baking the Best Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Side Dishes

How to Make Air Fryer Zucchini Fries even Skeptics will Love

Main Courses

Copycat Chipotle Chicken Burrito Bowl Recipe to Make at Home

Side Dishes

No Soak Secret to Instant Pot Beans

Cooking with Kids - Mini Applesauce Muffin Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Can you substitute applesauce for oil in muffins? ›

Applesauce is a 1:1 replacement for oil, so if your recipe calls for half a cup of oil, use half a cup of applesauce instead. If you find yourself in the middle of a recipe and out of oil, use applesauce instead! This trick works in cakes, muffins, cookies, brownies, and any kind of sweet baked good.

What can applesauce replace in baking? ›

Of course there is nothing wrong with that, but if you or someone you love has a dietary restriction, you may need to make some adjustments. Today, we are focusing on applesauce. Applesauce can be used as a substitute for eggs, butter, oil, and sugar.

What can I do with too much applesauce? ›

  1. 1 - Ice cream sundae sauce. Heat 1/2 cup applesauce with 1 tablespoon light brown sugar and 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon. ...
  2. 2 - Cheese board accoutrement. ...
  3. 3 - Applesauce cookies. ...
  4. 4 - Potato pancake topping. ...
  5. 5 - Oatmeal stir-in. ...
  6. 6 - Peanut butter spread.
Dec 2, 2019

What does applesauce do in muffins? ›

There are several benefits to mixing unsweetened applesauce into your muffin batter. It makes muffins incredibly moist and tender. It allows you to reduce the amount of fat in the recipe, while still yielding extremely soft and tender muffins. This recipe still calls for oil, although a lesser amount.

Why do you put applesauce in muffins? ›

Unsweetened applesauce plays the same role as butter or oil in your bake. Applesauce acts much like the fat. It keeps the flour protein from mixing completely with the wet ingredients and forming a rubbery, dense texture. This is what does applesauce do in baking.

How does applesauce affect baking? ›

There's a good reason that applesauce can replace oil or butter in some cases — it has a lot of water, so it will keep your baked goods moist, and it works as a binder for the dry ingredients while adding a boost of fiber to your recipe. However, not all recipes are created equal when it comes to applesauce swaps.

Why do people use applesauce in baking? ›

If you love to bake, you may have struggled to find healthy recipes that retain moisture and taste. A way to replace the fat in cookies and cakes is to substitute some or all of the fat with applesauce. Apple sauces are made with heart-healthy apples and they can also be low in sugar and high in fiber.

Can applesauce replace eggs when baking? ›

Applesauce. Applesauce is a great neutral egg replacement, meaning you won't taste any apple in the final product. When subbing in applesauce for eggs, use ¼ cup for every egg your recipe calls for, and add an additional ½ teaspoon of baking powder to the dry ingredients.

Does applesauce replace oil in baking? ›

Applesauce: Unsweetened applesauce can be used to replace oil in baking. It adds moisture and sweetness, resulting in a softer texture. Use an equal amount of applesauce as the amount of oil called for in the recipe.

What are the disadvantages of applesauce? ›

Some brands of applesauce may contain added sugars and therefore extra calories. Applesauce is also lower in fiber than whole apples. As such, it may not be as filling.

Is applesauce good for belly? ›

Foods that help an upset stomach include ginger, rice, bananas, and applesauce while foods to avoid include dairy, fried foods, and spicy foods. Many conditions can cause an upset stomach. You might have symptoms like gas, bloating, indigestion, vomiting, diarrhea, or heartburn.

What happens when applesauce goes bad? ›

Mold is an obvious sign of spoilage, and the applesauce should be discarded immediately. What does it smell like? A quick whiff that gives off a sweet scent of applesauce means it is probably still good. If there is an unpleasant odor, you're likely smelling spoiled applesauce, so go ahead and toss it out.

How long to bake mini cupcakes at 350? ›

Bake the mini cupcakes at 350 °F (177 °C) for roughly 15 minutes. Check on the mini cupcakes after 9 or 10 minutes, sticking a toothpick into the center of one. If the toothpick comes out clean, they're done!

How do you check if muffins are done without toothpick? ›

lightly press the top of the muffin with your finger, the cake should spring back if it is baked - if your finger leaves an indentation in the cake, it is not baked sufficiently. How do you know if your cake is undercooked or overcooked? The toothpick test is your best bet to check right out of the oven.

What should finished muffins look like? ›

You'll also know the muffins are finished baking when they have a golden color, the tops are rounded, and the edges of the muffins are firm. Let the baked muffins cool on a wire rack for a few minutes or until they're cool enough to handle.

Why are my muffins not cooking inside? ›

If your muffins aren't baked through, the problem could be that the oven temperature could have been to low, the batter could have been overmixed, and/or the wrong amount of leavener was used.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Patricia Veum II

Last Updated:

Views: 6484

Rating: 4.3 / 5 (44 voted)

Reviews: 91% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Patricia Veum II

Birthday: 1994-12-16

Address: 2064 Little Summit, Goldieton, MS 97651-0862

Phone: +6873952696715

Job: Principal Officer

Hobby: Rafting, Cabaret, Candle making, Jigsaw puzzles, Inline skating, Magic, Graffiti

Introduction: My name is Patricia Veum II, I am a vast, combative, smiling, famous, inexpensive, zealous, sparkling person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.