Apple Cider Donut Muffins
ShareYour favorite apple cider donut, turned into a perfectly spiced and moist muffin, coated in cinnamon and sugar. Enjoy a taste of Fall!
As I type this, I’m sitting in Aruba’s airport waiting for a flight home. Yup, Aruba was the surprise trip I had planned for the Mr. But, I’ll tell you more about that in a upcoming post!
It’s going to be hard switching gears from tropical life back to regular days back at home with schedules and things that have to actually be done. It sure was nice to get away though!
Nothing like being submerged in a laid back tropical vacation and immediately thrown into Fall! Okay okay… It’s not technically Fall, we still have a few weeks left of Summer, but the weather is changing, as are the leaves and of course there’s the food!
It’s apple season!! I’ve been looking forward to this since I could no longer get my favorite apples at the store! The apple farm is open and the grocery stores have plenty of fresh local produce!
I actually made these apple cider donut muffins weeks ago. I’m a planner like that. I’ve been itching to share these babies with you!
Super flavorful apple cider donut muffins. All of the flavor you expect from your favorite cider donuts but in a fun muffin shape and a big bonus that they’re baked, no fried! That means no specialty equipment required!!
Definitely add these moist apple cider donut muffins to your Fall plans!
Apple Cider Donut Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 C all purpose flour
- 1/2 C granulated sugar
- 1/2 C light brown sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 3/4 C apple cider
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Topping:
- 7 Tbsp unsalted butter melted
- 3/4 C granulated sugar
- 1 1/4 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a muffin pan. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine apple cider, egg and vanilla extract.
- In a large bowl or stand mixer combine flour, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. With mixer running on low, slowly incorporate wet ingredients. Mix until batter is just combined and no streaks remain. Using a large cookie scoop, divide batter between prepared muffin cavities.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Immediately turn out onto a baking sheet or cutting board.
- Melt butter in a medium bowl. Combine remaining granulated sugar and cinnamon in another medium bowl. Coat each muffin entirely in melted butter then roll in cinnamon-sugar mixture. Transfer to a wire cooling rack, positioned over a baking sheet, to cool completely.
Notes
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Wow my mouth is watering! This sounds delicious, I can’t wait to try this for the holidays. I agree with the comment above, some chopped apples might add a fresh touch to the top! Yum!
Thanks so much Eden!
Made these last night. Tasty. Messy to eat because of the loads of cinnamon and sugar they are coated in. But, oh-so-good.
Got 11 muffins out of the one batch… not all the same size.
Oddly enough, after cutting up 1 muffin to sample last night, there were only 9 on the counter when I returned to the kitchen to package them up. And there was an awful lot of cinnamon sugar on the kitchen floor…
The hubs swears that he didn’t eat one.
I think one of my big, sneaky dogs stole one off the counter. The darn dogs make less of a mess than the hubs, so it could’ve been either…
I’m glad to hear everyone enjoyed them… including the mystery thief! ;) Thanks so much for sharing, Kristen!
Do you have a particular brand of apple cider you use? The one I used for this wasn’t very strong, so I was wondering if you had any recommendations.
I purchase local cider. I don’t have a particular brand to offer, since they’re not national brands. You could always increase the spices to make up for the lack of apple flavor from your cider.
Would like to try in mini muffin pan. Any idea on the change in baking time?
Usually you would cut the time in half, but you should start checking a bit earlier just in case. I don’t have an exact time for you since I haven’t made them mini.
I saw a comment by “Joe” who said he didn’t get much of an apple cider taste. I boiled my cider down, and reduced it by half, to get the flavor I wanted. That should work for you.
Hi, I’m just wondering if i can use maple syrup instade of sugar?
Thanx a bunch?
I wouldn’t recommend it for this particular recipe.
After making this muffin it turned out great!! I put in 1 cup of apple cider instead of 3/4 cups to make the flavor more vibrant. The muffins came out a bit wet because of the butter. For recommendation DO NOT USE CUPCAKE LINERS because then you cant but the cinnamon and sugar around the sides.
I’m glad you enjoyed them! :)
I just made these and they were way to strong. I used a really good apple cider Vinegar and I had to throw them out. I gave them to a friend and she couldn’t eat them either. I am a really good baker but this just didn’t cut it.
The recipe specifies using apple cider, which is an unfiltered juice, not apple cider vinegar. This is where your recipe went wrong. Definitely try again with apple cider sometime!
There is no fat or oil in this recipe, is this correct?
Not in the actual muffins, no.
I have a question. How exactly do you “coat” each muffin with melted butter? Basting brush?
For best results, use a baking spray that includes flour. Spray each tin and then you can use paper towels to gently wipe down any excess.
Can you bake these in donut pans instead? And if so, would you reduce the time?
It would certainly be worth a try!
Can I freeze these?
Definitely!
Loved the taste, made mini muffins and the normal size, preferred the minis!
So glad you enjoyed them!
Did I miss an ingredient? No butter or oil. The batter was very runny. Had to bake them so long they were tough and chewy.
The ingredients are correct as written. Two issues could be coming into play for you. The first, make sure you’re measuring your ingredients correctly. The second, be sure to use an internal oven thermometer to make sure your oven is cooking at the correct temperature and adjust as needed.