Muffins. But make them donuts.
Here’s how we do it:
A thick, whole grain, apple cider and spice infused muffin batter gets cooked until fluffy and golden, then dunked into butter and generously rolled in cinnamon sugar.
They’re not perfect circles (since, hello, they’re really just mini muffins), but round enough to pass for donut holes, and each bite is filled with that crunchy sugar coating….it’s essentially the next best thing to going to your favorite fall festival and getting a warm cider donut fresh out of the fryer.
The secret to making these babies taste perfectly like fall in every bite?
Starting with fresh, cold-pressed apple cider, and then reducing it in a pot to concentrate the apple flavor and help naturally sweeten the muffins. Ahem, donuts. And, since we’re using a small amount of cider to begin with, it reduces on the stove in about the same amount of time it takes the oven to preheat.
Then, all that’s left to do is let the butter melt into the warm cider, stir together the batter, scoop into a mini muffin tin, and bake for 6-8 minutes.
And that cinnamon sugar coating? Its seriously everything. Without it, these are truly just muffins. With it? DONUTS.
I’m telling you, something magical happens when these wholesome little muffins get coated in a crisp layer of cinnamon sugar. I’ve eaten many of these mini muffins without the coating and…they’re good, but nothing special. But once coated, the exterior of each muffin so closely mimics that of a fried donut, that they’re instantly transformed into donut holes.
Goodbye, mini muffins. Hello APPLE CIDER DONUT HOLES.
I know what I’ll be eating for breakfast every weekend for the rest of fall.
If you make this recipe, let me know what you think! Leave a comment below, or take a picture of your mini apple cider donut muffins and share it with me on Instagram so I can see!
Mini Apple Cider Donut Muffins
Time: 30 minutes
Yields: 20-22
Ingredients:
muffins
- 1 cup cold-pressed apple cider
- 3 Tablespoons butter
- 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour (spelt, einkorn, or all-purpose all work, too!)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
topping
- 4 Tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup organic cane sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 24-cup mini muffin tin (with either olive oil, coconut oil, butter, or your preferred nonstick spray).
- Place apple cider in a wide pot or skillet with tall sides and bring to a boil. Let boil for 8-10 minutes, or until it has reduced to just 1/2 cup. Pour apple cider into a glass measuring cup to be sure it has reduced to exactly 1/2 cup (boil for 1-2 more minutes, if needed, to reduce further, or add a splash of fresh cider if you reduced it too far!).
- Add butter to the measuring cup with the hot cider to let it melt.
- Once the butter has melted into the cider, pour the mixture into a mixing bowl and whisk in the maple syrup and egg. Add flour, baking powder, cinnamoin, nutmeg, and salt, and stir just to combine.
- Use a tablespoon to portion the batter into the muffin tin, then bake for 6-8 minutes, or until just cooked through.
- While muffins bake, melt the butter for the topping (in the same pot you used for the cider, or in the microwave for 10+ seconds) and place in a small bowl. In a second small bowl stir together the cinnamon and sugar.
- Once muffins have cooled enough to handle, remove them from the muffin tin and dunk each one into melted butter, then immediately roll in the cinnamon sugar. I like to use a fork to pierce each muffin on the bottom and dunk directly into the butter, then push it off the fork into the cinnamon sugar and use my fingers to roll it around to fully coat it. Repeat until all muffins are coated.
- Serve immediately, or let cool completely and store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
NOTES: using a larger pot to boil the cider helps it reduce more quickly, as you’re starting with a thin layer of cider in the pot and a larger surface area for liquid to evaporate from. If you use a small pot, the time it takes to reduce could be up to twice the amount listed in the recipe.
MAKE THEM GLUTEN-FREE: swap out your favorite gluten free baking blend for the flour.
MAKE THEM VEGAN/DAIRY-FREE: use vegan butter or coconut oil in place of the butter (I’ve tried both with success), and sub a flax egg for the chicken egg. 1 T ground flax + 3 T water = 1 egg