These healthy apple walnut muffins are made with almond flour, dried apples, studded with raw walnuts and lightly sweetened with honey. They're a healthy paleo muffin recipe - easy to make and perfect for snacking or topped with icing for dessert.

Cinnamon, apple and walnut is a delightful combination. Yes?!

As a snack, I've eaten fresh apples coated in nut butter and sprinkled with cinnamon more times that I can count. I guess that's how the idea for these healthy apple walnut muffins came about. Nothing better than combining one of my favorite paleo approved snacks into a muffin...another one of my favorite afternoon treats.

These muffins have a whole host of great qualities. Here's what you need to know:

Recipe Highlights

paleo friendly
gluten free & grain free - made with a mixture of almond flour and arrowroot starch
dairy free - no butter or milk
low in added sugar - only sweetened with the dried apples and a tablespoon of honey
easy to make - made in a food processor or blender

These flourless apple muffins really are a treat! They're healthy and quick to make but still full of flavor and perfect for a treat when topped with a sugar free icing.

Baking with Freeze Dried Apples

Despite my love for fresh apples, these muffins don't actually contain any! They are made with freeze dried apples.

Although you can find apples year round, they are in season from late July to early November. I find them tasting best during the months of September and October.

Freeze dried, however, are tasty and available year round. Plus, dried fruit works well in baking. You get more flavor and don't have to worry about the extra water involved in fresh fruit. (That can sometimes mess with the batter consistency.)

If you can't find freeze dried apples, then use any crisp dried apple, such as Bare apple chips. They will produce similar results. If you're looking for a fresh apple muffin recipe, take a look at my paleo blender appl e blender muffins.

Ingredients

Here's a list of what you need to make this recipe for apple walnut muffins:

freeze dried apples
blanched almond flour
arrowroot starch (or tapioca flour)
apple pie spice (or cinnamon)
baking soda
salt
eggs
water (or nut milk)
avocado oil
honey (optional)
vanilla extract
walnut pieces

These apple muffins contain simple, paleo and gluten free ingredients. The combination of almond flour and arrowroot provides a moist, fluffy muffin texture.

I added a tablespoon of honey to this muffin recipe, but this ingredient can be omitted, making these sugar free apple muffins.

I topped these gluten free apple muffins with a sugar free icing. It's optional but a great addition. All you need for the icing is: powdered monk fruit, arrowroot starch and almond milk.

How to Make Cinnamon Apple Walnut Muffins

To make these easy apple walnut muffins you'll need a food processor or high powered blender. This tool is necessary for blending the freeze dried apples into the batter.

Before making the batter, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin pan with 8 paper or silicone muffin liners.

Make the Batter

Next, make the batter. In a food processor (or blender) combine all muffin ingredients except the walnuts. (Note: if you don't want the walnuts visible in the muffins, then go ahead and add them with the rest of the ingredients.)

Blend the batter, stopping every so often to scrape the sides, until it is a smooth, consistent texture.

Then, add in the walnuts and pulse the batter a few times to mix them in.

Pour the batter into the lined muffin pan, filling the cups just over half way full.

Bake the Muffins

Place the muffins in the preheated oven and bake at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes.

After baking, remove them from the oven and cool the muffins on a wire cooling rack to room temperature.

Ice the Muffins

The icing is optional, but sugar free and a great addition.

To make the icing, combine all icing ingredients in a small bowl. Whisk until smooth.

Spoon the icing onto the cooled muffins.

Storage

These muffins are best kept in an air tight container in the fridge, up to one week.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to use freeze dried apples?

Any type of crisp dried apple will work for this recipe. I used freeze dried apples, but organic apple chips would be a great substitute.

I haven't tested this recipe with soft dried apples or raw apples - I think they would change the muffin texture too much.

Is there a substitute for almond flour?

The best substitute for almond flour would be tigernut flour or ground sunflower seed.

Can these muffins be made vegan?

I have not tested this apple muffin recipe without eggs. If you try an egg substitute let me know the results in the comments below.

More Paleo Apple Recipes

Cinnamon Apple Cookies (with dried apples)
Paleo Apple Pie (with raw apples)
Cinnamon Apple Blender Muffins (with raw apples)
Cranberry Apple Energy Balls (with dried apples)

Enjoy!