If there's ever a fragrance that epitomizes a season for me, it is apples scented with warm spices simmering on the stove in Autumn. The day could either be glowing with the sun through changing leaves or it could be gray and rainy with us tucking in with candles lit. The warm fragrance permeates house and heart at the same time! And it's exactly the feeling you get when you make these Spiced Apple Cider Muffins.
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Have you ever had apple cider doughnuts? One of the best memories I have is eating apple cider doughnuts at an apple picking farm on a crisp fall afternoon. They were rolled in cinnamon sugar and absolutely lip-smacking! These muffins are very similar, easier to make (no frying!), gluten-free option given, and just as tasty.
SIMPLICITY rules with this recipe
It just calls for mixing the dry ingredients in one bowl, the wet ones in another, then combining them gently before spooning them into the muffin tin. That's easy, right?
You can make this recipe gluten-free! Here are some tips:
- Use the same brand of 1:1 gluten-free flour blend every time you make a recipe to ensure your results. Each brand has a different blend of grains and starches so the results WILL vary. I usually use Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-free Flour Blend.
- Use straight up grass-fed butter. There are so many great health benefits to consuming grass-fed dairy! I honestly can't believe the difference using it makes in the texture over using avocado or coconut oil. Of course, if you are careful with consuming dairy, you'll have no choice.
Spice (nutmeg, specifically) tips:
Nutmeg spice comes from the seed of the nutmeg tree and has a warm, almost sweet fragrance, somewhat musky. It is used to flavor desserts, sauces, potato dishes, meats, beverages... many things! Nutmeg is quite versatile in its applications, actually, although we often get hung up on using it just for desserts in the fall or in Christmas cookies.
It seems kind of picky and uppity to grate nutmeg from the seed, but the taste difference between pre-ground and freshly ground is worth the less-than-10 seconds of grating on the microplane.
- Freshly grated nutmeg is incredibly rich, earthy and complex.
- Pre-ground nutmeg loses flavor quickly so freshly grated will give so much more taste to your dish.
- If you can find nutmeg in the bulk section of a grocery store, that's the way to buy it because you can choose only a couple at a time. That's the way to keep it as fresh as possible. However, if you buy it on Amazon in a larger package (via the link above), arrange to share it with some friends so that you ALL have fresh whole nutmeg!
How to prepare your muffin tin for baking Spiced Apple Cider Muffins:
To mimic the cinnamon sugar coating on traditionally fried Apple Cider Doughnuts, prepare your muffin tin by buttering it, then sugaring it.
Only fill the muffin cups half to three-quarters full, then bake for 18-20 minutes. Be careful when you turn them out of the cups because that sugar coating will be HOT!
Serve them up with hot tea, coffee, or tall glasses of milk ... and make them often!
Other recipes you might like:
Recipe
Spiced Apple Cider Muffins
Ingredients
- butter for buttering the muffin tin
- organic cane sugar for sugaring the muffin tin
- 1 cup all-purpose flour or gluten-free 1:1 flour blend
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg see notes
- 1 egg slightly beaten
- ¼ cup brown sugar packed
- ¼ cup apple sauce, or apple butter
- 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
- 3 Tablespoons apple cider
- 3 Tablespoons plain yogurt
- 1½ Tablespoons butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Lightly coat the muffin tin with butter, then sprinkle sugar and coat each cup.
- Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a small bowl.
- Mix the egg, brown sugar, apple butter, maple syrup, apple/ cider, yogurt, and oil in a large bowl, then add the dry ingredients,. Stir just to moisten. Divide the batter into the muffin tins, filling each half to three-quarters full.
- Bake 18-20 minutes, or until the tops spring back when touched lightly. Carefully remove from the tins. The sugar coating on the bottom of the muffins will be very hot so be cautious! Let cool for a few minutes on a wire rack.
- Best if eaten immediately!
Notes
- Freshly grated nutmeg is incredibly rich, earthy and complex.
- Pre-ground nutmeg loses flavor quickly so freshly grated will give so much more taste to your dish.
- If you can find nutmeg in the bulk section of a grocery store, that's the way to buy it because you can choose only a couple at a time. That's the way to keep it as fresh as possible. However, if you buy it on Amazon in a larger package (via the link above), arrange to share it with some friends so that you ALL have fresh whole nutmeg!
Lori
This one is going into permanent rotation at our house! Thanks for the great recipe.
Tammy Circeo
From someone who I know loves great flavors, this is high praise! T'is the season for coziness.
Carolyn De Rusha
So good. Will make them often.
Tammy Circeo
🙂 I'm glad you liked them! As soon as a tin of muffins comes out of the oven, the Grands dive into them and there's rarely any leftover!