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Best Easy Honeycrisp Apple Cider Donut Muffins Recipe

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These Honeycrisp Apple Cider Donut Muffins are a perfect recreation of classic apple cider donuts, with a crackly cinnamon-sugar top and a moist, tender crumb. The secret is reducing fresh apple cider to a syrupy concentrate and folding in finely grated Honeycrisp apple for intense flavor.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 cups (480 ml) fresh apple cider
  • 1 large Honeycrisp apple (about 200g), peeled and finely grated
  • 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup (100g) light brown sugar, packed
  • 1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup (120 ml) buttermilk, at room temperature
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • For the coating: 1/4 cup (57g) unsalted butter, melted
  • For the coating: 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
  • For the coating: 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

  1. Reduce the apple cider: Pour 2 cups of fresh apple cider into a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to a steady simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced to 1/2 cup (about 20-25 minutes). Remove from heat and let cool completely.
  2. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Grease a 12-cup muffin pan generously with non-stick spray or butter.
  3. Peel the Honeycrisp apple and grate it using the large holes of a box grater. Do not squeeze out the juice. Set aside.
  4. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom.
  5. In a separate large bowl, whisk together the melted and cooled butter, eggs, vanilla extract, buttermilk, and cooled reduced apple cider until smooth.
  6. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Fold gently with a rubber spatula until just combined (a few streaks of flour are okay). Fold in the grated apple and any juice.
  7. Divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full.
  8. Bake for 18-22 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Let cool in the pan for exactly 5 minutes.
  9. While muffins cool, melt 1/4 cup butter in a small bowl. In another small bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon for the coating.
  10. Remove muffins from the pan. Working one at a time, brush each warm muffin with melted butter, then roll in the cinnamon-sugar mixture to coat. Place on a cooling rack.
  11. Let coated muffins cool for another 5 minutes before serving warm.

Notes

Do not skip the 5-minute cooling time in the pan; the muffins need to be warm but not hot for the coating to stick. The reduced apple cider is the key to intense flavor—do not rush it. For best results, use room temperature eggs and buttermilk.

Nutrition

Keywords: apple cider donut muffins, honeycrisp apple muffins, fall baking, apple cider recipe, cinnamon sugar muffins

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