This idea came from my friend Chris when I was brainstorming recipe ideas one day. He mentioned this and I was surprised at how I have never thought about it before! I put together a recipe and gave it a try and was totally shocked at how incredible they came out. These are the ultimate fall brunch recipe to make for your friends and family! 

This recipe makes 12 muffins

 Ingredients:

  For the muffin batter:

2 Cups (240g) All Purpose Flour

2 ¼ Tsp Baking Powder 

½ Tsp (1g) Salt

½ Tsp (1g) Ground Cinnamon

¼ Tsp (1g) Ground Nutmeg

¾ Cup (150g) Granulated Sugar

3 Tbs (39g) Brown Sugar

1/3 Cup (80mL) Vegetable Oil

2/3 Cup (160mL) Milk

2 Tsp (8g) Vanilla Extract

1 Large Egg

1 Tsp (3g) Freshly Grated Orange Zest 

  For the apples:

1 Fuji Apple, peeled, cored and chopped (about 175g) 

1/3 Cup (80mL) Crown Royal Apple Whiskey

¼ Tsp (1g) Salt

¼ Tsp (1g) Ground Cinnamon

¼ Tsp (1g) Ground Allspice 

3 Tbs (39g) Brown Sugar 

1 Tbs (10g) All Purpose Flour

  For the streusel topping:

½ Cup (100g) Light Brown Sugar

½ Cup (100g) Granulated Sugar

½ cup (60g) All Purpose Flour

¼ Tsp (1g) Salt

½ Tsp (2g) Ground Cinnamon

¼ Cup (57g) Cold Unsalted Butter, cut into cubes 

  For the Glaze:

2 Cups (260g) Confectioner’s Sugar

¼ Tsp (1g) Salt

1 Tsp (4g) Vanilla Extract

5 Tbs (90g) Crown Royal 

Directions:

1.     Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F (180 C) and line a muffin tin with paper liners. 

2.     In a small saucepot, add the chopped apple, Crown Royal, salt, cinnamon, allspice, brown sugar, and flour and stir over a medium heat until it bubbles. Allow to cook for a couple minutes until thickened and the apples are coated. Remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Note that if you don’t like consuming alcohol, the alcohol in the Crown Royal will cook off as the recipe bakes. Otherwise, you can substitute the whiskey with apple juice.

3.     In a large bowl, add the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar, and brown sugar and whisk until well combined. 

4.     In a separate bowl or large liquid measuring cup, add the oil, milk, vanilla, egg, and orange zest and stir to combine, then add to the dry mixture. Use a silicone spatula to mix the batter until just combined. 

5.     Fold in the cooled apple mixture, then set the batter aside to make the streusel. 

6.     For the streusel, add all the ingredients to a bowl and use your hands to pinch the butter into the dry ingredients and keep pinching until the mixture comes together and forms a crumbly texture. This will take a couple minutes. 

7.     Divide the muffin batter amongst the muffin tray, filling each one about ¾ of the way full. This recipe should make exactly 12. 

8.     Once the batter is divided, sprinkle a generous portion of streusel topping on each one, totally covering the surface of the batter. Spray the top of the pan with cooking spray, then bake for 25 minutes or until you can touch the tops of the muffins and they spring back. Allow to cool completely. 

9.     For the glaze, add all the ingredients to a bowl and use a spoon to mix until smooth, and drizzle over the tops of the muffins. Allow to set for about 10 minutes before serving. Note that if you prefer not to use alcohol in the glaze, you can replace the whiskey with apple juice.