apple cider doughnut muffins with cinnamon sugar, maple whiskey glaze, and apple cider glaze

Fall officially starts this week! Are you as excited as I am?  Granted it was still about 89 degrees today but it is cooling down and we are starting to have crisp mornings!

Apple cider doughnut muffins are a perfect little easy breakfast treat.

In lieu of the arrival of autumn and our recent apple picking trip, we have apple cider doughnut muffins today!  I have a love for apple cider that does not necessarily have much to do with the drink itself.  While apple cider is delicious, it is the memories I associate with it that make it a comforting fall treat.

Apple cider doughnut muffins are a perfect little easy breakfast treat.

My dad loves fall, the cool days and flavors that come with it.  I think his ideal day would be one cool enough for him to don a sweater, heat up some apple cider on the stove, complete with homemade mulling spices, and sit on the chilly porch with a good book.

Growing up, my dad worked from home one day a week.  On crisp fall days he would meet my siblings and me after school at the bus stop with mugs of piping hot apple cider.  As we walked with him into the house the aroma of cinnamon, cloves and allspice filled our noses.  These mulling spices, hidden in the cider on the stovetop, also adorned a small warming cup that was heated from below by a candle.  On Tuesdays in the fall, that candle and warming cup lived in my dad’s home office, releasing the calming spiced scent all day, so that when we ran up the stairs to greet him we were enveloped by the warm smell of fall and a big, sweatered hug.

Apple cider doughnut muffins are a perfect little easy breakfast treat.

Those scents and memories were the inspiration for these apple cider doughnut muffins.  Fresh out of the oven, covered in cinnamon sugar, maple whiskey glaze, or apple cider glaze, these doughnut muffins are perfect alongside a mug of hot apple cider or a cup of coffee (even a pumpkin spice latte, dare we go full on fall).  They are filled with the spices that remind me of my dad’s mulling spices and the slight taste of that comforting apple cider that I grew up loving, at the bus stop or not.

Apple cider doughnut muffins are a perfect little easy breakfast treat.

If you have a doughnut pan, these work well piped into each ring, but they are just as good in mini muffin shapes.  And since they are mini we can eat more of them.  That’s how it works, right?

Apple cider doughnut muffins are a perfect little easy breakfast treat.

Mixing cider with butter for the cinnamon sugar topping enhances the apple flavor of the doughnut muffins and adds an element of depth.  Don’t skimp on the cinnamon sugar topping, if you use it.  No one ever complained about a doughnut or a muffin with too much cinnamon sugar (is there such a thing?).  The maple whiskey glaze has a great flavor, with the slightest bite of whiskey and warmth from the maple syrup.  The apple cider glaze rounds out the doughnut muffins perfectly, adding a bit more cider flavor and some extra cinnamon sweetness.  I tried to pick a favorite topping, and really got close, but I couldn’t decide.  I’ll let you make your own decision.

Apple cider doughnut muffins are a perfect little easy breakfast treat.

These doughnut muffins are easy and come together quickly in the morning, before anyone has the chance to squelch their hunger with a bowl of cereal.   They make a beautiful fall treat to serve warm to guests.  Apple cider doughnut muffins have the density of a cake doughnut and the structure of a muffin.  We have hidden some whole wheat flour in them for a lower guilt option that no one will be able to detect.  Using only all-purpose flour works just fine too.

Here’s to crisp mornings, childhood memories, mulling spices, hot apple cider and some apple cider doughnut muffins to go alongside it all.

Apple Cider Doughnut Muffins
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ cup + 1 tablespoon apple cider
½ cup whole wheat flour
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon allspice
¼ cup sugar
2 tablespoons honey
1 egg

Cinnamon Sugar Topping
3 tablespoons butter
¼ cup apple cider
1/3 cup sugar
1 ½ cup cinnamon

Maple Whiskey Glaze
1 ½ cups plus 1 tablespoon powdered sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon whiskey (or maple flavored whiskey if you are going all out)
1 teaspoon pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon milk

Apple Cider Glaze
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted (add more to make the glaze thicker)
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons apple cider
1 tablespoon milk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and spray a mini muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray.

In a small pot on the stove, melt the butter. Stir in the cider and set aside to cool.

While the mixture is cooling, whisk together the flours, baking powder, sea salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Whisk the sugar, honey and egg into the cooled butter mixture until the ingredients are evenly combined.

Stir together wet and dry ingredients just until combined. Over-mixing will make your doughnut muffins tough.

Pour the batter into the muffin cups, filling them until they are about 2/3 full. Bake for 7 minutes. Allow to cool 1 minute before transferring the doughnut muffins onto a cooling rack. Meanwhile, make topping and/or glaze. The toppings make enough to cover about 1 batch of doughnut muffins. If you want to use a combination of toppings, half or quarter the recipes.

Cinnamon Sugar Topping
In a small saucepan (or bowl, if using the microwave), melt the butter and stir in apple cider. In another small bowl, mix together cinnamon and sugar.

To assemble with cinnamon sugar topping
Quickly dip each doughnut muffin in the butter-cider mixture and roll in the cinnamon sugar. Place back on the cooling rack.

Maple Whiskey Glaze
Whisk together the powdered sugar, whiskey, maple syrup and milk until the mixture is smooth and a bit runny. You can add more milk to thin the glaze or more powdered sugar to thicken it, depending on the consistency you prefer.

Apple Cider Glaze
Whisk together the powdered sugar, cinnamon, apple cider and milk until the mixture is smooth and a bit runny. As with the maple whiskey glaze, you can add more milk to thin the glaze or more powdered sugar to thicken it.

To assemble with glaze
Dip each doughnut muffin in the glaze and place back on the cooling rack. You can drizzle additional glaze on them with a spoon or fork.

These are best when served the same day, slightly warm. If storing leftovers, lightly cover, if at all.  If you do not serve the cinnamon sugared ones the same day, they may become syrupy.  If you know you will not serve them the same day you make them, wait to coat the doughnut muffins until right before you serve them.

Doughnuts adapted from here.  Maple Whiskey Glaze adapted from here.  Apple Cider Glaze from here.

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