Apple Walnut Cupcakes

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These apple walnut cupcakes are everything we love about sweet apple treats rolled up into one delicious dessert. Tender, moist cupcakes loaded with apples, walnuts, and fall spices are topped with a sweet brown sugar cream cheese frosting to create a fall treat that will have everyone asking for more.

A dark surface with apple walnut cupcakes on it with a bite taken out of the cupcake in front.

When fall rolls around, most people think about pumpkin treats. And while I do love pumpkin everything this time of year, I don’t forget about the other delicious fall flavor that makes the season so great – apples! During the fall and winter months, I make a ton of pumpkin and apple treats, and one of my favorites is this recipe for apple walnut cupcakes. They’re sweet, soft, and full of crunchy nuts. They’re also topped with brown sugar frosting. Hungry? I don’t blame you. I make these often for the family, and I love bringing them to parties.

This apple walnut chicken salad and caramel apple crumble are also family favorite recipes we know you will enjoy as well.

Why You’ll Love These Frosted Apple Walnut Cupcakes

Simple Ingredients: You’ll only need basic baking ingredients to make this recipe.
Easy to Make: The cupcake and frosting are both quick and easy, requiring very little cooking skills.
Full of Fall Flavor: The cupcakes are full of apples, a classic fall spice blend, and chopped walnuts. Then, they’re topped with brown sugar cream cheese frosting.
Perfect for Parties: These cupcakes are at home at parties, as well as the dinner table to finish off a meal.

Over a dozen apple cupcakes with cream cheese frosting on them.

Ingredients

Apples: Green apples strike the perfect balance of sweet and tart in this recipe.
Walnuts: Walnuts add crunch and an earthy flavor.
Spices: Allspice, cinnamon, and nutmeg create the classic fall flavor profile.
Cream Cheese and Butter: Cream cheese and butter create the rich, creamy base for the brown sugar frosting.
Brown Sugar: Brown sugar adds a sweet, deep flavor to the frosting.

See the recipe card at the end of the post for a full list of ingredients and their exact amounts.

Flavor Variations

Apples: Use your favorite apples for this recipe. They all work!
Frosting: For a more classic flavor use regular cream cheese frosting.
Raisins: Raisins and apples are a classic flavor combination.

Apple walnut cupcakes with brown sugar cream cheese frosting on top and sprinkled with cinnamon.

How to Make Apple Walnut Cupcakes

1: Combine the dry and wet ingredients in separate bowls.

2: Mix the dry and wet ingredients until just combined. Fold in the grated apples and chopped walnuts.

3: Bake the cupcakes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

4: Beat the cream cheese until fluffy. Then, add the butter and beat until creamy.

5: Add the the remaining ingredients except the powdered sugar and beat until smooth.

6: Gradually add the powdered sugar, beating until it creates as smooth, creamy frosting.

7: Frost the completely cooled cupcakes and enjoy!

Hint

Your cupcakes must be fully cooled before frosting, or the frosting will slide right off of them.

Storage

Refrigerate these cupcakes for up to 5 days in an airtight container. For longer storage, wrap the chilled cupcakes in plastic wrap and freeze them for up to a month in an airtight, freezer-safe container or heavy-duty freezer bag with as much air removed as possible.

Defrost the cupcakes in the refrigerator overnight, then set them on the counter for about an hour before serving.

What to Serve with Apple Walnut Cupcakes

Serve these cupcakes with a glass of milk or a cup of coffee or tea for a delicious sweet snack. The fall flavors in these cupcakes work well with other treats like pumpkin pies and bars, apple bars, crisps, pies and cobblers, and other similar desserts as part of a larger dessert spread at parties.

A apple cupcake with cream cheese frosting with a bite taken out of it.

Tips

Fully soften the butter and cream cheese for the creamiest frosting and to prevent little bits of raw butter in the frosting or cupcakes.
Be sure to fully cool your cupcakes before frosting them. The heat from the cupcakes will cause the frosting to melt on contact and slide off of the cupcakes.
Mix the cupcake ingredients until just combined and no further. This helps keep the cupcakes soft and chewy, rather than dense.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best apples for baking?

With their crisp texture and tart flavor, Granny Smith apples are the classic baking choice. That being said, there are a few other apples that are great for baking as well.
Braeburn
Cortland
Honey Crisp
Jonathan
Fuji
Gala
Haralson
Newtown Pippin

Do you have to peel apples before grating them?

That’s a matter of personal preference. Because the apples are grated, leaving the peel on won’t affect the texture.

Do you have to refrigerate cream cheese frosting?

Yes, you do. Unlike buttercream, which can be left at room temperature for up to 3 days, cream cheese frosting must be refrigerated for food safety because it’s made with so much more dairy than buttercream.

How do you keep muffins from sticking to the tin?

To be fully sure your muffins don’t stick, line them with silicon liners, then spray them with nonstick spray.

Try These Delicious Apple Walnut Cupcakes Today

These apple walnut cupcakes are moist, tender, light, full of fall flavor, and loaded with brown sugar cream cheese frosting. Every bite is an explosion of classic fall flavor that everyone loves. You’ll love how easy they are to make. With so much flavor and so little work, you owe it to yourself to give this recipe a try. I know you’ll be making it again and again.

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