These Apple Cinnamon Muffins with Cottage Cheese are made with shredded apples, warm cinnamon, and blended cottage cheese stirred right into the batter.

The cottage cheese disappears completely once it’s blended smooth, and all it leaves behind is a soft, moist crumb and a bit of extra protein.

I make a batch of these on Sunday for breakfasts and school lunches all week, they hold up well in a lunchbox and don’t need to be heated up.

They’re also a good use for apples that are starting to go soft, since shredding hides any texture issues anyway.

If cozy breakfast bakes are your thing, these are worth bookmarking too:

Apple Cinnamon Muffins with Cottage Cheese

Ingredients You’ll Need

Shredded apple is what makes these muffins so moist (a box grater does the job in a couple minutes, skins can stay on).

Blending the cottage cheese until smooth is the key step here, it disappears into the batter instead of leaving curds behind.

A cinnamon sugar topping right before baking gives them a bit of crackle on top.

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup cottage cheese, blended smooth
2 large eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups shredded apple, lightly squeezed dry
2 tablespoons sugar, for topping
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, for topping

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
Blend the cottage cheese in a blender or food processor for about 30 seconds, until completely smooth with no curds left.
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
Set this aside for now.
In a large bowl, whisk together the blended cottage cheese, eggs, granulated sugar, brown sugar, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract until smooth.
The mixture should look pale and slightly thickened once everything is combined.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir just until no dry streaks remain.
Don’t overmix here. A few lumps in the batter are fine, and overmixing is what makes muffins turn dense and tough instead of tender.
Fold in the shredded apple gently with a spatula, distributing it evenly through the batter.
Squeezing some of the liquid out of the shredded apple beforehand keeps the batter from getting too wet (I use a clean kitchen towel to press out the excess).
Divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups, filling each about three-quarters full.
Mix the topping sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl and sprinkle it evenly over the tops of the muffins.
Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
This one takes a bit of watching toward the end, ovens vary and these can go from perfectly done to dry pretty fast.
Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack.
Serve warm or at room temperature and enjoy!

Important Recipe Notes

Blend the cottage cheese completely. This is the step that makes or breaks the texture. Skip it and you’ll get little curds throughout the muffin instead of a smooth, moist crumb.
Shred the apple, don’t dice it. Shredded apple blends into the batter and cooks through evenly. Diced apple stays chunkier and can leave wet pockets in the finished muffin.
Squeeze out excess apple liquid. Shredded apple releases a good amount of water. Pressing it in a towel before folding it in keeps the batter from turning too loose.

Don’t overmix the batter. Stir just until the flour disappears. Overmixed muffin batter develops gluten and turns dense instead of light.
Storage. Store cooled muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the fridge for up to a week.
Freezing. These freeze well for up to 3 months. Wrap them individually and thaw at room temperature or microwave for 20 to 30 seconds.
Make-ahead tip. The batter doesn’t hold well overnight since the baking soda starts working right away, so bake the same day you mix it.

How to Serve, Store & Customize This Recipe

Serving:

These are good warm from the oven or at room temperature, no butter or toppings needed, though a light spread of butter while they’re still warm never hurts.

They pack well for lunches since they hold together without crumbling much.

Storage:

Keep muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the refrigerator for up to a week if your kitchen runs warm.

They also freeze well, wrapped individually, for up to 3 months.

Customization:

Add a handful of chopped walnuts or pecans for crunch, or a half cup of raisins along with the shredded apple.

Swap the granulated and brown sugar ratio for all brown sugar if you want a deeper, more caramel-like flavor.

Whole wheat flour can replace up to half the all-purpose flour without changing the texture much.