Apple Cider Donut Muffins

Your favorite apple cider donut, turned into a perfectly spiced and moist muffin, coated in cinnamon and sugar. Enjoy a taste of Fall!

Apple Cider Donut Muffin Recipe from @bakedbyrachel

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!

Apple Cider Donut Muffin Recipe from @bakedbyrachel

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 Muffin Recipe from @bakedbyrachel

Apple Cider Donut Muffins

Your favorite apple cider donut, turned into a perfectly spiced and moist muffin, coated in cinnamon and sugar.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time35 minutes
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Apple, Muffin
Servings: 10 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

This recipe calls for apple cider (unfiltered juice). Do not use apple cider vinegar.
An original recipe from Baked by Rachel

This post contains affiliate links.

Share this:

122 Responses to “Apple Cider Donut Muffins”

  1. #
    1
    Eden Passante — September 21, 2016 at 5:11 pm

    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!

    • #
      1.1
      Rachel — September 22, 2016 at 7:11 am

      Thanks so much Eden!

  2. #
    2
    KirstenNB — November 4, 2016 at 10:49 am

    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…

    • #
      2.1
      Rachel — November 5, 2016 at 7:16 am

      I’m glad to hear everyone enjoyed them… including the mystery thief! ;) Thanks so much for sharing, Kristen!

  3. #
    3
    Joe — November 6, 2016 at 8:37 pm

    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.

    • #
      3.1
      Rachel — November 7, 2016 at 7:17 am

      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.

  4. #
    4
    sara — November 13, 2016 at 10:11 am

    Would like to try in mini muffin pan. Any idea on the change in baking time?

    • #
      4.1
      Rachel — November 14, 2016 at 7:14 am

      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.

  5. #
    5
    Motherstars — November 19, 2016 at 4:27 pm

    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.

  6. #
    6
    Anica — February 13, 2017 at 9:13 pm

    Hi, I’m just wondering if i can use maple syrup instade of sugar?
    Thanx a bunch?

    • #
      6.1
      Rachel — February 14, 2017 at 7:18 am

      I wouldn’t recommend it for this particular recipe.

  7. #
    7
    Raimy Little — February 14, 2017 at 1:07 pm

    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.

    • #
      7.1
      Rachel — February 15, 2017 at 7:31 am

      I’m glad you enjoyed them! :)

  8. #
    8
    Carol-Anne — March 15, 2017 at 9:46 pm

    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.

    • #
      8.1
      Rachel — March 16, 2017 at 6:56 am

      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!

  9. #
    9
    annc — March 17, 2017 at 1:25 pm

    There is no fat or oil in this recipe, is this correct?

    • #
      9.1
      Rachel — March 20, 2017 at 7:45 am

      Not in the actual muffins, no.

  10. #
    10
    Kolleen Dohermann — December 22, 2018 at 7:43 pm

    I have a question. How exactly do you “coat” each muffin with melted butter? Basting brush?

    • #
      10.1
      Rachel — December 23, 2018 at 8:56 am

      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.

  11. #
    11
    Ann Galley-Shamberg — August 29, 2019 at 8:23 am

    Can you bake these in donut pans instead? And if so, would you reduce the time?

    • #
      11.1
      Rachel — September 9, 2019 at 8:36 pm

      It would certainly be worth a try!

  12. #
    12
    deveaux — August 22, 2021 at 4:49 pm

    Can I freeze these?

    • #
      12.1
      Rachel — August 30, 2021 at 1:11 pm

      Definitely!

  13. #
    13
    Ann — September 12, 2021 at 3:51 pm

    Loved the taste, made mini muffins and the normal size, preferred the minis!

    • #
      13.1
      Rachel — September 13, 2021 at 5:30 am

      So glad you enjoyed them!

  14. #
    14
    martha schmitt — September 16, 2022 at 8:49 pm

    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.

    • #
      14.1
      Rachel — September 17, 2022 at 8:38 am

      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.

Leave a Comment