Apple cider gives these mini muffins an unmistakable fall flavor. After they bake, roll the muffins in melted butter and cinnamon sugar for baked bite-sized muffins that taste like donuts.
We’re at that point in the year when the days are still warm and the mornings feel crisp and fresh. Fall is coming, and I am SO here for it! We had a fun summer (COVID notwithstanding), but I love this time of year, and I’m ready for the cooler days, sweater weather, and kids in cozy pjs. I’m also ready to start baking all the Fall Recipes (Slow Cooker Turkey and Quinoa Chili is on my own personal meal plan this week).
When I lived in Virginia, every fall I took a day trip with friends to our favorite orchard to pick apples and, more importantly, eat apple cider donuts. There are few things that feel as quintessentially fall as sitting in an orchard on a cool morning, eating still-warm apple cider donuts. I’m hungry just thinking about them!
This recipe is my tribute to those golden, rich, rolled in cinnamon-sugar donuts. These are loaded with apple cider flavor thanks to a concentrated apple cider that has been simmered down. It’s the only step in making these that takes any time. The rest is simple. Mix the muffins by hand. Bake until golden. Then dip those soft, bite-sized muffins in cinnamon-sugar.
The result is a soft, sweet mini muffin that tastes like a fall-scented donut, and only last for a day in our busy kitchen.
Ingredients
- Apple Cider – This gives the mini muffins their key flavor. Fresh, local, apple cider is hard to beat this time of year, but even apple juice will work in a pinch. The key is to start with a large(ish) amount and simmer it way down until the flavor is super concentrated. The simmering step takes about 30 minutes, but can be done up to a week ahead.
- Cinnamon – Because the apple cider has so much flavor, you just need a bit of ground cinnamon to really highlight those flavors. If you’re using apple juice instead of apple cider, try using pumpkin pie spice and doubling the amount to give the muffins more fall flavor.
- Egg – An egg binds the batter together and gives the donut muffins a cake-like texture. You’ll just need one egg here.
- Unsalted Butter – Use melted butter to make these muffins fast and easy to mix by hand. If using salted butter, be sure to skip the added salt in the recipe.
- All-Purpose Flour, White Sugar, Baking Powder, Salt, and Vanilla Extract – Standard baking ingredients.
- For topping – You’ll need some melted butter and a cinnamon-sugar mixture for rolling the donuts at the end of baking.
More Muffin Recipes
- Blueberry Yogurt Muffins
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Strawberry Banana Muffins
- ‘Mai Pen Rai’ Glazed Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
- The Ipad Odyssey and Lemon Olive Oil Muffins
Favorite Tools
Apple Cider Donut Mini Muffins
Equipment
- Mini Muffin Tin
- Mixing Bowls
Ingredients
Apple Cider Mini Muffins:
- 3 cups Apple Cider (see note)
- 2 cups (250 g) All-Purpose Flour
- ½ cup (100 g) White Sugar
- 2 tsp Baking Powder
- 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
- ½ tsp Kosher Salt
- 1 Egg
- 4 Tbsp Unsalted Butter, melted
- 2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
Cinnamon Sugar Topping
- 4 Tbsp Unsalted Butter, melted
- ¾ cup (150 g) White Sugar
- 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
Instructions
- Reduce cider: Place apple cider in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and continue simmering until it reduces down to 1 cup. (This will likely take about 30 minutes at a low simmer. It can be done up to 5 days ahead and refrigerated until you're ready to use it). Let cool completely before cooking.
- Preheat oven to 325°F / 163°C.
- Spray a mini muffin tin (24 spaces) with nonstick cooking spray
- In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, ½ cup sugar, baking powder, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, and salt.
- In a second mixing bowl, whisk together reduced apple cider, egg, 4 Tbsp melted butter, and vanilla extract until smooth.
- Pour liquid ingredients over dry and stir just until everything is evenly combined. (The mixture should be fairly thin; be sure that there are no lumps.)
- Fill prepared muffin tin with batter so that each space is about ¾ full.
- Bake until the muffins are just set in the middle, 12 to 14 minutes.
- Allow muffins to cool in the pan until cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes.
- Put 4 Tbsp melted unsalted butter in a small bowl. In a second small bowl, combine ¾ cup sugar and 1 tsp ground cinnamon.
- Working with one mini muffin at a time, roll the top of the muffin in butter and then dip in cinnamon-sugar. Return the mini muffins to the pan to continue cooling completely.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature and serve within 24 hours.
Notes
Nutrition
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Jess, do you think you can sub the butter with coconut oil to make it dairy free?
I think that should work great Carmen! I haven’t tested it that way, but I’m planning to try it with coconut or vegetable oil too. Since it uses melted butter, a 1:1 sub should have no issues.
Carters for life!
Sing it sister!
Oh my goodness, yum! I’ve been on a huge apple kick this month, ever since the boys and I went apple picking. We got fresh-pressed cider from the orchard, and I used some of it to make Sally’s Baking Addiction apple cider baked donuts. They were so good that I made them again a week later for a brunch with friends. But now I want to make these! They look even easier and make more, which is nice for sharing. I ordered the USA Pans mini muffin pan with your affiliate link. I already have their regular muffin pans, half sheet pans, square cake pans, and bread pans. They’re such a good, quality brand.
Aren’t those USA Pans the best? I only found them relatively recently, and I’ve been slowly replacing everything with them. They are so sturdy and bake so evenly. I’ve had Sally’s apple cider baked donuts on my to-make list this year! Hopefully this weekend!
My wife just made these, they are so delicious and ready to make.
Has anyone tried adding some grated apple to these?