The advantage of this recipe is that it requires very few ingredients. These Apple and Cottage Cheese Muffins are quickly mixed, quickly baked-and quickly eaten! Tender, lightly spiced and topped with a crunchy oat streusel, they can be transported easily to eat on the go, in the office, or at school.
The inspiration for this recipe came from my having leftover cottage cheese, which I decided to incorporate into some muffins. (Because, why not?)
The cottage cheese is the secret ingredient in these muffins. It makes these muffins so tender and gives them an enjoyable, creamy taste.
And that oatmeal streusel topping is just totally irresistible!
Key Ingredients & Substitutions
- Cottage cheese. Low-fat (1% or 2%) small-curd cottage cheese works best and keeps the muffins light. Full-fat works too and makes them a little richer. In a pinch, swap in the same amount of ricotta or thick plain Greek yogurt.
- Apples. You'll need about 1 large apple, peeled and grated, to make 1 cup. Firm, sweet-tart varieties like Honeycrisp, Gala, Fuji or Granny Smith hold their flavor best in baking. Pears are a lovely stand-in in the fall.
- Flour. Whole-wheat flour gives the muffins a hearty, nutty flavor, while all-purpose flour makes them softer and lighter. White whole-wheat flour, or a half-and-half mix of the two, is a nice middle ground.
- Oil. Any neutral-flavored oil, like canola, sunflower or light olive oil, works here. Melted coconut oil or melted butter can be used instead.
- Milk. Dairy milk or any unsweetened plant-based milk, such as oat or almond milk, will do the job.
- Sugar. Regular white sugar sweetens the batter. Coconut sugar or light brown sugar can be substituted one-for-one for a deeper, more caramel-like flavor.
- Oat streusel. Old-fashioned rolled oats give the topping the best crunch. Quick oats work too, but they bake up a bit softer. Brown sugar and melted butter bind it all together.
Helpful Tips
Squeeze the grated apple. After grating your apple, give it a squeeze in a paper towel or clean kitchen towel to remove excess moisture. Too much liquid from the apple can thin out the batter and lead to dense, gummy muffins instead of a light, tender crumb.
Use small-curd cottage cheese for the smoothest texture. Small curd blends into the batter more evenly than large curd, so you won't get noticeable pockets of cheese in the finished muffin. If all you have on hand is large curd, a quick pulse in a blender or food processor before mixing works well too.
Don't overmix the batter. Stir the wet and dry ingredients together just until you no longer see streaks of flour. A lumpy batter is exactly what you want here. Overmixing develops the gluten in the flour, which makes for tougher, less tender muffins.
Fill the liners about three-quarters full. This gives the muffins enough room to dome nicely as they bake without overflowing the tin or baking unevenly. A standard 12-cup nonstick muffin tin lined with paper liners is all you need, and an ice cream scoop makes portioning the batter quick and even.
Check for doneness with a toothpick. Every oven runs a little differently, so start checking around the 18-minute mark. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean or with just a few moist crumbs attached.
Let cold ingredients warm up a bit. Cottage cheese, milk and egg straight from the fridge make a stiff, cold batter that bakes less evenly. Setting them on the counter for 15 to 20 minutes while you grate the apple and gather everything else helps the muffins rise and bake through at the same rate.
Get a head start. You can measure out the dry ingredients and mix the streusel topping up to a day in advance, storing each separately at room temperature in an airtight container. Grate the apple and combine the wet ingredients just before baking so the batter doesn't sit around and lose its rise.
Variations
These cottage cheese muffins make a great base recipe for all kinds of muffin creations. Here are a few favorite ways to switch them up:
- Applesauce version. Swap the grated apple for ¾ cup unsweetened applesauce. The muffins come out extra moist with a smoother, more cake-like crumb, and you can cut the oil down to 2 tablespoons if you like. Add ½ cup finely diced apple too if you still want a few tender bites of fruit.
- Nutty. Fold ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans into the batter, or mix a couple of tablespoons into the streusel for extra crunch.
- Raisin or cranberry. Stir in ½ cup raisins, dried cranberries or chopped dates for little pockets of chewy sweetness.
- Berry. Replace half of the apple with fresh or frozen blueberries or raspberries (don't thaw frozen berries first). Toss them in a spoonful of the flour mixture first so they don't sink.
- Chocolate chip. Add ½ cup mini chocolate chips for a treat that kids go crazy for.
- Warm spice. Replace the cinnamon with apple pie spice or pumpkin pie spice, or add a pinch of nutmeg and ginger for an extra-cozy fall version.
Serving Ideas
These muffins make a fantastic on-the-go breakfast or afternoon snack, and are also perfect for packing in your lunchbox. They're super kid friendly, too! Pair one with a piece of fruit and a handful of nuts for a well-rounded snack box.
For a slower morning, serve them warm, split open with a pat of butter or a spoonful of homemade apple butter. A cup of coffee or chai, or a Green Apple Smoothie, rounds out the meal nicely.
They also earn a spot on a fall brunch table next to a savory dish like a Spinach Mushroom Frittata, a bowl of yogurt and granola, and a pitcher of warm mulled cider.
Storing & Freezing
To store: Let the muffins cool completely, then keep them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Because these muffins contain cottage cheese, refrigerating them is the safer choice if you won't finish them within a day or two. The streusel softens a little over time; a few minutes in a warm oven crisps it back up.
To freeze: These muffins freeze beautifully. Once completely cool, wrap each one individually in plastic wrap and place them in a freezer-safe bag or container for up to 3 months. To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge or at room temperature, then warm in a 300°F oven for about 10 minutes, or microwave for 20-30 seconds, to bring back that fresh-baked texture.
More Muffins & Breakfast Treats
If you love these apple and cottage cheese muffins, check out these other tasty ideas:
- Date and Apple Muffins
- Healthy Carrot Muffins
- Banana Cranberry Muffins
- 25 On-the-Go Breakfast Ideas
- 16+ Healthy Homemade Snack Recipes
📖 Recipe
Equipment
- 12 Muffin cases paper liners
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups whole-wheat flour or all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- ½ cup white sugar (organic for vegan-friendly)
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 cup cottage cheese, 1% or 2%, small curd
- 1 cup apples, peeled and grated (about 1 large apple), excess moisture squeezed out
- ¼ cup oil, neutral, such as canola or sunflower
- ¼ cup milk, dairy or unsweetened plant-based
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 egg, large, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Topping
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup oatmeal, old-fashioned rolled oats
- ¼ cup butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
- In a second bowl, whisk the cottage cheese, grated apple, oil, milk, egg and vanilla until well combined.
- Pour the wet mixture over the dry ingredients and stir gently with a spatula just until no streaks of flour remain. The batter will be thick and a little lumpy; don't overmix.
- Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups, filling each about three-quarters full.
- In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar, oats and melted butter until crumbly. Sprinkle evenly over the muffins, pressing it lightly into the batter.
- Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Let the muffins cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Marg K says
I used dry cottage cheese so added some milk to it but it was not enough. Ended up adding some yoghurt/milk mix to make the them moist enough. They were then a bit too moist. But I will adjust next time because they are tasty.
Kashira says
These muffins are delicious. Great with tea or milk or as a quick protein filled snack. I would highly recommend that you use a sieve to drain the excess liquid from the cottage cheese to make a fluffier and less dense muffin. Also, straining beforehand makes these muffins stay fresher longer.
Toni says
These muffins were moist, easy and delicious! For my tastes I might use a little less sugar but my daughter will really appreciate them. The topping was also really tasty, though I will try 1/2 the amount of melted butter next time as it was pooled in each of the muffin cups when it finished cooking. Thank you so much for sharing.
Toni says
These were quick, easy & delicious. A perfect amount of sweetness, though you could probably reduce the sugar a bit if you’re concerned about it. The topping was tasty. It left a pool of melted butter at the bottom of the muffins so I think I’ll try to reduce it a bit next time. Will definitely make these regularly. Thanks for sharing!