Apple Cider Donut Muffins

I love baking with apples. And there’s nothing more quintessentially fall than an apple cider donut. That doesn’t mean, however, that they can’t be enjoyed year-round.

Frying donuts at home can be a daunting task for an inexperienced baker. These baked muffins take the hassle of frying out of the equation completely by baking in muffin tins. These muffins give us a delicious donut texture and taste without having to worry about deep frying.

This apple cider donut muffin recipe calls for apple cider concentrate. You can also use frozen apple juice concentrate (thawed, of course). To make your own apple cider concentrate at home, pour one cup of apple cider into a small sauce pan and bring to a gentle boil over medium/medium-high heat and allow to simmer until half of the liquid has evaporated. If you do this, be certain to allow the concentrate to cool completely before incorporating into this recipe.

If you want to get fancy with this recipe, you can bake these in a cake donut pan and make actual donuts instead of muffins. If you decide to go this route, you’ll want to use melted butter and sugar coating on both sides instead of just the top.

Print Recipe

Apple Cider Donut Muffins

These baked muffins (or donuts if you have a donut pan!) are a delicious treat that are full of all of your fall favorites: yummy apples, warm cinnamon, and a hint of nutmeg. Give them a try!

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Total Time35 minutes mins

Course: Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Donuts, Muffins

Equipment

• Stand mixer or hand-held mixer
• Muffin pan or donut pan
• Fine-mesh strainer
• Pastry brush

Ingredients

Muffins

• 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• ¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
• ½ cup apple juice or cider concentrate
• 6 tbsp butter, room temperature
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• ¾ tsp salt
• 1¼ tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Topping

• 2 tbsp butter, melted
• ¼ cup granulated sugar

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Using a stand mixer or hand-held mixer, cream together the softened butter, the granulated sugar, and the brown sugar until nice and fluffy. About 3-4 minutes.
• Mix in cinnamon and nutmeg.
• Beat in eggs one at a time.
• Mix in the apple cider/apple juice concentrate and the vanilla extract.
• In a small bowl, use a fork to whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder and then add to the bowl with the wet ingredients. If you have a fine-mesh strainer, use this to sift the flour mixture into the wet batter. This will help prevent clumps. Mix just until the batter comes together.
• Prepare a muffin tin or baked donut pan with baking spray or oil to prevent sticking. Divide the batter evenly amongst 12 muffins. If you are using a donut baking pan, the quantity may be more or less depending on the size of the donuts.
• Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes for a muffin tin, and about 12-15 minutes for a donut pan.
• Once the muffins are baked, remove them from the muffin tin and transfer to a wire rack. Using a pastry brush, coat the top of each muffin with melted butter, then dip the buttered top into your extra sugar to coat.
• Muffins can be served warm or cold. Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Video

Notes

Apple sauce or apple butter also work really well in this recipe in place of the juice concentrate.

Want to support this blog? Check out the item(s) below used in the creation of this recipe.