How long it takes: about 30 minutes Equipment you’ll need: mixing bowl, muffin tins Servings: makes 12 large muffins Filled with apple flavor. These apple cider donut muffins boast double the apple flavor with apple cider in the batter and LOTS of apples (three of them!) folded in for good measure. Easy to make. Make the batter in one bowl, so cleanup is always easy! Have these apple cider muffins ready for the oven in 15 minutes, without any fancy ingredients. Budget-friendly. Why buy muffins at the grocery store or bakery when you can make your own? Save time and money while enjoying the tantalizing aroma of apples and warm cinnamon wafting through your home. Wholesome. When you bake your own muffins, you know exactly what goes into them. Feel good knowing that your muffins are made with wholesome, simple ingredients.
Ingredient Notes
Let’s kick things off with some notes on the important ingredients you’ll need to make these apple cider muffins. Scroll to the recipe card for the full ingredients list, measurements, and recipe details.
Apples – Any apple variety will work, though the best apples for baking are sweet-tart, firm varieties like Granny Smith, Braeburn, and Honeycrisp. The apples can be peeled or unpeeled, chopped, or shredded (see below). Apple Cider – Apple cider is unfiltered apple juice squeezed from apples. Do not use hard apple cider (with alcohol) or apple cider vinegar, which is fermented and has a sour flavor. All-Purpose Flour/Whole Wheat Flour – I like to use a combination of both flours for nutrition, flavor, and texture. If you prefer, you can use all whole wheat (the muffins will be a little denser in texture) or all white flour. Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Ginger – These warm spices pair deliciously with apples. If you don’t happen to have nutmeg or ginger, just use a bit more cinnamon instead. Eggs – You’ll need a couple of large eggs for this recipe. It’s best if they’re at room temperature but the muffins will still turn out if the eggs are cold. Butter – I usually use unsalted butter for baking. Sugar – Regular white sugar enhances the sweetness of the apples, only two-thirds of a cup. Sometimes I even use less, about ½ cup, depending on how sweet the apples are. Baking Powder, Baking Soda, and Salt – Common ingredients in muffins. Powdered Sugar – Fancy up these apple cider muffins with a drizzle of icing made with powdered sugar and a splash of cider. Totally optional, but why not?
How To Make Apple Cider Muffins
Here’s how easy it is to make delicously spiced apple cider donut muffins from scratch:
Always rinse apples before peeling or cutting them. Peeled or not: You can peel the apples or leave them unpeeled. Peeling softens the apples so that they’re almost undetectable in the baked muffins but I usually leave my apples unpeeled for added texture. It’s up to you! Grated or diced: The larger the apple pieces are, the more noticeable they will be in the muffins. Grated apples are almost unnoticeable. Diced apples will be more noticeable.
Prepare the apples. Decide whether you want them peeled or not peeled, grated or diced. You’ll need two cups of apples which is about 3 small apples. Combine wet ingredients. Crack the eggs into a big bowl and whisk them until they are blended. Stir in the sugar first, then the melted butter. Add the apple cider, and stir well. Add dry ingredients. Add the flour to the bowl with the wet ingredients. Add the spices, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Lightly toss the dry ingredients together on top of the wet ingredients; then stir them in to make the batter. Finally, fold in the apples. Fill the muffin tins. Scoop the batter into your greased and lined muffin tins, about a quarter-cup in each well. The wells should be about three-quarters full. The size of muffin tins varies widely so you may get more or less than twelve muffins. Bake the muffins. Put the apple muffins in the oven on the center rack and bake for about 17 minutes. Baking time varies depending on the oven temperature and the size of the muffins. Cool. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 10 minutes; then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely before adding the icing. Be sure to enjoy a warm muffin if you like!
Tips for Success
These are my top tips for perfect apple cider muffins: Carefully measure out the flour. Use a spoon to lightly transfer the flour from the canister into the cup, and then level the top with the flat edge of a knife. This helps to prevent over-measuring. Don’t overmix the batter. Blend the muffin batter until it’s just combined and there’s no more dry flour showing. Don’t over-stir the mixture. The batter will look slightly lumpy.
Recipe Variations
Try these easy variations and add-in ideas to make these muffins exactly to your liking:
Cinnamon Lovers: Instead of using the cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger combo, use all cinnamon instead (1½ teaspoons). Sprinkle cinnamon sugar on the muffins before baking for a crunchy cinnamon top. Streusel Topping: Streusel goes exceptionally well with apples. If you like, top the muffins with a layer of streusel before baking. These banana muffins have an easy streusel topping that you can also use for these apple muffins. Apples: If you like noticeable bits of apple in the muffins, cut the apples into larger pieces. If you would rather not see chunks of apple, grate the apples (see the cooking tip above).
Serving Suggestions
Serve warm cinnamon-scented apple muffins with hot apple cider, an apple cider mule, or an apple cider mocktail. Embrace fall, winter isn’t far behind!
How to Store
Room temperature. Cool apple cider muffins completely before storing them in an airtight container. They’ll keep for 3 to 4 days at room temperature. Freezer: For longer storage, freeze the apple cider muffins in freezer-safe bags or containers. Frozen muffins will keep for up to a month. They thaw quickly, making them ideal for lunchboxes.
