Apple muffins are always a good idea. Adding oats and cottage cheese turned out to be an even better one. No mixer needed, and from mixing bowl to first bite, they're ready in about 40 minutes.
Step by step photos
These visual instructions help you see the process. You can also find the full printable recipe with ingredient amounts and instructions at the end of the post.
- Cottage cheese mixture: In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, oil and vanilla extract. then add the cottage cheese
- Whisk until combined. A few small curds of the cottage cheese in the mixture is perfectly fine.
- Flour mixture: In another large bowl, whisk together the flour, rolled oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, and cinnamon. Add the diced apples.
- Toss gently to coat them in the flour mixture.
- Pour the cottage cheese mixture into the flour mixture.
- Fold gently with a spatula just until no dry streaks of flour remain. Do not overmix.
- Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups, filling each almost to the top. Sprinkle the tops evenly with the granulated sugar.
- Bake for 20 minutes, or until the muffins are well risen, golden, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes before removing them.
Storage
You can keep the muffins in an airtight container for up to 2 days at room temperature or up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
They also freeze well for up to 2 months and can be thawed at room temperature or warmed in the microwave.
Recipe Tips
Cottage Cheese: I whisk the cottage cheese with the eggs, oil, and vanilla until most of the curds break up.
- A few small curds are perfectly fine and will still be visible after baking. I like the little bits of cottage cheese you get in each muffin.
- If you'd rather have a completely smooth batter, blend the cottage cheese with an immersion blender or in a small blender before whisking it with the eggs, oil, and vanilla.
Apples: These muffins were made with Pink Lady apples. I left the peel on because it's thin and softens nicely as the muffins bake.
- If you're using apples with a thicker or tougher peel, you can peel them if you prefer.
- Honeycrisp, Gala, Fuji, and Envy all work well too.
- Cut the apples into ¼-inch (6 mm) pieces so they bake evenly and spread throughout the muffins.
Oats: Use old-fashioned rolled oats for this recipe. They keep a little more of their shape, so you get small pieces of oat throughout the muffins.
- If you only have quick oats, you can use them instead. They soften more as the muffins bake, so you won't notice the oats quite as much, but they'll still make delicious muffins.
- I don't recommend steel-cut oats because they won't soften enough during baking.
Recipe
Apple Oat Cottage Cheese Muffins
Watch how to make the recipe
Flour mixture
- 1¾ cups (210 g) all-purpose flour (plain flour)
- ⅓ cup (30 g) old-fashioned rolled oats
- 2 level teaspoons level teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ level teaspoon baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅔ cup (134 g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1½ cups (170 g) apples, cut into ¼-inch (6 mm) pieces (I used Pink Lady apples. See notes for other options)
Cottage cheese mixture
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- ½ cup (120 ml) vegetable oil
- ¾ cup (170 g) small-curd cottage cheese
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Topping
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) or 170°C fan. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.
- Cottage cheese mixture: In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, oil and vanilla extract, then add the cottage cheese and whisk until combined. A few small curds are perfectly fine.
- Flour mixture: In another large bowl, whisk together the flour, rolled oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, and cinnamon. Add the diced apples and toss gently to coat them in the flour mixture.
- Combine: Pour the cottage cheese mixture into the flour mixture. Fold gently with a spatula just until no dry streaks of flour remain. Do not overmix.
- Fill: Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups, filling each almost to the top. Sprinkle the tops evenly with the granulated sugar.
- Bake for 20 minutes, or until the muffins are well risen, golden, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool: Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove them.
Storage
- Store the muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. If you need to keep them longer, store them in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. They also freeze well for up to 2 months.
More Fresh Fruit Muffins
If you enjoyed these Apple Oat Cottage Cheese Muffins, you might also like my Strawberry Muffins or Peach Muffins. They're just as easy to make and perfect for baking with fresh fruit.
Peach Muffins (Fresh or Canned Peaches)
Strawberry Muffins (Fresh or Frozen Strawberries)
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