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Front shot of hands serving a basket of homemade apple cider donut muffins
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5 from 2 votes

Apple Cider Donut Muffins

Love sinking your teeth into a warm, soft, fresh-from-the-orchard apple cider donut each fall? Now you can easily bake a batch of cozy apple cider donut muffins in the comfort of your own kitchen -- whenever the craving strikes!
Course Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword apple cider donut muffins, apple cider muffins, donut muffins
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 12 muffins
Calories 286kcal
Author Blair Lonergan

Ingredients

FOR THE MUFFINS:

FOR THE TOPPING:

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a muffin tin with paper liners; set aside.
  • In a medium-sized mixing bowl, cream together the butter, vegetable oil, granulated sugar and brown sugar until smooth.
  • Add the eggs, beating to combine.
  • Mix in the baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, salt, and vanilla.
  • On low speed, mix the flour into the butter mixture alternately with the apple cider and milk, beginning and ending with the flour and making sure everything is thoroughly combined. (So start with ⅓ of the flour, then all of the cider, then another ⅓ of the flour, then all of the milk, and finally the rest of the flour.)
  • Divide the batter evenly between the prepared muffin cups, filling them almost to the top.
  • Bake the muffins for about 15-17 minutes, or until they're golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the middle of one of the center muffins comes out clean.
  • Transfer the muffins to a wire rack.
  • When the muffins are cool enough to handle (but still warm), prepare the topping.
  • Place the melted butter in a small bowl. In a separate small bowl, stir together the sugar and cinnamon.
  • Brush the top of each warm muffin with the melted butter, then roll in the cinnamon-sugar.

Notes

  • Don't have any apple cider? You can substitute with apple juice.
  • Add more nutmeg for an even stronger "donut" flavor.
  • Apple Cider Mini Muffins: the mini muffins are like apple cider donut holes! Bake the batter in mini muffin tins for about 10-12 minutes.
  • Baked Apple Cider Donuts: if you have a donut pan, you can make these in real donut shapes rather than in a muffin tin. Spoon the batter into the wells of the donut pan, filling the wells about ¼-inch from the top. Bake in a 425°F oven for 10 minutes. Shake the warm donuts in a bag of cinnamon sugar (no dipping in butter necessary).
  • Properly measure the flour. I like to weigh my flour for accuracy, or you can use the spoon-and-level method. Use a spoon to lightly fill the measuring cup, then level off with the side of a knife. Do not scoop the flour directly from the container, or you will pack too much flour into the measuring cups. Too much flour leads to dense, dry muffins!
  • The key to a perfect muffin is just barely mixing the ingredients. You want them to come together, but a few lumps are fine. This way they’ll stay moist and tender!
  • Fill the muffin cups nice and full. I like to use an ice cream scoop to make sure that each cup has an equal amount of batter, ensuring that the muffins bake evenly in the oven.
  • To check if the muffins are done, insert a toothpick into the center and make sure it comes out clean. Don’t cook them for too long, or they can dry out.

Nutrition

Serving: 1muffin | Calories: 286kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 43mg | Sodium: 237mg | Potassium: 128mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 226IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 54mg | Iron: 2mg