Fall is here! And all the fall flavors are in these muffins. Baking them smells absolutely amazing. Plus, these maple syrup sweetened apple babies are not only gluten-free and whole grain, but super moist and tender at that.
I packed these for a white-water rafting trip and they were awesome. Kumi said they didn’t taste gluten-free at all and her boyfriend Shawn, who is allergic to gluten, said they were the best muffins he’s had in 10 years. Oh. My. God. Then he said he hadn’t had a muffin in 10 years…
But still, two other taste-testers said they were really good (“best dessert in awhile!”) so even though these are whole grain and gluten free, you’re not compromising anything.
I made 3 batches of these. I followed the recipe to a tee for my first batch, and although Kat liked it (although she refused to eat the fruit cause she’s weird), I found the cake part just a tad greasy. I liked the second batch a little better, but the batter was too runny and the muffin tops didn’t dome. I finally got a scoopable, fluffy batter in the third batch and the muffin tops puffed up high and crispy. That’s the best part, right??
Happy autumn from New England! Be healthy and enjoy!
P.S. Did I tell you I moved into a new apartment? And the light on the porch is awesome?? Also there’s a wild bunny in my backyard 🙂
Ingredients
Directions
- Beat butter, almond milk, maple syrup, sugar, vanilla bean paste, and eggs until frothy.
- In a separate bowl, whisk buckwheat flour, ground almonds, baking soda, and salt together. Add to the liquid mixture and beat until fully incorporated.
- Sprinkle the buckwheat flour and cinnamon over the diced apples and toss to coat evenly. Fold into the batter.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a muffin pan. Spoon the batter into the muffin cups and let it rest as the oven is preheating.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. A toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin should come out clean.
Notes
Loosely adapted from London Bakes' Buckwheat Cake. I replaced some of the butter with almond milk, used maple syrup and sugar in place of honey, decreased the overall amount of sugar slightly, chose apples as my fruit, and added a little cinnamon.

25 comments
Thanks for sharing! Do they keep long?
This looks so good! What a great breakfast meal prep for the family!
Hi! I have almond flour, would it be ok to use that instead of grinding almonds? Or would it be too fine and possible absorb more liquid & effect the final result? Just curious, thank you very much – Rachel
Hi Rachel, yes you can use almond flour! Maybe just use a spoonful less and make sure to sift it really well.
These were delicious! Thank you.
Turned out great! The only thing I was confused about was when to add the 3 tbsp of almond milk as it wasn’t in the instructions. Since I subbed some applesauce for one of the apples (since I only had 1 apple) I omitted the almond milk altogether. I read later in your notes to replace some of the butter with almond milk but it was too late. Thx for this great recipe! Even the kids enjoyed it, which is super rare 🙂
So glad you enjoyed this! And the kids too! Thanks for pointing out the missing almond milk instructions – I’ll be sure to fix that.
Do you think an egg alternative would work? Flax or chia?
Sure! I’ve used a “flax egg” in the past with success in other baking recipes. Just mix 1 tablespoon of flaxseed meal with 2.5 tablespoons of water to replace each egg.
I made these for the first time today and they turned out perfect!
Thanks for sharing!
Ashleigh, I’m so glad to hear that! Enjoy 😀
I can’t wait to try these muffins! What would you suggest as an alternative to the ground almonds? My son has a nut allergy. Thanks!
Hi Robyn! I haven’t tested this but I think ground roasted sunflower seeds would work. If you try it do let me know how it turns out 😀
Wow this looks so delicious and super healthy! I love the hearty amounts of apples.
Thanks Jacob! I had to use up a lot of apples 🙂
I just made the muffins – they turned out beautifully!
I’m so glad Hilda! Thanks so much for letting me know
These muffins look like a perfect fall, healthy snack! I love how you use buckwheat instead of regular flour!
Thanks Vicky and Ruth!
These look so good! I love the chunks of apple 😀
Me toooooo! Thanks Sarah!
Beautiful, Lu! Sounds so healthful and wholesome. Timing is so perfect on this one. After having some issue’s with my daughter’s diet, we are experimenting with gluten-free for the next couple weeks. I’m going to try these!
Ohhh hope your daughter’s okay and you figure it out! I totally support the experimenting.
These muffins look so delicious and I love those apple chunks 🙂 Pinning!
Thanks Medha! I had an overabundance of apples, if that’s a thing haha 🙂